Bishop Desmond Tutu
"...When it comes to responding to global poverty. This third way has two major components:
1) We recognize how we treat the poor is a reflection of how we treat Jesus.
2) We focus on approaches that work.
Many people become confused when they read these words of Jesus, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me” (Mark 14:7). On the surface this statement appears to absolve us of responsibility for caring for the poor. However, two things must be pointed out. First, Jesus said this after Mary had poured valuable perfume on Him. Within the context, Jesus’ statement is not absolving anyone of any responsibility, but showing that the orientation of a heart toward Him is what is most important.
Second, what is little known to most readers of the Scriptures today is that many statements in the New Testament had the purpose of directing people toward Old Testament Scriptures. This comment from Jesus starts off with a near quote of the following OT verse, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). So, Jesus is not saying that we should not care for the poor, but rather that we should first have a heart committed to Him; then we should be “openhanded” toward “the poor and needy” in our world….
God created a beautiful world … to be enjoyed with abundance and blessing (Genesis 1:28). But this world has been corrupted and broken…. The ones who suffer the most are the poor…. Part of the mission of the church is not only to treat “the least of these” with respect and dignity, but also to find real and practical ways we can restore them to the life that God intends for them. We need to focus on interventions that work.
A recent United Nations Millennium Development goal report said that the number one intervention that has worked to eradicate poverty in the last eight years is microfinance. Microfinance is an umbrella term that refers to the provision of small loans and other financial services such as savings and micro-insurance to people who are cut out of traditional banking structures. Microfinance has helped many of the world’s poor to increase their incomes. In 2006, microfinance institutions provided loans to approximately 113 million clients worldwide….
As a citizen and resident of the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, I have observed that access to financial capital is not the solution to the world’s problems. Increased wealth can lead to a decreased spirituality. Greed can flourish where the economy prospers. However, in saying that, the extremity and scale of poverty in the world today needs a financial response. People do need financial capital. But that is not all that they need….
The spiritual mission of microfinance is not to simply help the poor be less poor, but it is to radically transform their lives and give them the practical and spiritual tools to live life as God intends. We want to help the poor, but it is not like solving a math problem. Microfinance is a solution that works, but it only helps in so far as we understand what the real problem is. We are working to change the world in which we live, not just make people wealthier. We need to eradicate spiritual and physical poverty. That is the spiritual mission of microfinance."
-Mark Russell
No comments:
Post a Comment