In his book “Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America,” Ron Sider asks the question, “Who — government, family, churches — should care for the poor?” Christians throughout history have disagreed about the answer to this question. Christians have been able to interpret Scripture in a variety of ways that best support their argument. Sider argues that holistic poverty alleviation can come when the government, families and churches all work together to pursue justice and equitable access to resources. A close analysis of verses from throughout the Bible illustrates that Christian theology supports collaboration between individuals and private and public institutions when seeking more just, equitable societies.
There are numerous examples throughout Scripture of the government helping marginalized communities and working to alleviate poverty. Deuteronomy 16:18-20 says, “You shall appoint judges and officials throughout your tribes, in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall render just decisions for the people. You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality … Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (ESV). Albert Coetsee refers to the phrase “must not distort justice” in his article “By Everyone and for Everyone: The Principles Underlying ‘Justice’ in Deuteronomy 16:18-20”: “The phrase is used a number of times in the Torah to prohibit the perversion of justice by siding with the many (Ex 23:2) or failing the poor, sojourner, fatherless or widow in their lawsuit.” Throughout the earliest books of the Bible, Scripture is abundantly clear that social systems should be designed with marginalized groups in mind, not just to side with or serve the many, which in this case is the financially prosperous individuals. In the very structure of their government and legal systems, the Lord commands them to pursue and prioritize justice, an essential part of which is not failing to provide for the people who are experiencing poverty. It is entirely appropriate, and actually encouraged, for the government to play a role in both poverty prevention and poverty alleviation.
While there is ample disagreement about what constitutes as a family unit, the Bible, again and again, upholds a family structure as a vital part of society. One could also argue that family plays the role of a support system, so a person’s individual support system can play a role in poverty alleviation. During his ministry on earth, Jesus consistently emphasized the need to sacrifice for the sake of others, seen specifically in Matthew 25:34-40. Verses 35 and 36 say, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (NIV). Jesus equates helping those in need to helping himself. These are specific, practical actions that individual people and families can take to take a relational approach to meeting both the emotional and physical needs of people in poverty. In his article, “The Least of These My Brothers: Matthew 25:31-46,” David Cortés-Fuentes finds that these six acts are commonly listed together as ways to push back injustice in the Old Testament and other early Jewish writings. When analyzing the original text, Cortés-Fuentes finds that Jesus’s word choice referred specifically to individual Christians when giving this command. Thus, Jesus not only emphasizes the importance of poverty alleviation efforts by likening it to caring for Jesus himself, but he also prevents any Christians from being able to argue that only the government and large organizations can take part in these efforts. He draws on language that would have been familiar to his audience, giving concrete examples of things that Christians both then and now can — and should — do to make a practical difference in the lives of those experiencing poverty.
Scripture is also clear that churches should also play a role in poverty alleviation. While churches should certainly strive to meet the spiritual needs of all in their communities, whether that be through prayer, teaching or community, the Bible makes it clear that the church is not called to stop there. Praying is important but so is having food to eat and money for basic necessities. This dual approach is evident in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, which says, “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes …so that the Levite s… and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (NIV). The tithe would generally go to funding the church itself, but the Lord explicitly set up a system where, every three years, the church would give all of the tithes to those in need. The church was charged with meeting the physical needs of those in their communities. In “Tithing in Deuteronomy 14:22-29 and Its Implications to Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria,” Nigerian pastor Favour Chukwuemeka Uroko writes about the fact that, when churches fail to dedicate a large amount of resources to poverty alleviation, it makes “room for greed and priestly hubris to the detriment of the church followers. It is advised that tithes should be used to transform the lives of congregation members. In this way, others join in caring for the poor just as in ancient Israelite society.” Churches are called to preach biblical commands such as tithing, but also to meet the physical needs of the people around them.
Through a brief analysis of these passages, it is clear that Scripture charges no single entity with poverty alleviation. Holistic care for those experiencing injustice and poverty must be multi-faceted and come from a variety or places. The government is, in theory, able to ensure equity through systems, setting up systems that can provide an equal starting point for all people, as is seen in the Deuteronomy passage that mandates unbiased, equitable justice systems. Individuals and families are in a unique position to meet the individual, specific needs of those in their community. Individuals, more so than the government or churches, are equipped to meet the social, relational needs of those in poverty. Jesus continually emphasizes the importance of serving him through service to those who are being marginalized. And finally, the church is able to meet both spiritual and physical needs of those in its community, acting as a conduit of resources from prosperous congregant members to those in poverty. If any one of these pieces fail to fulfill their scriptural mandate to address poverty and injustice in this world, the efforts will fail to be holistic and sustainable. Addressing poverty is not an optional part of Christianity; it is an essential, God-given mandate.
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