Myth 1: People are poor because they are lazy or stupid.

No, they’re either 1) lazy or stupid or 2) they are hardworking but live in countries which are dominated by wicked and stupid Leftists.

The only reason for their life of misery and mine of relative luxury is where we were born.

Of course, there is an element of truth to that statement. But is there something magical about American soil? No, we got to where we are today because we established a godly government and society and not a Leftist one. Of course, Americans today need to learn this lesson the same way the Third Worlders do.

Now that we’ve resolved this issue, let’s move on to Myth #2.

Myth 2: Poor people want handouts.

In my experience, most poor people do want handouts. For that matter, in America at least, even people who are not poor nonetheless want handouts.

But regardless, I of course agree that handouts are bad. But if we don’t want to give out handouts, what is the answer to the world’s poverty? Simple:  Kill off all the Leftists in these countries, and then establish MacDonald’ses and Wal-Marts and computer factories in every country to help spread the wealth around. But you might wonder, “Drew, why do we have to kill all the Leftists first?” Simple, because the Wal-Marts and McDonald’ses are afraid to settle in the Leftist countries because they are afraid the Leftists will come in and steal from them. So yes, the killing is indeed an important part of my proposed strategy.

Myth 3: Our foremost responsibility is America’s poor.

The number one objection I hear to our work in the developing world is that we must first solve the problems in our own country. Yet half of humanity barely survives on $2 per day. And they don’t live here.

This dollar-a-day figure gets thrown around all the time, and I think it’s mostly garbage. Could you physically survive on a dollar a day? Yes, I do recognize that Ramen Noodles cost about 9 cents each so maybe you could eat many of those, but the materials alone used to construct a house for shelter would cost way more than two dollars.

There are definitely poor people in the world, but this $2-a-day figure fails to take into account that the economies in many of these Third World countries consist largely of barter. Barter doesn’t use dollars, so the dollar figure ignores the underground trading that goes on and makes us imagine that these people are poorer than they actually are, as a way of emotionally manipulating our guilt.

And yeah, I do think that we could be a better beacon of light to the world if we solved America’s problems first, one of which is America’s RIDICULOUS amount of national debt. Everyone acts like we are still rich and still need to keep giving stuff away, when in reality we are not that well off (thanks to domestic Leftists).

Myth 4: Jesus said we will always have extreme poverty.

Umm, yeah I’m pretty sure that factually, he did say basically those exact words.

What Jesus said in Mark 14:7 was: “The poor you will always have with you.” Jesus recognized that some will always have less than others. But the kind of abject poverty that over one billion people endure—those living on $1 per day—wouldn’t be tolerated by Jesus and should not exist today.

For one thing, we have already dealt with that dollar-a-day figure. But the people Jesus was dealing with and whom he was referring to as “the poor” that you will “always have with you” were indeed people in abject poverty. For example, they were people who couldn’t walk and such, and thus couldn’t make a living. (He healed a good number of those.)

But as far as Jesus’s toleration of poverty? I know how Jesus would solve the problem of poverty if he were here:  He would grab a rod of iron and start killing Leftists left and right until there were no longer any wicked regimes around to deprive the people of food (which is exactly what causes most of the world hunger, although it’s a phenomenon this article ignores). And come to think of it, that’s arguably what we should be doing today — except with guns of iron instead of rods. And if you don’t like that idea very much, then I guess you should quit whining and just be glad that he isn’t here.

We had to endure all kinds of protests from the Christian Left when we toppled Sadam Hussein’s government, which was robbing and murdering its people. The moment we ever try to do anything good in the world, we get labeled “imperialists.” All the Leftists ever want us to do is to just keep handing out our money and never make any waves.

Myth 5: Jesus was concerned primarily about spiritual poverty.

Spiritual poverty tends to induce physical poverty. See “Myth” Number 1, above, as well as pretty much the entire book of Proverbs. In fact, even though Jesus was pretty good at performing miracles which helped a lot of rich and poor people alike, there was at least one place where he was unable to help the poor people because they were so dang spiritually poor.

Mark 6:4-6
Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

So yeah, I do kinda believe that spiritual poverty was his primary concern. And it should be ours, too. Charity without justice is pointless, and justice without faith is futile.

Jesus had special solidarity with the poor and told us that if we love him, we will show it by caring for them.

This is apparently a reference to Matthew 25, where Jesus said the nations should love him by accepting his brothers — that is, the apostles and Christians in general. But it sort of follows that if we want Jesus to have more brothers, we need to get more people saved and not just keep giving out money.

