We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
When Good Choices Are Not Enough
Our friend Rachel Held Evans posted on the CNN Belief Blog in response to a blog on Dave Ramsey’s website entitled The 20 Things Rich People Do Every Day. Rachel points out, rightly, that Dave Ramsey has helped many people get rid of debt and make wise financial changes in their lives. But some of the theological assumptions about the poor that he has made are not only hurtful and untrue, they’re unbiblical. While we deeply appreciate the wisdom of much of Dave Ramsey’s approach and advice, we agree with Rachel that he missed the mark here.
Systemic injustices create barriers for the poor and people of color that do not exist for the middle class majority. This is not always obvious to those who enjoy a privileged status. Let’s be good listeners and learn from our brothers and sisters for whom “personal habits, choices and character” are not always enough to overcome poverty.
From Rachel’s post:
People are poor for a lot of reasons, and choice is certainly a factor, but categorically blaming poverty on lack of faith or lack of initiative is not only uninformed, it’s unbiblical.
God does not divide the world into the deserving rich and the undeserving poor. In fact, the brother of Jesus wrote that God has “chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him” (James 2:5).
God does not bless people with money; God blesses people with the good and perfect gift of God’s presence, which is available to rich and poor alike.
Category: General
Tags: Choice, Dave Ramsey, Oppression, Poverty, Privilege, Rachel Held Evans
Related Reading
What Does It Mean that God Hardens Hearts?
Some argue that passages which speak of God hardening human hearts (Jos 11:19-20; Ex 7:3; 10:1; Rom 9:18) demonstrate that God controls everything, including people resistant to this declared intentions. He hardens whomever he wills, they argue. He could just as easily have softened their hearts, but for his own sovereign reasons he chose not…
Who is Your Family?
Gates Foundation via Compfight Living in the tension of the already and the not yet is a blog written by Americans living in India who have chosen to live among the poor at their same economic level. They’ve written a post called On Miracles and Justice through Community. It contains a challenge to rethink who…
Ashamed/Unashamed
Toni Blay via Compfight Rachel Held Evans posted this astounding reflection on her blog this week. Normally, we post a short excerpt of the blogs we link to, but this one MUST be read in it’s entirety. It reminds us of what is both ugly and beautiful in the church and ourselves and calls us…
Hearing and Responding to God: Part 1
A reader contacted Greg asking about making “right decisions” assuming an open future and in light of the fact that God seems to rarely speak clearly. In this first response, Greg acknowledges that even with the best of intentions, our decisions can have outcomes that are unexpected even to God! How can we move forward…
Friday Lights: Megan’s Story
Each Friday we post content sent to us by our readers that is inspiring, funny, lighthearted or just generally fun. If you’d like more information on submitting content for this feature you can get more information here. Here’s something from our friend Josiah Haken of New York City Relief. So good.