--Jesus
Luke 14:33
Announcement from Duke Memorial UMC
1 week ago
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The Wealth of the Poor
Larry's new book, now available from Amazon.com! Also, now in Kindle format! To place your order visit Amazon.com today! Also, available at Barnes and Noble bookstores and on the web. Click on the image above to order!
Larry James' Urban Daily
About Me
- Larry James
- President and CEO for CitySquare, a human and community development corporation with a focus on economic and social justice at work in inner city Dallas, Texas.
Blogs I check in on!
-
Festival of Homiletics21 hours ago
-
Slices of Life that Touch the Heart3 weeks ago
-
Tomorrow I move downtown11 months ago
-
The Dark Side of Generic Drugs1 day ago
-
It’s All in the Details2 days ago
-
"1/47"6 days ago
DONATE TO CITYSQUARE TODAY!!!
Local CitySquare Weather!
Followers
Urban Daily "hit" counter
Subscribe via Site Feed
Subscribe to CitySquare's eNewsletter
Global Blog Traffic
Essential Blogs: Community Development 101
The Faces of CitySquare
Links
- Children's Defense Fund
- Christian Century
- ESPN.com
- Mother Jones
- National Geographic's WILDCAM - GRIZZLIES
- PBS Religion and Ethics
- Sojourners
- Texas Impact
- The Black Commentator
- The Boston Globe
- The Center for Public Policy Priorities
- The Dallas Morning News
- The Economist
- The L.A. Times
- The New York Times
- The Wall Street Journal
- Tikkun: A Jewish Magazine, An Interfaith Movement
- Utne: A Different Read on Life
Shop to Benefit CitySquare
Forward this Blog to a Friend
17 comments:
Ownership of property was neither condemned nor forbidden in the New Testament.
This reminds me of the class at a church entitled, "Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said."
The ones forbidden to have private property were the 12 apostles. Perhaps Jesus wanted the rich young ruler to be joined to the apostles or perhaps he was just too covetous. At any rate the fact that Mary had a house in Jerusalem, Phillip had a house in Caesarea by the Sea, the parable of the talents, and the fact that Ananias and Sapphira were not required to sell their property or give the money when they did, testifies to the fact of private property.
Pharaphrase, (Commentary on Matthew by James Burton Coffman)
It is hard to accept the radical call of Jesus, huh?
Any way you look at it, it is a radical statement. Even the "fact of private property" in the NT period should not water down how radical this statement was. The fact that the early church did not enforce this directive may only have been a concession reflecting that it was simply too difficult for most to live with then as now.
If one did not have private property, how would they take care of their families? Depend on others? government? Isn't there something in the Bible about taking care of your own?
Larry, your home is paid for free and clear. When will you sell it and donate the full sale price to charity?
LJ, I guess this leaves you out - with your $100K non profit salary and company auto
It really leaves pretty much all of us out, doesn't it? I suspect that's one reason Jesus said some pretty jaw dropping things like this - provoke thought and conversation and get people to question whose really "out" and whose actually "in," because the answers would probably surprise many fo us.
Anon 12:29, for the record my home is not paid for. And in general I live under the direction and judgment of these words, as do we all. My salary amount is public information via CitySquare's tax return annually. My car does not belong to CitySqure and has never been provided....I don't receive a mileage reimbursement. I think the teachings of Jesus re the poor and toward wealth indict me. I post them to unsettle those who harshly judge the poor with little or no knowledge of them or of the clear value proposition of scripture.
Larry won't say so, and I'm not sure how relevant it is for this conversation, but his salary is very low considering the size of the non-profit he leads. The ED's and CEO's of other similarly sized non-profits are 2x and more what Larry accepts in salary.
Hey, doesn't Gerald Britt get a car allowance?
Why are we so quick to ask questions about salaries and compensation policies of those who dedicate their lives to serving the poor, but we do not question the sick growth in the pay of corporate CEOs whose only passion is their wealth and the wealth of their fellow shareholders?
How much do you think the CEO of a $10MM company should make? Should he get health insurance? Should he get mileage reimbursement? A corporate credit card?
Well, imagine if that $10MM company was one that he built up from a $250K company.
And imagine if he had to fully recapitalize his business every year because it had not profit-generating mechanism.
That is the burden Larry bears.
He is paid well but not disproportionately.
Shouldn't that be the only standard?
It's interesting how some immediately resort to making this a personal attack on others, with no hint of self-reflection, just outward bound barbs.
I have often been critical of Larry's views on various subjects, but any of you who think he is making a bunch of money doing what he does have never taken the time to look at some very public records. He walks the walk so back off with any personal attacks.
Richard Corum
Sorry. That should be "has never"
RC, Thanks for your kind support. Your love and honesty make conversation possible &productive.
Post a Comment