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Growing up, there was always a strong emphasis on charitable giving in our Christian community. That value continues to this day, with the small rural church representing the most significant source of our missionary support. It is a value that we hold to very strongly ourselves as best we can. All of this to say that I believe in charitable giving as an important aspect of Christian life. That being said, I believe that it must not become the central “economic” emphasis as missional people.
Drawing centrally from Stuart Murray’s response to this issue in his book “The Naked Anabaptist”, here are a few of the dynamics of this issue:
-First, most of the the suffering in the world which inspires charity stems from systemic injustice. While the immediate need for relief through charity might be a necessity, as Christians we cannot be satisfied with treating the symptoms while ignoring the causes. This is not an easy, as we are often unwittingly participating in the very injustices we are then called to confront. It requires us to not only do the work of uncovering the injustices, but to pursue the changes (including in ourselves) to address the injustice. Charity, while essential in the right context, can often be used as a means to avoid our truer responsibility (or relieve our sense of culpability).
-Second, responding justly requires the unified action of community, not the noble efforts of individuals, important as they may be. This speaks to the first point in that charitable giving too easily allows for isolated and unaccountable action by individuals. Further, the pursuit of a just life is overwhelming, perhaps even impossible, from an exclusively individualistic perspective. Justice calls us to community, reinforcing the missional necessity of being transformed together into the Body of Christ.
-Third, while charity speaks to the condition of the recipient of the giving, justice speaks to the hearts and lives of everyone involved. To live justly requires that we look at why there are those who “have” and those who “have not”. It is this commitment that is at the heart of the Anabaptist commitment to simplicity and contentment. While justice might be somewhat “popular” in Christian circles these days, I believe it will be this dynamic that will most clearly distinguish the true willingness of our commitment.
-Finally, justice is about mutuality. It is rooted in our mutual and absolute dependency upon God. Further, it flows out of a shared lifestyle where we are also in deep need of one another. Charity can too often become about “us” giving to “them”, reinforcing the very injustices we seek to overcome. We too often articulate the ideal of becoming servants, but what that truly costs us is often lost to us. However, this discipline of mutuality is essential.
Again, I want to reinforce that I am not rejecting charity completely. Rather, I am convince that, as a central emphasis, it fails to embody the nature of the Christ whose Body we are to become. For more on this theme, read Stuart Murray’s excellent book “The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith”.
This hits a nerve in my heart. Not because it causes me pain, but because I have a desire to agree with it. Seeking the justice you speak of is not for the timid or for those with the inability to see past the symptom to the cause. Like individuals, however, I think communities have strengths and weaknesses as well. Some communities may not have the power or the influence to address injustice. Injustice at the personal level can be dealt with simply enough, but injustice on a corporate or even a governmental level takes a persistent and powerful group. My problem with this, at first look, is that what do we do in the mean time? While waiting for the injustices to be resolved, do we remain idle or deal with the symptoms? Regardless of whether or not we have the power to bring justice, we must still feed the poor, clothe the naked, and give water to them that thirst. We meet people’s physical and spiritual needs and then, or simultaneously deal with injustice. Super Post, has me thinking…
Thanks Miguel. I agree with you that communities have weaknesses. I probably should have emphasized that more in the post. My point, rather, was that we are called to be His Body as our primary identity and direction.
However, I think I should explain that I do not believe that pursuing justice is an exercise of power in the traditional sense. I never want to suggest we pursue justice out of pragmatics, but rather obedience. Doing justice, through the paradox of Christ, is done best when we are weak and foolish. Further, I believe that while doing justice can include directly challenging power systems such as governments or corporations, I think it must also (perhaps primarily) be through living out radical alternatives, both through refusal to participate in all levels of injustice AND through embodying living alternatives to that which is unjust. Ultimately what I am saying is that, apart from sin, no individual or community is unable to do justice.
I also want to distinguish between charity and mercy. Micah 6:8 calls us to do justice, love mercy and walk with humility with God. By charity I refer mainly to the unidirectional giving of material and/or monetary resources. So I agree with you that we must always be loving mercy as we do justice. I hope it is never a choice between the two.
Thanks bro!
Peace,
Jamie
thanks for this post, freire helped in regards to this discussion when he described “false generosity’ … http://www.soulgardeners.com/2009/10/paulo-freire-for-south-africa-some-reflections.html
Thanks for the link, Tom.
Peace,
Jamie
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Hi Jamie, interesting post. It touches on some crucial question, especially for church related Third Sector organisations. In total I’ve spent about thirty years shifting back and forward between the housing and homelessness field and theological reflection. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve seen some good and some bad practice over that time. I agree that charity is more limited than justice – it can often have more strings attached. It’s more about meeting immediate needs than redistributing power. I think though, that we need to find ways of bridging charity and justice. Increasingly I believe that one way to do that is to explore and deepen our use of Christian Practices. I’ve spent a lot of time in service delivery rooted in those practices ( http://radref.blogspot.com/2010/03/token-solutions.html) and found that when we do things right hospitality or almsgiving for example have the power to transform hosts and givers as well as offering welcome to guests or assistance to those in need.
Thanks again for the post. Made me think.
Shalom,
Phil
Hey Phil,
I completely agree with you in respect to the need for a bridge. I would suggest that true justice gives birth to right charity. Haiti has been a prime example of this. While immediate relief/charity was/is needed, if these a given with no question to the pre-existing injustices or the potential to create new injustices, that relief might be a bitter “gift” to a desperate people. This, of course, does not mean we should withhold charity/relief, but be very mindful of the consequences (I am thinking of the book “When Helping Hurts” as a great example of this dynamic).
I am also very glad you mentioned hospitality in your response, as I think that is a critical piece missing in this issue. I believe that the loss of hospitality as a practice/discipline held as a common, household and community expression of faith has significantly contributed to the shift toward charitable systems that are divorced from mutual concern and justice. “Making Room” by Christine Pohl is, in my opinion, a prophetic book in that sense. Thanks again!
Peace,
Jamie
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