The controversial poor
In an all too brief moment of repose last night, I channel flipped past a CNN interview with Jerry Falwell. For those not familiar with the man, he's in the Pat Robertson school of evangelical right-wing leaders. He's strongly conservative, both theologically and politically. I'm not a big fan of talking head TV, since too often it's about the volume of the argument rather than the quality of the conversation. But what stopped me here was the interviewers question: essentially, why Falwell has spoke so often about homosexuality and abortion and not about poverty and injustice, arguably just as important (I would claim much more so) in Scripture.
His response was telling. He said that some people have a special calling in life, such as Pope John Paul II when it comes to abortion. He seemed to imply that the two issues listed above were his special calling. He also said that his church has had "homes" for single moms and homeless people for over twenty years. But the press doesn't cover that, he claimed, because it's just not controversial. Nobody disagrees with helping poor people.
Falwell is just the kind of guy who tends to get under my skin. Yes, he's technically my brother in Christ, but there's times I'd like to call him a second cousin three times removed. He's the symbol of what turns so many off about our faith--the kind of smug self-righteousness and outright militancy about social issues. So I was intrigued to hear an answer to the very question I would have asked.
Is charity as controversial as abortion? No. Certainly no one's bombed the free lunch program recently. But it was interesting to me that he framed the issue in that way. "Homes" for those down on their luck aren't controversial, since they don't really challenge the way things are. Yet when we look at Scripture, particularly at the prophets and at Jesus' ministry, we find out that dealing with those at the margins can be VERY controversial. That's because, in those cases, it's not just charity--a helping hand. Both Jesus and the prophets challenged the larger social system that marginalized those folks. They advocated for a more just society, one where everyone could share more equally of society's resources. When you ask the rich young rulers to give away all their possessions and call religious leaders "whitewashed tombs" due to their economic exploitation of widows, that's what gets you into trouble.
Falwell may very well have a special calling on the abortion issue, though I don't know personally how much good he's doing. But I'd disagree with him on the church's role of poverty. The best agencies I've seen on this issue mix both charity and activism--addressing the current need while also pushing for larger reforms. Honestly, maybe it doesn't get the same publicity as abortion, but not for the reason Falwell says. It's not a comfortable word, and something most of us (myself included) would prefer not to hear.