“Reciprocity means we are only a healthy community if we’re taking care of everybody.” Edgar Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth Some concepts ought to be intuitive, but when we finally recognize their truth we’re embarrassed at how long it has taken to sink into our hearts, into our brains, into our souls. After my husband and I went to Israel and Palestine in 2005 with a Faith & [Read More …]
Why giving is a gift we give ourselves
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." — 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) If you are lucky, sometime during your life you will have an experience as profoundly moving as Jim Marsh Jr. had when he visited his friend Kim Montroll in Haiti some years ago. An elderly couple they encountered on a walk fed [Read More …]
Pandemic Prayers – Part 2
When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray . . . Yesterday I started crying for no apparent reason and losing control like that really got to me. Given how much the virus has disrupted our lives, none of us should be surprised when that happens now and then Calm me down when I’m feeling anxious, Lord, and Remind me that tears bring physiological relief to hurting hearts and [Read More …]
A Pandemic Prayer
When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray . . . At a Faith and Money workshop years ago I learned the importance of praying the newspaper. That idea resonated with me, and as I followed that practice over the years I found that it helped me cope with those things beyond my control and calmed my fears. As the virus swirls around us, I am praying . . . This pandemic is [Read More …]
Scripture, Our Declaration of Independence, and Inequality
“You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.” from The Message, Proverbs 14:31 The July 6 / July 13 issue of TIME magazine included an article titled, “12 Ways Trump Has Deepened Inequality.” All can be devastating to the people they impact and all are mean spirited, but three in particular hit families [Read More …]
What Do You Think About Money?
Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think.” Romans 12:2, The Poverty and Justice Bible Whether for good or bad, one thing is certain about pandemic financial decisions: we aren’t spending our money the way we used to. It isn’t coming in the way it used to be either. That makes this a perfect time for each of us to take a good, hard look at the role [Read More …]
Inequality through the Eyes of Patriotic Millionaires
“We will not make an endorsement in the presidential primary election, but will happily endorse almost any general election candidate running against Donald Trump.” That blunt statement is from a 2019 summary of the Patriotic Millionaires, “a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in [Read More …]
Change Is Blowing In the Wind
“Change the wind, transform the debate, recast the discussion, alter the context in which political decisions are being made, and you will change the outcomes.” Jim Wallis, God’s Politics In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stopped by the White House for a meeting with President Lyndon Johnson. King had just been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership role in [Read More …]
It’s Time to Push the Reset Button
“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 …]
More than Money: Generosity for Tough Times
“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 …]
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