Simplicity – A Starting Point
Simplicity – Jubilee: The OT Principle
Simplicity – Jubilee: A basis for Jesus’ Ministry
Simplicity – Jesus’ Indifference to Wealth
Simplicity – The Kingdom Announcement
Simplicity – Wealth Gap in the U.S.

In light of all my writing so far on Simplicity, some of you may be wondering “why”? Why is it necessary that those who follow Christ live in a simple manner? The answer I come up with most often is simply because He asked us to do so. I’ve taken the last few entries on this to present that idea as essential to the Kingdom message. I’ve also mentioned Jesus’ reasons for proclaiming it. Those who are on the unequal side of that distribution always end up marginalized. And most often, whether we like to admit it or not, it is by our hand.

You see, it’s not simply the ultra rich vs. the rest. It’s also those of us in the middle class who look down on (or simply don’t look at all) the extremely poor among us. In the next entry I’ll discuss the economic parity worldwide. If my current entry regarding the classes in this country don’t give enough pause to our materialism and consumerism, then perhaps a global perspective will.

In our country, 1% of the population owns over half of the wealth. The top 20 percent of the US population owns over 80% of its wealth. These would be the ultra rich. According to the Gini coefficient, a method for comparing wealth gaps around the world, the United States is at .82, almost as bad as it can get. But you don’t need all this to know there are poor among you, do you? We see it every day.

Unfortunately, we either ignore this poverty or make ourselves safe from it. We do this by saving lots of money, investing wisely, buying lots of stuff and locking it all up. Is it easier to ignore poverty than deal with it? Sure. Is it the narrow way? Absolutely not.

Hebrew prophets saw how we treat the poor, the stranger, the outcast, the weak, the vulnerable, and the children as the truest criterion for a nation of integrity. I hear so often how great our country is, and yet we cannot support the most vulnerable among us. I had a conversation with a homeless Vietnam vet outside the library yesterday. He hasn’t been able to find a job. Before you dismiss him as lazy and thieving, as we so often do to harden our hearts, let’s be reminded that it took me almost 3 months to find a job when moving here. I have a college education. I am intelligent. I looked for work diligently. I have many, many skills. I do not have PTSD. There is one shelter in this town that fills up quickly. He’s not sure he’s going to make it through the winter. Shouldn’t we be taking care of him?

“If we have been fiscally irresponsible as a nation, why are we blaming the poor? If we have spent too much money on weapons and war, why are we blaming those who need the most protection? If we have been too generous with large public subsidies to big corporations, why are we blaming the people at the bottom? And if the welfare systems we have set up are not working very well, why are we blaming the recipients? Why is it that the poor, and especially poor women and children, will bear the biggest brunt of budget balancing and deficit reduction, instead of the pentagon, the fortune 500, and the middle class? Does this seem fair to anyone? Does this seem fair to God?”
-Jim Wallis

It is time for Christians to get serious about not simply helping the poor with their money, but living in solidarity with them. According to the Bible, people are poor when oppression is involved. Who’s the oppressor?

The Western definition of the good life is a lie. The American dream is not what Jesus had in mind. In fact, it is so far from the idea of Jubilee, the gospel isn’t even recognizable in it. We will not find happiness in our stocks, our retirement plans, our savings accounts, our paychecks, our big screens, our cars or our homes. The reason most people won’t listen to this is not simply because they are being selfish. It is much more nuanced. I think there is a belief out there that we, as Americans, are some grand representation of Jesus and his ministry, his message. And to deny any portion of that is not only to say that we might be living selfishly (hard for some people to admit to), but that our nation is also not some beautiful, favored land flowing with milk and honey (probably even harder for some people to accept).