Review of "Myth of Poverty Culture"

Here's an article I was sent about poverty. Thought you might be interested.

http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.459dee008f99653fb85516f762108a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journaltypeheaderimage=%2FASCD%2Fimages%2Fmultifiles%2Fpublications%2Felmast.gif&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_viewID=article_view&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journalmoid=4284eb69f6a29110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_articlemoid=0de4eb69f6a29110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journalTypePersonalization=ASCD_EL&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=token&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=token

Jeff Long

The article is good, although I note that he give a revrse sterotype by answering each myth with "poor people do..." this. The point of stereotype is to characterize individuals by group, rather than seeing them as individuals. This is an unfortunate tendancy in U.S. politics and education.

We need to recognize that there IS, to a certain degree, a culture of the poor. It is not so much a matter of values as of priorities. Ruth Payne has an excellent chart distinguishing different cultural values of dfferent classes. I attached it. Again, this is not a matter of stereotype, but of tendancies. And those who have the lower class outlook are given reason to believe that their values are insignigicant or immoral in the broader culture of the U.S. because the ruling class is the middle class.

Certainly there is classism. But it is less experienced in public education than in the church, in politics, and in higher and private education. How many poor people are invited to be a pastor, an elder, a representative in denominational meetings? How many poor people are given the opportunity to run for any office on any level of government? How many poor people are given the opportunity to experience the better educational opportunities?

It seems to me that the focus should be put on other institutions for a while, rather than public education, to provide equity for the lower classes.

Steve

Judgment of the Gods-- Psalm 82

An Asaphic Psalm.
No one knows when this psalm was written, but it is ascribed to Asaph, David’s choir director.

God stands in the Divine Council
He judges among the gods.
These two verses claim that this psalm is being written from the perspective of Heaven. This is an image of God that is used many times. God is in the center of heaven and all the other gods are around him, taking their instruction from Him and He is determining whether their work is good or bad. This image is also found in Job 1, Isaiah 6, I Kings 22, Zechariah 3 and Revelation 4.
Many people have a hard time accepting the term “gods” in the Bible, unless one is speaking of idols. But the Bible often uses the term “gods” to mean the spiritual powers that are in submission to God Most High. God is not the only powerful spiritual being in heaven, there are also angels, demons, archangels, cherubim, seraphim and national gods. Sometimes these are called “the sons of God” (such as in Job) and sometimes just “gods” (as in Deuteronomy). This does not take away from God’s glory, for God is the one called “God Most High.” What is He most high over? Over the other gods, of course. Yahweh is always the ruler over the gods.
Satan is one of the lesser gods, as well as Michael and Gabriel. So is Marduk (a national god) and possibly Baal/Zeus (warrior gods, really the same god), as well as Venus (goddess of erotic love) and Mars (god of war). There are gods over each nation in the world—Britain, the U.S., Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, France and Russia. Each god actually partly determines the character of each nation. There are also gods over churches. All of these gods are powerful and can effect the world in powerful ways. Their movements are the politics behind politics and the power behind the powers. And God is in charge of them all.

"How long will you judge unjustly
And show favor to the wicked?
Vindicate the needy and fatherless;
Give justice to the lowly and poor.
Rescue the weak and needy
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”
How does the Most High judge the gods? How does He determine if they are acting well on earth or not? This is a surprise to many involved in theology. It is not based on their show of worship, nor on how they respond to Zion. Rather, God is looking at one thing, especially for the gods of nations—how do they treat their poor? Do the poor get justice in their lands? Are the needy oppressed, abused, blamed for their poverty? Are the poor forced to cry out to God Most High for the only real justice they will receive?
From the perspective of God Most High, the gods are there to make sure that the human rulers treat the poor with equity and justice. That they are given opportunities for charity and love. That they are saved from oppression when oppression overtakes them.
God rebukes the gods because that is not the situation. And it never has been. Never has there been a nation that treated the poor with the same justice and mercy that they treat the wealthy and important. Never has there been a nation that would give the poor the benefit of the doubt. Never has there been a time in which the poor did not need to depend on God Most High for justice.

