Justice for the poor discovered in relationships
The Hebrew prophets seem especially hard on those who deliberately exploit and abuse the poor and vulnerable through selfish greed or corruption of the law. The God of the Bible is not merely a God of charity but a God of justice who holds kings, rulers, judges, and employers accountable for how they treat widows, orphans, and workers over matters of land, labor, and capital. All this is rooted in the call to right relationships, which is at the heart of the biblical notion of justice itself. So reestablishing a right relationship to the poor is the beginning of ending poverty. (p. 105).
Jim Wallis
Here's a current report on poverty that provides insight about how much more difficult it is for minority low and middle income children to change their economic status in adult life due to a phenomenon called "stickiness".
ReplyDeleteListen and let us know if it resonates with your own experiences.
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August 14, 2009
Race and Mobility
Stephen Smith talks with Ianna Kachoris, a policy analyst with the Pew Charitable Trusts, on her most recent findings as part of the Economic Mobility Project.
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/podcast.html