The Bible and Economic Security

QUOTING JIMMY CARTER: 

Our Endangered Values

2005

Regarding Poverty:

1 verse in 16 in the New Testament refers to money or the poor,

1 verse in 10 in the 3 gospels,

and 1 verse in 7 in Luke.

Beginning the 21^st century the average income in the

20 richest nations of the world was $27,591;

20 poorest nations was $211.00,

 average U. S. income about $55,000.

Carter did call the United States the stingiest of the industrialized nations.

With a gross income of $11 Trillion we gave poor nations but $.16 cents per $100.

Our total donations still equaled only $.22 cents per $100.

In the great tsunami, 11 nations equaled 200,000 fatalities

whereas 165,000 die of malaria monthly,

140,000 die of diarrhea monthly, and

240,000 die of aids monthly.

American Executive salaries (CEO’s) went up from 40 times to 400 times the average worker’s pay, while wages fell for the average worker in 2004, for the first time in many years.

American arms manufacturers and our Nato allies provide 80% of International weapons sales.

I copied these statistics some time ago when I read this book. On rediscovering my note card, I thought I would share his statistics………………….

They reveal the heavy emphasis upon poverty in the Bible.

This challenges the seriousness of our Christian stewardship,

for they show Americans living far better than most of the world.

This, I believe, is an issue most of us do not really want to deal with realistically.

Casting it off as Communistic or socialistic theory frees us to

ignore the ethical demands of the Bible for sharing our blessings.

Carter called us the stingiest of industrialized nations. While this is something we refuse to admit of ourselves. it remains true, unless his figures lie. They suggest how heavily weighted the slant of our political system really is. We favor the wealthy, and we continue to allow politics to broaden the gap between the affluent and the vulnerable, and leave increasingly fewer of us in between.

We do this by our insistence on continuing to ignore the broader scope of the issues and continuing to vote for our favorite party line. Both parties have faults but both parties do not support the continuation of these statistics as they presently exist.

Should we ever again become a people of The Book, 

and a nation governed By the people Of the people, and For the people, 

these statistics will change. 

And if you should wonder where the first use of the words “by, for, and of” the people came into use, go back and read John Wycliffe. He first used this expression in his endorsement of his Wycliffe Translation of the Bible during the 14^th century English Reformation.

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