“So those who really know the Bible wonder, how did the faith of Jesus come to be known as pro-rich, pro-war, and only pro-American?”    Jim Wallis, God’s Politics Let’s be honest.  For years, inequality has been a growing problem that has been easy to ignore for anyone whose life wasn’t impacted by it, but it can’t be ignored anymore.  Our soaring unemployment rate and miles-long   [Read More …]

“Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”   Matthew 25:40, the Poverty and Justice Bible Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, guided our nation through the great depression.  He frequently reminded us of our responsibility to care for the poor as when he said, “The test of our progress is   [Read More …]

“How we take care of each other will be what we remember from the coronavirus pandemic.”   Ai-jean Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance What would it look like to live below our means so we can help others who no longer have an income? I asked the Faith and Money Board members to help me answer that question.  Their summarized responses follow. Review Your Budget to Find   [Read More …]

“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2 RSV As I write this COVID-19 is changing everything about life as we know it.  We’re asking ourselves how we can be helpful to others when sheltering-in-place and social distancing are our best protections against infection.  For each of us those answers will be different depending on   [Read More …]

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us, “that for everything there is a season.”  During this time of uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, it behooves us all to determine what it is time for us to be doing. Some people are born generous while others have to learn to share.    [Read More …]

“We must also remember that our worthiness, that core belief that we are enough, comes only when we live inside our story.”  Brené Brown, Ph.D. from Daring Greatly. It used to be that in America it was considered o.k. to talk about anything except sex and politics.  These days the only taboo subject is money:  how much you have; what you spend it for; when, where and how much you   [Read More …]

“The purpose of wealth is reckless generosity . . .  the kind that rekindles hope on dark days, the kind that reminds us that God is with us always.  It creates in the holy heart a freedom of spirit that takes a person light-footed through the world, scattering possibility as it goes.” Sister Joan Chittister from Uncommon Gratitude: Alleluia for   [Read More …]

“I’ve come to see the spiritual journey as the process of learning to let go and trust that everything we need to live out of our truest selves will be given along the way.”  K. Killian Noe, Living as Though We Belong to Each Other Does everyone have a need to give? Gordon Cosby, the founder of The Church of the Saviour, told about a deeply moving experience he had related to that   [Read More …]

“Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”  Matthew 25:40,  The Poverty and Justice Bible There’s more to giving than writing checks and it often seems to me that those who give unstintingly of themselves give the most. Will anyone notice if you feed a homeless family, shelter an immigrant, or nurse an elderly neighbor   [Read More …]