Who Hates Charity?

You know what is really tiring? People's lack of concern for others and still claiming that they are operating in the will of Christ. That's tiring. 

I recently saw in my news feed a post saying that South Carolina has made Obamacare illegal. Not to my surprise I noticed it because someone I have met who is an alumni from a very "republican" college I attended shared it. I had replied to this share with a simple statement that this action seems very "I'm taking my toys and going home" and that I felt that it was wrong to criminalize (and they will arrest anyone using the program) Obamacare when it can help several middle and lower income families. (For the record I am not saying it's for everyone. I feel it should be elective for everyone.)

In another twist, the conversation went toward religion, which was actually quite expected. This person mentioned that they support helping poor people, but that we should teach them to do well for themselves. I couldn't help but think to myself, "Is this what the American Christian has become? Are we now a people that will serve the will of Christ in ways that fit into our own ideological viewpoints?"

Jesus has this to say:

 Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

The one thing that I noticed in this passage was that this was strikingly different than what I have heard many people who claim Christ say. Many people have heard the idiom, "If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish you feed him for a lifetime." While that's true, most people also forget the biggest lie in that statement and it glares you in the face. If you teach a man to fish and he doesn't have a pole or a hook he is still going to starve and you never fed him in the first place. Give the man the fish and your pole and teach him to fish with it. 

It's very evident in the passage I quoted that Jesus doesn't say "I was hungry and you taught me to get food." He doesn't say, "I was thirsty and you brought me a cup and showed me where the well was." Do you want to know where the fatal flaw in this pattern of thinking? It's two-part. The first part is that you are ignoring the actual words of Christ in the passage when he is talking about feeding and welcoming people. Secondly, Jesus also has this to say:

“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13-14)

More often than not we are overly concerned with the ROI of our charity. That's not the idea of charity. Giving isn't about how much you get back or the "bang for your buck." It's about being selfless and doing what you can for other people because reality is that you probably have it better than they do in the first place. 

How can we be so self minded as to make helping people illegal?

(Coincidentally at the end of this conversation I pointed out some loopholes in the system which this person happened to qualify for that allow you to avoid fees and not have the insurance if you cannot afford it and magically the hostility disappeared.)