Posted on 03/02/2008 2:59:28 PM PST by Terriergal
The Poverty and Justice Bible, the latest release from Bible Society, has broken new ground as the first ever to literally highlight the more than 2,000 passages that reveal God’s sorrow over poverty and injustice, and His command to believers to act to eradicate them.
Sun, Mar. 02, 2008 Posted: 12:41:18 PM EST
The Poverty and Justice Bible, the latest release from Bible Society, has broken new ground as the first ever to literally highlight the more than 2,000 passages that reveal God’s sorrow over poverty and injustice, and His command to believers to act to eradicate them.
The new edition challenges the notion that the Bible is a dusty, outdated rulebook, and shows that God – through the Bible - was already speaking out on poverty long before anyone else.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Tom Wright, bishop of Durham and Bible Society’s president, said, “Poverty and injustice are two of the biggest issues of our day, challenging the minds of politicians and social activists around the world.
“The imbalance of global wealth, famine, water shortages, exploitation and corruption are all issues that invoke outrage – and demand attention. But The Poverty and Justice Bible shows that, in speaking out on these issues, God got there first.”
Far from being irrelevant, the Poverty and Injustice Bible demonstrates that God’s Word has “something to say about issues that resonate today”, the bishop added.
“This Bible connects with the very fabric of today’s world, with all its problems and messiness – and has something powerful to say,” he said.
Bible Society was inspired to develop the new Bible after Pastor Rick Warren, author of bestselling The Purpose Driven Life, admitted that had missed more than 2,000 verses that speak of God’s heart for the poor despite studying theology and being a pastor for decades. He claimed that Christians risked losing their credibility if they failed to speak out against poverty and injustice.
Christian leader and commentator Tony Campolo added, “Here’s proof that faith without commitment to justice for the poor is a sham, because it ignores the most explicit of all the social concerns of Scripture.”
Bible Society staff and experts spent months debating and sifting through the Contemporary English Version (CEV) Bible to pull out the verses that say something about God’s attitude to poverty and justice. The result was more than 2,000 sections, with almost every page from Genesis to Revelation emphasizing just and fair behavior.
The organization hopes that the Poverty and Justice Bible will also act as a springboard for Christians to take action on these issues by helping them link social action with Scripture.
The new Bible, produced with support from aid agency World Vision, includes a 32-page study guide written by bestselling authors Nick and Claire Page, and covers a wide range of timely issues from equality to education, and farming to fair trade.
The studies highlight that concern for the oppressed is foundational to faith, and encourage action – from giving and praying, to living responsibly.
“For us in this country, issues of poverty and justice have increasingly become front and center,” Bible Society Chief Executive James Catford said. “What this Bible shows is that on the topics that challenge us every day, God got there first. The Bible has something to say about life and, in fact, there’s nothing on earth that we can experience that the Bible doesn’t tackle.
“The Poverty and Justice Bible helps the Church engage with the Bible more effectively by linking Scripture with issues that are rooted in today’s world. For Bible Society, this is just as important as our work to make the Bible available. It’s all part of the fight against Bible poverty.”
Anne Thomas
Christian Post Correspondent
It is unjust for the government, any government, to take money form those who are diligent, educated and productive and to give that money to those who are stupid, lazy and ignorant.
you’d think!
Sounds like just another attempt at trying to use Christianity to support forced charity through government actions.
Christianity has always been solely about the relationship between God and man, not between God, Man, and the government.
God knew that if the heart of man was saved and regenerated, all the rest would naturally follow.
However, if you let unsaved and unregenerated men attempt to do the same thing through the force of government, it will fail every time.
It sure is, you’ve got that right.
It’s another Sojourners-type Jim Wallis Christian Marxist book.
Rick Warren talks about how wrong Christian Marxism is but he sure does plenty to promote it.
There. That's better.
Seems like all these libs want to save the world but none bother to clean up their own back yard. This is a tip off to the real agenda.
Where is the pic of the guy rubbing his head and saying: “Oh no not this $hit again?”