You may say, “Drew, why are you being so critical of this guy? He doesn’t seem all that Leftist.“ Well, admittedly he’s not the most extreme case of Leftism, but Leftism is all about just giving away charity without addressing the root causes of problems. The author of the article has written a book where he talks about how great the poor people of the world are and how “rich” they are inside, and how he dreams of eradicating world poverty. But he is missing two important points:  1) If these charity recipients were truly as rich as he says they are, they would not need our help, and 2) Reformation is the key to wealth. Hard work means nothing if you are growing up in a depraved, Leftist nation. So I’m annoyed with the author mainly because he is clouding the real issues.

But when Jesus began his public ministry, he read his mission statement: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor… To set free the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18).

Though we must read on to understand the full gospel, if we seek to follow his example and teaching, we must bring good news to the poor and set free the oppressed.

Yes, EXACTLY. But it involves casting and imposing judgment on wickedness; are you still interested?

Call a general strike. Riot. Shut down the city centers. Toss the bastards out. Do not be afraid of the language of class warfare—the rich versus the poor, the oligarchs versus the citizens, the capitalists versus the proletariat. The Greeks, unlike most of us, get it.

You know who “got it?”  The three bank clerks the insane rampaging mob murdered when they set a bank on fire and refused to let them out or the fire department in got it, though.  They paid the price for the mob’s willful refusal to understand basic economics.  And that refusal can only be met with one answer: complete abandonment.  Productive people should get out now, and let the mob learn the lessons of the USSR, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.^d
2 Thessalonians 3:6-12

h/t Hot Air

His point that America’s poor are unimaginably wealthy compared to most of the rest of the world is well taken. While politicians stir up class warfare and trumpet the supposed injustice of “two Americas” (presumably he doesn’t mean the one in which I pay my taxes, and the other in which the Secretary of the Treasury does not), the truth is that in terms of consumption, the gap between the rich and the poor closes more every year.  This is indisputable, and is exactly why politicians and press focus so intently on the income gap instead.

It is capitalism which makes products cheaper and more accessible all the time. “The poor” in America have microwaves, cars, cell phones, cable television, iPods and video games. Only about a third of those classified as “poor” by our government suffer real want. Less than 15 million households. (And the church, if we ever chose to actually obey the bible’s mandates to serve the poor, could easily take care of those people. That would eliminate the excuse for the entitlements bankrupting us.)

I typically don’t watch long videos, but I can easily spend an hour on Youtube watching Milton Friedman defend capitalism.  We need another one like him today; an agile thinker who can quickly, cheerfully dismantle the assumptions behind the questions liberals ask.  It’s not perfect, but there is currently no better system than capitalism for lifting people out of poverty.

h/t Say Anything for the video.

Several verses caught my eye today. Proverbs 21:5, 16-17, and 20-21.

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

What’s wrong with abundance? Apparently nothing, when honestly gained. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, not the money itself. So planning and diligence, tools of every successful business owner, are good and their use will be blessed. Moderation, sensibility, and kindness – no matter the income level – are biblical precepts that will lead to success, often, though not necessarily, including material success. Short term thinking – loving pleasure – will certainly not gain you riches, and again, in this context there is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s even wise to amass treasure. But with prosperity, also pursue righteousness and kindness. In other words, regardless of income level, nobody’s entitled to be a covetous ass.

Other interesting verses in this chapter -

25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Verse 26 particularly interested me, given that I’m closing my business in order to – among other reasons – pay fewer taxes and do my small part to starve the government of needed funds. However, the bible never does encourage excessive taxpaying. Give to Caesar, yes – exactly what he demands, and no more. Here’s a good dash of common sense in the face of all those bleeding-heart “social justice” types.

Charitable giving in the bible is done on the personal level. Even in the Hebrew Jubilee year where they essentially pressed the financial “reset” button, that was conducted person to person – not, everybody give to the king and let the king redistribute that. Joseph, when he was leading Egypt, gathered all the crops during times of plenty.  During the famine, he sold that food to the starving populace. I’ve made the case before that when the government gets involved with charity, it causes material harm to the church. And that when the government – as the Bush administration did – promotes business as a method of reducing poverty, poverty is dramatically reduced.  Charity is good, and we are called to practice it.  But as a practical matter, throwing a few bucks into a Kiva account is a good idea too.  (As a side note, anyone interested in forming a Kiva group?  Email me, or post in the comments.)

This rush toward socialism – in defiance of the clear testimony of China, which continues to turn more toward capitalism, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin had this astounding advice:

Excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence is another possible mistake.

True, the state’s increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks. Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent.

The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.

Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.

