(from the Web site of Ethics Daily; written by Jim Evans, pastor of Auburn First Baptist Church, Auburn, Alabama)
I have been an advocate for the poor, both the relatively poor of our nation and the desperately poor in the rest of the world, for my entire ministry. There are several reasons why this is so.
First of all, I grew up near poverty. My immediate family was not poor primarily because my dad was in the military. The Navy always provided us with housing, free health care, affordable food and access to decent public schools.
But there were members of my extended family that lived in dire circumstances. I was able to see firsthand the effects of poverty on the human spirit. It does something to a person to have to ask for help from other family members.
It became even worse when government assistance programs put the poor through all kind of humiliating bureaucratic hoops – not to mention the community stigma that attaches itself to public assistance.
But it wasn't just personal experience that delivered me to this position. My theological training convinced me that God has a bias toward the poor. It's as if God knows that the cards of social resources are stacked against the weak and the vulnerable.
So God tries to balance the scales by being on the side of the most vulnerable – the biblical widow and orphan. God takes their side. That is one reason Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor," because he knew God had a special place for them.
I remember reading about a skilled carpenter in the New York area who lost his job during a massive downturn in construction. He lived as long as he could on savings; then he sold his tools in order to live.
Eventually he lost his house and everything else he owned and was forced to live on the streets with his family.
This was a skilled carpenter who wanted to work. But when he would apply for a job, he would often be turned away because he didn't have an address – and he didn't have any tools.
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