Is it important for Christians to take the poor seriously?
We are obligated to take care of the poor.How do we best help?
You could say that it was Christianity that institutionalized charity.
The church institutionalized organized giving internationally, because we saw Christ in the poor.
The question should not be, "Must we do it?", but "How should we do it?"
Most of us come in touch with the poor.The best system for everyone, including the poor, is free enterprise.
We've replaced the notion of compassion, which means to suffer with someone, and replaced it with, "To give to."
I think Paul said sometimes you have to get a man to work, before you can help him.
Socialism isn't sharing wealth, it's the forced sharing of wealth.Why is that not obvious? Why does that not make it into the media?
You basically drain all of the morality out of the action.
Arthur Brooks has written a very good book documenting who gives to the poor....and it's conservatives.
I think the reason it doesn't get into the media is because the media itself is liberal.I'd love to allow you to give us a quick commercial about how we can learn from the Acton Institute.
And conservatives are, well, conservative. They don't talk a lot about it.
The liberals talk a lot about it.
Thanks for the opportunity. First, go to our website.
It's a veritable library on theology, on economics.
God did not redeem the world by simply speaking a word.
This is why Christians throughout the ages have been concerned with this world.
What the Acton institute does is...see what the best ways of helping the poor are.
It's not just having...a heart for the poor. It's having a head for the poor.
I think in part we have a dissonance between versions of who " the poor" are -those Jesus was referring to and the concept. as it is used today. I think there is a difference between those who cannot fend for themselves and those who can but choose not to. We need to create opportunities for people to help themselves and not an environment where the state takes ownership of a person's dignity and motivation. That is a hard line to draw and the government is notoriously bad about being able to inject personal responsibility into anything but taxes. The reason we are where we are is so many citizens, including Christians, have abdicated responsibility for helping to develop others. A politician who can inspire the masses is necessary to help reorient our society to self reliance and pride in self promotion. I saw this happen with Welfare Reform under Ronald Reagan. It isn't the "poor" who are following the Socialistic dream- it is those who like receiving withouta return obligation and those who like the power being able to control the doleouts provides. Here in Texas I see the media starting to ramp up against Perry. If he runs it will not be gentle. I am trusting God to provide the inspiration needed. We can't handle 4 more years of Democrat rule!
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