And one more point: anti-crisis measures should not escalate into financial populism and a refusal to implement responsible macroeconomic policies. The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.

The irony is that Putin’s advice is more in line with biblical principles than what our ostensibly Christian president and generally Christianity-professing Congress is espousing.  As China enjoys economic revival, it’s also enjoying religious revival.  And as these two Communist countries advance toward capitalism and Christianity, we’re running top speed in the other direction.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
(Proverbs 13:11)

Matthew Henry’s take on this verse:

Pro 13:11 -
This shows that riches wear as they are won and woven. 1. That which is won ill will never wear well, for a curse attends it which will waste it, and the same corrupt dispositions which incline men to the sinful ways of getting well incline them to the like sinful ways of spending: Wealth gotten by vanity will be bestowed upon vanity, and then it will be diminished. That which is got by such employments as are not lawful, or not becoming Christians, such as only serve to feed pride and luxury, that which is got by gaming or by the stage, may as truly be said to be gotten by vanity as that which is got by fraud and lying, and will be diminished. De male quaesitis vix gaudet tertius haeres – Ill-gotten wealth will scarcely be enjoyed by the third generation. 2. That which is got by industry and honesty will grow more, instead of growing less; it will be a maintenance; it will be an inheritance; it will be an abundance. He that labours, working with his hands, shall so increase as that he shall have to give to him that needs (Eph_4:28); and, when it comes to that, it will increase yet more and more.

This is borne out in the lives of most lottery winners.  Very few are better off, five years later, than they were before the money was dropped into their laps.  And many are much worse off than they were before they “won.”

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
(Proverbs 11:1)

Cheating someone in business is obviously a sin, the same as cheating someone in any circumstance is a sin.  As such, it’s an abomination.  While we may profit in the short term, we’ve lost big in the long term.  We are called to do business in a way that honors God.  And when we do, that is his delight.

“Do good to those who hate you,” Schirch advised. “It’s the smart thing to do,” she said. “Not just the right thing.” But the Founder of Christianity, whom she was presumably quoting, did not deliver the Sermon on the Mount as a civil policy statement. Nor did He demand of civil states the same behavior he asked of individuals. The Apostle Paul even specified that God ordained civil governments to avenge and punish wicked deeds. The modern Religious Left, while chronically denouncing conservative religionists as “fundamentalists,” itself proof texts a limited number of favored Scriptures to make political points divorced from wider Christian teachings about statecraft.

Schirch’s assumption that global strife and terrorism are the inevitable consequence of American greed and profiteering is a favorite theme for the secular and Religious Left, neither of which accepts traditional Christian understandings of human sinfulness. Instead, the secular and Religious Left believe people to be innately good but corrupted or provoked to wrath by unjust “systems” that are predictably identified with capitalism, patriarchy, Western Civilization, and especially the United States. That the American economy is itself the economic engine that helps to uplift tens of millions around the world out of chronic poverty is a point that always escapes them. That terrorism is primarily a product of often irrational human hatred and base resentment is a possibility that the Religious Left would prefer not to consider. Combating hatred in human hearts requires spiritual warfare by churches and often material warfare by civil states.

… “Christians have a definition of security that is unstated by politicians,” Kinamon pronounced, according to the NCC news service. “Security is never won through unilateral defense. The security of one is inseparable from the welfare of others. U.S. security is dependent not on force but on addressing the injustices” that he believes breed resentment and terror. “Those who guarantee their own security at the expense of others will find they have even less security.” Like Schirch, Kinnamon assumed that the U.S. only employs military force so it can continue to gobble up the world’s goods disproportionately.The NCC chief even enthused: “We’re not leftists. We’re much more radical than that.” No doubt he is right.

The bible is not, however, anti-capitalist:

Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit. Put your investments in several places—many places even—because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world. No matter which direction a tree falls, it will lie where it fell. When the clouds are full, it rains. If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything. God made everything, and you can no more understand what he does than you understand how new life begins in the womb of a pregnant woman. Do your planting in the morning and in the evening, too. You never know whether it will all grow well or whether one planting will do better than the other.
(Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

There are hundreds of verses advising to us do business honorably and in a God-glorifying way, and additionally to be generous with the profits. But within those guidelines, according to the bible, business is GOOD. And there is ample evidence that it is the best way to help the poor; this is also very consistent with biblical teaching.  If people really want to help the poor, promoting capitalism, which is within biblical guidelines and is proven to work would be not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing.

Business, and the subsequent profits, are like sex: inherently good things that are twisted and used for evil by sinful human beings.

Today’s verse especially resonates with me as a wife, mother, and small business owner:

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
(Proverbs 31:10-31)