Over the course of the last week or so, I have been following the news of the various "Occupy" protests. Not real closely, but I have been following. I have done some reading about what these protesters are upset about and have seen some pretty jarring statistics. All of this following has led to a mini-crisis in my mind.
To a great extent, I agree with the protesters. The growing gap between the haves and have nots in our country is untenable. That the United States is ranked 93rd in the world in income equality (behind China and Iran, among others); that CEO's make, on average, 350 times the salary of a regular employee; that 1% of the population owns 42% of the financial wealth of our nation while 80% share a meager 7% of that wealth; that the bottom 80% of the population control only 15% of our net worth, while the top 5% control 60% - all of these are signs that something is dreadfully wrong.
What makes it even worse in my mind is that so many of those top 5% would likely claim to be "Christian" in their religious views and practice.
But there is nothing Christian about greed, nothing Christian about profiteering, nothing Christian about refusing to pay employees a living wage. All of these things are, to put it bluntly, immoral. The Bible clearly speaks about paying men and women a wage that allows them to live. It also clearly speaks against those who would withhold from others the things necessary for life. There is even a portion of the Bible that says that the people of God cannot hold someone's cloak as a pledge for debt! Exodus 22:26-28:
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Everything takes second place to care of the neighbor. This is a consistent thread through Scripture.
So why do we feel that we can call ourselves Christians and knowingly take advantage of our neighbor? How can I continue to support a system that allows some people to go hungry while others are making BILLIONS of dollars?
The simple answer is that I can't. Which is why I support the protesters. Call this post my "Occupy Blogger" stand.
The thing is, even as I write those words - that I support the protesters - I realize how impotent and trite they sound. The poor don't need my words, they need food. They don't need symbolic stands, they need jobs. They don't need a blog post that they won't read, they need a living wage.
And in the face of all those needs, I feel helpless. What good will it do for me to say that the system is broken? I participate in that system every single day. Realistically, what can I accomplish?
I don't know...and it is frustrating. I keep praying that God would show me a way that I can get involved, that I can use my gifts to make a difference and have an impact. Until he does, I am left to do the only thing I can: offer words of warning and encouragement.
To those who are at the mercy of the system, who are jobless, homeless, hungry and (seemingly) powerless:
But now thus says the Lord,
He who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel,
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name;
You are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and through the rivers,
the waters shall not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you shall not be burned,
the flame shall not consume you.
(Isaiah 43:1-2)
And for those who are a part of the system, who willingly tread on the backs of the poor to make their millions, who ignore the need, who pretend it is no big deal:
When the poor and needy seek water
and there is none;
when their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the LORD will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
(Isaiah 41:17)
jB
No comments:
Post a Comment