Clear Mandate, Complex Solutions

Poverty is a complex problem with many deep-rooted causes. Although the biblical mandate to care for the poor is quite clear, the search for solutions will lead well-meaning Christians to different conclusions. In the following essay, I will consider some biblical principles that offer us guidance and suggest a few examples of public and private remedies that may help address the problem of poverty in the United States.

The Biblical Mandate to Serve the Poor

Scriptures describe God’s active concern for defending the fatherless and widows, hearing the cries of the poor, rescuing them, and giving them refuge. From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible includes more than 2,000 verses that talk about the poor and needy.

The Bible describes several reasons for poverty and shows this is not a simple issue. In some verses in Proverbs and some of Jesus’ parables, the Bible says laziness can lead to poverty. Other passages place blame on the wealthy who get rich by exploiting the poor. The travails of the Israelites reveal how God sometimes allows poverty as judgment for sin. Yet many other biblical references reveal systemic and institutional causes of poverty.

Reflected in the history of the Israelites, the wisdom books, the words of the prophets, and the New Testament, the Bible clearly condemns oppression. It is evil to exploit the poor and deprive them of justice; many biblical passages call attention to structural sins and political actions that deliberately prey upon the poor (see, e.g. Amos 5:11-12). It is not just sinful to exploit the poor; the Bible also makes it clear that God commands us to care for them and meet their needs. Passages throughout the Old and New Testaments remind us to care for the most vulnerable in society as part of our love for God and neighbor.

Reducing Poverty: Some Public and Private Remedies

As biblical passages remind us and experience confirms, the causes of poverty are complex, and simple solutions are likely elusive. I don’t claim to have a simple formula for reducing poverty, but I will highlight a few principles to consider.

• ·         Support and maintain public assistance programs with the goal of helping the poorest Americans without creating a culture of dependency.

As the scope of American government has expanded, so have programs to care for the poor and needy. Workers and their employers contribute to Social Security and unemployment insurance, which in turn provides benefits to retirees, the disabled, and the unemployed. Other assistance programs supplement the income of the poorest Americans by helping them purchase food and by providing low-cost housing or rent subsidies. Medicare and Medicaid provide health insurance to the elderly and many of the poor. These and other related government programs clearly work to reduce poverty and help meet basic human needs. According to one analysis, the combined effects of safety net programs in 2009 provided assistance that lifted an estimated 38 million Americans out of poverty.

Government assistance programs (like all government programs) have strengths and weaknesses, and all would benefit from some refinement. On balance, however, I believe that our existing safety net includes a good mix of programs designed to help the most vulnerable members of society.

• ·         Encourage Work and Pathways to Permanent and Stable Employment

Many factors contribute to poverty, but one factor in particular provides a direct way to increase household income: jobs. As people find and retain jobs, they are better able to provide for themselves and their families, becoming more likely to move out of poverty.

Job training programs, especially holistic programs like many run by faith-based organizations, help people develop the skill sets and confidence necessary to seek, find, and retain full-time employment.

We should encourage the development and retention of government programs that provide incentives helpful to the working poor. Programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit provide a financial incentive to low and moderate income wage earners, offering a refundable tax credit that offsets some of the burden of payroll taxes and encourages work. Other programs that offer transportation assistance, subsidized childcare, and similar services that defray some of the costs associated with employment are also good public investments.

We also need policies that encourage job creation. Most (but not all) economists think tax rates have an independent effect on economic growth and job creation. Although such direct cause-and-effect relationships are difficult, if not impossible, to measure, many studies provide evidence that lowering businesses’ tax and regulatory burden helps create jobs.

• ·         Encourage the Participation of Religious and Community Groups that Serve the Poor

Private charities undoubtedly play a significant role in meeting the needs of the poor. Churches, non-profits and other groups in every community feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, train people for employment, teach English, and provide other tangible assistance that meets human needs. Such programs operate at the neighborhood level and can help foster relationships that bridge racial, socio-economic, and religious barriers.

In addition to independent and congregation-based programs, large faith-based networks provide social services to tens of millions of Americans each year with combined funding from private and government sources. The Salvation Army serves about 33 million people each year, providing help such as emergency food and shelter, substance abuse treatment, and disaster relief. Catholic Charities, a network of social service agencies, spends over $2.5 billion each year to assist about 9 million people. Lutheran Services in America helps about 6 million people annually, providing a range of services including health care, housing, mental health, and emergency and disaster relief.

Charitable work is essential, but it is rarely enough to deal with the underlying problems of poverty. Meeting immediate needs is necessary, but it will never be sufficient to combat the structural and institutional problems that contribute to domestic poverty.

Concluding Thoughts

The examples described above are just a few snapshots of ways to combat poverty. Poverty is a multifaceted problem with no simple solutions, so political debates over how to reduce poverty will always be complex and often contentious. As followers of Christ, we must make sure that our differences over the best means to address poverty do not turn into unfair accusations that others do not share our concern for the poor.