News-Record.com

"Tackling poverty" is a noble-sounding cause, to be sure. But in an economic system based on selfish decision-making, poverty is the inevitable consequence. You can "fight" it all you want, but it will always exist until everyone decides to share.

The problem is not the system per se, although systems can ALWAYS be tweaked for the better (unless they are socialistic); the problem is spiritual ignorance and lostness. When people are transformed inwardly, their whole perspective changes; they are freed from the debilitating snares of lust, greed and corruption; and given a life-affirming, Spirit-filled, positive outlook on life. Sin and guilt are depressive and destructive by nature. Eternal, or spiritual, life is mentally invigorating and inspiring, and together with the life principles found in the Scriptures, enables a person to have positive goals and achieve them. Immorality, degenerate music, hedonistic and anti-education attitudes all contribute directly to poverty and despair.

It is the above that cause poverty, crime, drug addiction and injustice. But given a socio-economic environment of opportunity (freedom/capitalism), anyone can achieve reasonable goals and fulfill their potential. But if they are debilitated by sin, they will sink into despair and poverty (even the rich). SOME leg-up help should be given to those who are caught in a milieu of poverty and despair, but if too much is given, the drive and incentive to achieve is taken away – witness the so-called “War on Poverty” and welfarism: prime examples of the unbiblical approach of socialism.

Big government solutions, or private sector solutions that do not include evangelism and the teaching of biblical principles, will ultimately fail – and any success they DO have will be synthetic and unsatisfying. It is the inspired personal struggle to overcome, using the available opportunities and resources a free capitalistic system that builds character and eradicates poverty. And poverty will be a major factor in the world until there is true Gospel enlightenment, and sin is dealt with. There are African-American churches, especially in urban centers, for example, that are doing a great job in this regard. Any real solutions must be local, biblical, spiritual and generational. Short-term fixes are just that, and ultimately fail.

If the church groups mentioned in this content-starved article are approaching poverty from this local, biblical perspective, and are not a bunch of liberation, neo-Marxist liberals, then God bless; otherwise its just religious folks doing socialism.

"If the church groups mentioned in this content-starved article are approaching poverty from this local, biblical perspective, and are not a bunch of liberation, neo-Marxist liberals, then God bless; otherwise its just religious folks doing socialism."

Sort of like the early Christians in the book of Acts, huh?

http://www.anglocatholicsocialism.org/
http://www.adinballou.org/pcs.shtml

Just curious...have YOU ever taken government assistance? Be honest.

"SOME leg-up help should be given to those who are caught in a milieu of poverty and despair, but if TOO MUCH is given, the drive and incentive to achieve is taken away – witness the so-called “War on Poverty” and welfarism: prime examples of the unbiblical approach of socialism."

Janet, I never said that government cannot HELP - above I said just that. Even that is dangerous, however, because it's so easy to become addicted and want more and more, until freedom and individual initative are destroyed: the Soviet Union, China (until they got the message that they would be left behind unless they modified with capitalistic enterprize)

And Yes I have taken government assistance. I ride down roads provided by state and federal governments everyday. And we did take food stamps and WIC when a poor struggling grad school student. So there, I was honest. In retrospect, I don't think I should have - absolutely had to. It was just so easy, and i didn;t have any philosophical position on it then. But if its there, we are all tempted to take it, since "it's my taxes." Even the US govt. saw that wefarism was a counterproductive trap.

My point was simply that private benevolence is far better that screaming for government assistance, which liberals tend to do. And there is a general ignorance of, and ignoring of, the root of poverty, which is lawlessness and sin. But humanism doesn't/can't see this truth because it's prooccupied with human anti-biblical solutions.

And the Acts thing is a tired old argument that is undercut by the rest of the Bible. It was obviously an emergency and temporary MO, and not the setting of a precedent or principle. There was sharing and assistance among the churches, which is fine and biblical, but not the institution of socialism. We are exhorted to share one another's burdens and to also bear our own. So, help others, but take care of your own affairs as well. There is a balance.

Helping the poor is, of course, a multifaceted undertaking, but government seems to be the VERY least effective way of doing so. Throwing money at the problem is myopic and superficial. Government solutions generally have this result.
Local governments do better.

I just wonder what a bunch of church leaders have in mind. The article didn't go into any substantive detail. I was just speculating on what the MO might be if they were neo-Marxist liberal do-gooders.