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Thursday, July 14, 2005

Comments

darren

Good clarifications. I struggle with agreeing with what you've written and then looking at the regular patterns into which my life falls. I have to stop and ask myself questions: Am I following Jesus in a radical life of servitude, particularly to those who are most without? Does my use of resources entrusted to me reflect such a commitment?

I hope my answer over time shows a pattern of transformation. I have the same hope for the church.

Bookie

I agree, Thad. It's unfortunate that I've been exposed to a particular brand of Christianity over my lifetime that has a very hands-off approach to dealing with the poor. One of our pastors referenced the "be warmed and well-fed" verse in this weekend's services. That hurt. Not because I was suddenly convinced that I should be helping those who are needy but because I know I should and I have done little (which is probably worse). I am, however, not excused because of my exposure to modern Pharisaism.

I have a lot more compassion on the poor than I led you to believe in my previous comment. I used the poor as a platform to jab at my coworkers in my previous statement. I regret writing it out of respect and love for the poor (excluding the lazy).

todd

I wholeheartedly agree that poverty in the US is a completely different animal than it is in the rest of the world. I remember riding a bus in Greneda and seeing shacks that people called home. I built better forts in the woods when I was a kid than these homes. It gave me a different perspective of what poverty is.

Should I be better at helping the poor? Definitely. There are many things I struggle with and this is one of them. I guess I've had "bad" experiences with helping the poor. I recall one time I went to the grocery store and bought a Thanksgiving dinner for a "needy" family. When I delived the meal to the family, I walked into an apartment that had a big screen TV, surround sound system and a playstation. Now it's not my job to judge their need, so I gave the meal with the notion that they really did need it. It's just difficult for me to get past that image.

Let's see if I can dig a deeper hole than I already have 8^). I would say that giving out of genuine compassion is far better that giving out of guilt. I think the key is "the reality that we've been blessed to bless others".

As for Live8 and Celebrate Freedom, I think it's very dangerous to paint either one of them with a broad brush.

darren

You wrote that Americanism and conservatism "have made us more concerned about being irresponsibly generous than about actually feeding, clothing, and housing Jesus."

Query: What does it look like to be irresponsibly generous versus responsibly generous? Do we see stories of Jesus that depict one or the other? John's narrative of the blind man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 comes to mind. The man didn't seem to show a particular desire to have Jesus heal him and didn't seem to show any faith after (actualy turned Jesus in to the pharisees). So maybe Jesus was about more than just meeting that one guy's physical need (though he still did).

darren

Okay so he was crippled and not blind. Same point. It wasn't about the man's response but about Jesus' action.

s.k.

Hi, Thad. This is Stefan, one of Britt's friends from Wake Village, and I followed a link from his Xanga to your blog here. I really enjoyed what you've shared here and I'll be stopping by more often in the future. Thanks for the encouragement/conviction.

Old Man

Preach it brother! I've preached it for years now and unfortunately it has fallen on deaf ears but not always. The overall biggest issue for us western Christians is we have to change the way we view life - in every area of our life. It's not about us!!

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