As I sit here and type this (at one of our 152 Starbucks in the Valley), there is a group of 4 men sitting next to me. Obviously professional and well-spoken. They are Christians. They are discussing things like the Great Commission and going out to other countries and sharing the Good News. While this is noble, I am stuck on something that one of them just said. He was sharing about his friend who decided to give away 50 cents on every dollar his company earned this past fiscal year. That's awesome! And again, noble. But he then shared the numbers. This man's company earned 8.2 million this past year. How cool that he was then able to give away 4.1 million! But I'm not OK with that. Why does it bother me so much? I guess my instant response is what in the world does this man NEED with the other 4.1 million he is keeping for himself?? Why do we feel so justified when we give away "a lot" of money but we keep so much for ourselves? God asked for a tenth. So any time we can give more that's awesome. While I am not trying to judge this man whom I have never even laid eyes on... I am finding it increasingly more difficult for me to live in a society so overrun with greed and capitalism. I am instantly reminded of the widow who gave her offering and it was "all that she had". Why can't we do this? And I don't just mean financially. We are so inclined to hold back what we have. Gifts, talents, abilities, finances, time... fill in the blank here. It's as if we have a "MINE" mentality that we can't overcome. We work so hard at creating for ourselves the American Dream and forget that that is definitely not what God intended for us. In fact, I think it is the very thing that is destroying us. Now, please don't see me as un-American here. I just don't see why we as a nation feel so justified in our pursuit of happy-ness.
Is there another way? Is it possible to redistribute the wealth so-to-speak? Well, it is biblical. That's what was done back in the day. I mean what if we all took only what we needed. Like manna from heaven. What if we only took enough to survive and stopped the madness of gluttony and greed. I know this sounds extreme - but is it really? As I sit here and think about the 27,000 children who will die of malnutrition TODAY in this world I am provoked to believe that it is possible. God did not make a mistake. He didn't forget to provide enough for those children. We have just hoarded it in certain areas of the world out of their reach. Can we find a way to even the playing field? Even the score? It's not a game... but it sure seems like one.
Please understand that if it seems like I am "pointing the finger"... I realize that there are four more pointing back at me! What changes do I need to make? What can I do to make a difference. How am I contributing to the problem and what can I do to help solve it? These are all questions that I am asking myself. Will you ask them too?
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You might enjoy a book by Ron Sider called Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. I met him at Fuller. He's a Yale-educated Christian theology professor who, with his family, agrees to live just above the US poverty level and gives a graduated tithe on everything else. He only buys clothes second hand, etc. He's a really neat guy.
Here is a short video of him.
A extremely well-regarded philosopher in my field, Peter Unger, is similarly inclined. He's written some stuff about this from a secular point of view. Also, Thomas Pogge is another example of an academic who has spent most of his life working on issues in poverty.
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