Christian Giving

I came across this article in the web today “It’s not ‘class warfare,’ it’s Christianity”. I just had to blog about it. What particularly caught my attention is the following quote from the article:

“This is what the Bible actually says about the economic practices of Jesus’ followers: “Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common... There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.” Acts 4:32-35.”

The big difference in this scripture quoted is that those early Christian believers willingly gave. Government did not force this type of giving through taxation, which is how the author of this article wants Christian giving to be carried out. Government stealing (and that is what government does through taxing the population for social programs) from one man to give to another is not Biblical-Old or New Testament.

I like how the author, Susan Brooks Thistlewaite, conveniently left out 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 which talks about how if people don’t work, they don’t eat. I know plenty of people who don’t work but want everything under the sun. I happen to be related to a few. The concept of working for the things they want is foreign. Why should they work for their necessities when the government can steal it from one man to give to them?

I’d like to also argue how the author conveniently left out the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Let me sum it up for you. Those who are good with God’s resources will be given more and those who are wasteful will have what they have taken away. I’ve read countless blogs, news articles, and books about the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Rarely do these sources of misinformation discuss the differences between how the rich amass their fortunes and how the poor manages to stay poor or how the rich think about work versus the poor. One set of beliefs and practices leads to great fortune and the other to poverty and servitude.