How you treat the poor

The radio show Marketplace on NPR did a segment on the poor, taxes, and Christianity in North Carolina. Since I've written about that before (though in Alabama) this wasn't going to escape my notice.

There are now an ongoing series of protests at the state capitol called Moral Mondays. The latest reason for them was a cutting of unemployment benefits. Many state welfare agencies tell clients they have no money and the poor should seek aid from the church.

Rev. Kevin Barbour of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Graham, NC says that is appropriate and quotes a passage from Philippians: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." So don't lean on the gov't.

Yes, some people are helped. But I have complaints:

* What if the person is gay? North Carolina was the last state to approve a marriage protection amendment. Similarly, what if the church simply finds the person undesirable in some way?

* What if the person is an atheist and doesn't want to set foot in a church? This is especially a problem if the preacher requires listening to a sermon before being fed.

* What if churches simply don't have enough resources to meet the need? With churches in poor neighborhoods in this economic climate that is a distinct possibility. Will rich churches supply enough aid to the poor?

* I've also written that we are asked to help people rise out of their predicaments, not just keep them fed and sheltered. How many churches have the resources to educate the poor as well as help them find jobs?

Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Durham disagrees with Rev. Barbour. The book of James says, "you can't say to your brother who is hungry: be thou warm and well fed. We're praying for you. Hope all's well." That's why he is disappointed with state lawmakers. They say they are Christian, but don't act like it.

Which is why Rev. William Barber head of the NC chapter of the NAACP is leading the Moral Mondays protests. He said, "But those are the centerpieces of all our major faith. How you treat the poor, how you do justice. If you remove all the scriptures that deal with that you wouldn't have a Bible."

State Senator Thom Goolsby, a Christian, says they have to deal with the state's crushing debt. "We don’t have any more money to pull out of a magic hat. We can’t run a state that’s bankrupt. Where were [the demonstrators] when the Democrats were running amok, running our taxes up?"

Why is the state bankrupt? Whose taxes were being run up and by how much?
To answer that I again refer you to what I wrote about Alabama. There the tax structure was intentionally designed so that the poor remained poor. The NC legislature is acting like a power, not as representatives of the people.