Good News to the Poor

Third Quarter 2000

by John Hiemstra

Last year, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada published a background paper on poverty, the primary author of which was Prof. John Hiemstra, who teaches political studies at King's University College in Edmonton, Alberta. An earlier version of that paper, from which the following excerpts are taken, was published by the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative: Jubilee, Wealth and the Market (1999).—Ed.

Christians can improve on the statistical method of getting at the complex but hard hitting reality of poverty through the biblically based concept of calling. Poverty exists when persons, associations or institutions lack the resources and space they need to fulfill their God-given responsibilities and callings. For example, a person or family might lack money, but they may also lack skills, healthy habits, or enabling opportunity structures. Understood in this way, poverty can never be a secondary concern for Christians since it strikes close to the heart of what it means for humans to image God.

Poverty should not be reduced simply to spiritual failure on the part of society. Nor should the causes or solutions for poverty be interpreted narrowly as individual responsibility. Deep spiritual problems manifest themselves in highly complex social structures. The starting point for a Christian understanding of these structures is the biblical message that God is the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things. All creaturely life, including human society and culture, is a response—either obedient or disobedient—to the Lord of creation and history.

Viewing the responsibilities, both for causing and solving poverty, through the lens of a differentiated social structure has several benefits. First, it helps us understand that poverty is integrally linked to the proper functioning of the many components of society. Different people in a range of different offices need different kinds of resources. Second, each differentiated institution and office has its own unique and important contribution to make in fighting poverty. No matter which offices we hold, there are things we can do in those offices to address poverty.

Within the highly differentiated structure of contemporary Canadian society the state has a distinct and limited responsibility before God. In the Old Testament this task is frequently described as doing justice (e.g. Ps. 72, 82). But what does justice require? A central function of government is to set out a public legal order that can serve to integrate all social institutions together into one society according to public justice, that is, in a way that respects, enables and enhances their specific callings. Sometimes the state sets conditions which shape the future integration of society and sometimes the state follows up existing integration in order to correct distortions and oppression. In relationship to the poor, government ought to ensure that a satisfactory supply of housing, food, clothing and income is accessible to the needy; it should empower the initiative and exercise of responsibility by poor persons, institutions, and neighborhoods; and government should promote initiatives that help business, unions, and other groups to create employment for the poor.

Jesus' startling message (Lk. 4) that the Year of the Lord's Favor includes good news for the poor is a wonderful, third-millennium challenge for today's church. Some Christians may respond to this message with hopelessness because of the immense scope and gravity of poverty in Canada and around the world. We need to remember, however, that Jesus also said, "today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." In Jesus Christ the ultimate victory over sin and evil has already been won. The Kingdom of righteousness and justice does not ultimately depend on our work and efforts. But the Holy Spirit is beckoning and empowering us to be faithful and to gratefully respond to God's work in our everyday callings.

Forgiveness of Third World Debt?

The Spring issue of Faith and Economics, journal of the Association of Christian Economists (ACE), features a symposium on the question of Third World debt forgiveness. Four authors evaluate both the Jubilee 2000 proposal and the initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund toward heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC). Stephen L. S. Smith (Gordon College), Christopher B. Barrett (Cornell University), Daniel Rush Finn (St. John's University, Minnesota), and Roland Hoksbergen (Calvin College) are the authors.

For information about the ACE and Faith and Economics, contact Bruce G. Webb, Gordon College, Wenham, MA 01984; 978-927-2300; e-mail: webb@faith.gordon.edu.