The Christian Answer to Poverty

As I have insisted on before, the whole of Biblical Economics can be summarized from a single verse, namely, Ephesians 4:28,

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

the apostle Paul

In this verse, we can see the foundations of the Biblical view of money.

First, the bedrock of this verse is the concept of private property. The statement “that he may have something” necessitates the reality of having ones own property. Far from abolishing private property and condemning it as an evil concept, Scripture affirms and prescribes property rights.

Second, private property, or the pursuits of a capitalist society, are not of necessity motivated by greed. “So that he may have something to share with anyone in need” presents a higher motive than the detractors of Biblical Economics allow us. Capitalism is the means by which the Christian may have the opportunity and joy of charity and compassionate care. Without private property and a system of capitalism, this cannot happen.

Third, the thief no longer stealing is the prerequisite for charity, not for the individual alone, but for the whole of society. If the thief steals from his neighbour, even if it is in service of another neighbour, he gives nothing of his own and has deprived himself and his victim of the opportunity and joy of charity. If a society steals from its own and redistributes to those perceived as the downtrodden, the poor, the marginalized, it has not only stripped away the opportunity and joy of charity from individuals, but has made itself impoverished by abolishing private property.

Fourth, true charity can only be provided by the individual or individuals working of their own volition. If they are forced into charity, it is no longer charity, but robbery. If they force others to work so that they may have something to chare with others, it is not charity but slavery.

---

It is difficult to enumerate all the points that need to be made for our present moment, so let me make only a few.

First, we must make the distinction between pauperism (dependence upon government to steal from others to give to them) and genuine poverty.

I am aware of dozens of people enslaved in their dependence to the state, many of whom are unaware of their enslavement (partial or total). They have given up their intellectual betterment, experience spiritual malaise, and have no sense of private property or the joy of charity. As Christians, we must do our best to wage war against this on the personal level as well as the political level. We need to learn how to argue Biblically for true charity, and help others come to see the monster that is the Welfare State.

Second, all government relief will tend toward pauperism. If you reward (subsidize) poverty and dependence upon government, you will get more of it. If you penalize hard working citizens by stealing what they have to redistribute it, you will find fewer working citizens to steal from. This is an iron law of the human heart.

Third, it is incumbent upon Christians to seek wealth without falling in love with it. To give with an open hand, trusting God with the margin. To give wisely, not only economic aids, but intellectual and spiritual necessities, far more valuable than silver and gold. It is upon us, and not government, to restore dignity to those bereft of it.

Fourth, If a pauper refuses to work for their own food, home, or comforts and so go on stealing from their neighbours under the guise of government subsidy, our aim should be to evangelize them, not coddle their sin of thievery. Their dignity can be restored only when they’ve bowed in self-deprecation at the foot of the cross. This is the way of repentance, the way of faith.

If we do not do these things, our world will continue to descend into a communist hell hole. This is not a moment for mincing words or softening expression. Too many souls are in the balance. We cannot let pauperism win in setting up a world in which the necessity for God is not felt, and the love for stolen money is ingrained into every heart.

God help us.

[Communisms] whole spirit is in the most direct hostility to the doctrines of the Bible. It recognizes no absolute distinction between right and wrong. .. . It is the exact antagonist of Christianity; it starts from opposite fundamental principles and aims at precisely opposite results

Henry J. Raymond, 1847