“I had thought you to be gods
And all of you to be sons of the Most High
But you will all die like mortals
And fall like any prince."
Arise, O God, bring justice to the earth!
For all the nations are Your possession.
So what happens to the gods? How can God punish them? Frankly, his punishment is harsh. Because they refuse to help the poor, because they allow the governments of the earth to oppress the poor and treat them inequitably, then God will kill them. He says, “You think you are immortal. You think nothing can happen to you. But I can kill you, and I will. Your days are numbered, because you refuse to fulfill my most basic command of all leaders—help the poor, support the needy.” The final cry is for God to bring his justice to earth—to take over the justice system.
To be truly divine is to assist those who are needy. If the gods do not act divine, then God Most High will raise up people who do act with divinity and justice.

If this is true for the gods on high, it is certainly true for the nations of the earth, the leaders of the nations and the leaders of the church. If the leaders of any group refuse to assist the poor, they will be taken from their lofty position and destroyed. Every single leader will be judged according to this standard.
• “Did you use your wealth for frivolous living or for the needy?”
• “Did you give more leniency to the wealthy and popular than you did for the poor?”
• “In your warfare, did you harm the innocent poor because they were expendable?”
• “In your church, did you treat the homeless and mentally ill and poor as second-class citizens? Were they excluded because you considered money to be the means of entrance to fellowship? Were people unable to fellowship in restaurants and movies with you because they couldn’t afford it? Were the poor not welcome because they weren’t the same as the rest of you?”
• “In your schools, did you give fewer opportunities to have knowledge to the poor than to the wealthy of society?”
• “In your employment, do you give the poor equal opportunities for employment, even if they haven’t showered, don’t have experience or can’t work a full time job? Are they given short term employment by the wealthy who need clean up or help in their homes?”
• “In your charity distribution, did you give the poor good, nutritious food, good clothing to help them in the weather, or did you give them the items that weren’t good enough for those who could afford it?”
• “In your stores, was the cheapest food the garbage that no one could live off of, or the staples that everyone needs to live?”
• “In cheap housing, is that offered to the poorest of the poor, or only to those who could afford the medium-range prices?”
• “In the value system of your society, are the poor assumed to be immoral, simply because they were poor? Are the poor questioned and doubted when no one else would be? Is there theology that teaches that the poor are less spiritual? Is the poor of one’s family shunted aside and rejected? Does no one want to see them, simply because everyone feels so guilty just looking at them?”
If the poor are treated badly, then it is God himself that will judge. He alone defends them and will support them. And God will question each one of us according to how we treated those poorer than us. Let us pray we have a good answer. (Exodus 23:23; Matt 25:31-46; Proverbs 19:17)

Biblical Commands For the Privileged

Who are the privileged?
Those who have greater resources than anyone around them, whether through birth or fate or labor. Resources could include opportunities in wealth, education, prestige, relationship, and esteem through race, sex, social class, or any other level of status as determined by society. We should remember that we are all privileged in some way, so these commands apply to all of us in some areas of our lives.

a. Do not boast about your privilege.
“Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

b. Do not use your privilege for your own benefit.
But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. Luke 6:24-26
"The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21

c. Use what privilege and resources you have to benefit the oppressed.We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. I John 3:16-18

d. Surrender your material resources to benefit those who are needy.Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-34

e. Set aside some of your privilege, so that God might raise you up.
When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:8-11

f. Use your privilege to make friends with the oppressed, God’s chosen, so that they might welcome you into God’s dwelling.
And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9

g. Welcome the oppressed into the benefits of your privilege.
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14

h. Create a context of justice for the needy and oppressed.
Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

i. Pay your workers their full wages on time.
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James 5:4

j. Do not cause those who are under your authority to be angry, but be at peace with all in as much as you are able.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Ephesians 6:4

k. Cheat no one, nor work for a company that cheats anyone of their wages. If you do cheat anyone of their meager resources, pay them back four times as much.Do not defraud. Mark 10:19
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:8-9

l. Repent of your sins—especially your misuse of your privilege— with tears.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! James 5:1-3

m. Welcome the opportunity to be oppressed yourself, for then you will be of God’s people.Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

n. Don’t worry if you become needy through obedience to God’s commands, for God will provide for all your needs if you seek His righteousness first.Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…. And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Luke 12:22-23, 25-26, 31

o. If you have taken advantage of all of your privilege for your own benefit, then God will give you a second life in order to punish you.
And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.’ Luke 16:20-25