Let’s start by addressing a common improper response to poverty.

There is a tendency among Americans who are sensitive to the needs of the oppressed poor to seek political action as a way to alleviate the woes of the world. This seems in many ways a natural response. This leaves me with a nagging question, why do we expect the government to solve the problems of the world? If you don’t dig too far back into American history, you’ll find we haven’t always had such expectations. I would venture that most people are unaware that it was once unconstitutional to have an income tax. Because the US needed funding for it’s new found international interventionist policies, the American public was convinced that it was their patriotic duty to pay [income] taxes. The next logical next step was to enact tax with-holdings. This program has been quite successful, so much so that most Americans have been duped into thinking the government is doing them a favor by returning some of their hard-earned cash on April 15th. (For more info on history of income with-holdings taxes here in America, read the Fair Tax by Neil Boortz and John Linder. My purpose here is not to promote the Fair Tax, although I am a supporter and believe it would greatly improve the economic situation here in the States.) Interestingly enough, American charitable giving significantly decreased at the time that income tax was withheld. Why? It seems Americans expected their government to be benevolent with their money.

I believe this process has distanced most Americans from actually being generous. We expect the government to provide social safety nets, like welfare, medicare, and social security. At one point neighbors would look out for each other. Family would be responsible for family. Churches and community organizations would act overtly benevolent. These days, when jobs are lost, the market crashes or and houses are foreclosed, we expect Uncle Sam to sweep in and save the day.

So, back to the original question. How should Christians respond to poverty?

I’m not sure how we can do it, but American Christians must recapture some sense of responsibility. Some sense of community. Some awareness. We have been trained to disconnect ourselves from the process; we must reconnect. There is a world around us in need. As Americans we have no obligation to look out for those around us, but as Christians…