Christian leader and commentator Tony Campolo added, “Here’s proof that faith without commitment to justice for the poor is a sham, because it ignores the most explicit of all the social concerns of Scripture.”
“and His command to believers to act to eradicate them.”
Believers, NOT givernment.
Context is everything especially in the list of what is important. Let’s not forget:
“Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Sounds like just another attempt at trying to use Christianity to support forced charity through government actions.
“Poverty and injustice are two of the biggest issues of our day, challenging the minds of politicians and social activists around the world.
Pro 13:18 Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored.
Pro 22:16 He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. (Should we give to Rick Warren?)
Rev 2:9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Those longing for justice can realize that one day the will see the ultimate justice: Judgment Day. I'm guessing they aren't looking for that much justice.
Don't show partiality to the poor. . . I don't hear that part quoted too often.
Amen. If Jesus intended for us to “eradicate poverty,” why would He ever had said that “the poor you will always have with you?” And why would he praise the poor widow who gave sacrificially out of her own poverty? Jesus was completely indifferent to politics, and never attacked the existing distribution of wealth. In lessons like the Parable of the Talents, people were told to make the most of what they had, even if the distribution was unequal. The rich were told to show charity to the poor, but not out of some presumption that their wealth was undeserved. In the instances when rich people were to repent of their wealth, it was because they made it by cheating, like Zaccheus the tax-collector. Then as now, the cheaters used govt. to achieve wealth. There were also others who exploited religion to cheat people, like the money-changers in the Temple; they are the spiritual ancestors of those who twist Christianity into a profit-seeking or wealth-transferring scheme.
Kinda reminds me of the ‘Gay Bibles’ I see around Asheville, NC...where Religion must be twisted to fit your political view. So sad.
Groan
You’re sure this isn’t Scrappleface, or Tom in the Box, or the Onion?
Today is the Sunday of the Last Judgment in the Orthodox Church.
Here is the Gospel passage from this morning:
Mat 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Mat 25:32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Mat 25:33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Mat 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
Mat 25:38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
Mat 25:39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
Mat 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Mat 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Mat 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Mat 25:44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
Mat 25:45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
Mat 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
"Sure, no problem. Let's crank it through this here thesaurus ... shazam! Word count checks out fine."
"Ship it."
Before you ask, NO! I’m not with Rick Warren or Jim Wallis or the “emerging” church.
But Jesus DID say that how we treat the poor will be the basis on which we are judged!
There are other passages which refer to helping the poor or the suffering in general, but this isn't one of them.
Yes, but if your wealth is forcibly confiscated by taxation, then given to people who often are not really poor (because some politician wants their votes), then that's a complete and frankly Satanic perversion of the Gospel. What Jesus wanted was for people to show the same unmerited, unselfish love that He showed to us. Love is a voluntary act, not something evoked by coercion.
Come to think of it, I can recall very few places where the New Testament talks about "justice." It makes clear that the justice everyone merits is a death sentence. What the NT does talk about is grace and love.
If Christinity IS about government funded charity then our nation’s separation of church and state absolutely forbids this role for government.
If you do not subscribe to their brand of so call Christianity, you should not be required to fund their agenda.
Where is the free will in forced taxation?
Are the congressmen who enact such legislation more religious than the tax payers who must fund it?
Hogwash.
Both of you mentioned "forced taxation". I said that I wasn't on the bandwagon with Warren, Wallis, etc. I think Campolo's ideas are out to lunch. Socialism isn't the answer at all!
The government cannot carry out our responsibilities for us. It is our job, not the governments.
At some point the desire to rob Peter to pay Paul is more akin to coveting than to charity.
A lot of poverty can be overcome by getting a dang job.
Context has nothing to do with it. I quoted the entire passage.
It is preceded by the parable of the talents. That parable emphasizes our responsibility to use what God gives us for his glory.
I don’t agree with your understanding of “brother” in this passage but even if you are right, we are responsible for meeting the needs of poor Christians, at least. Only the scope changes, not the responsibility.
I agree!
And they also don’t want to teach and preach the real gospel, which is the only real source of salvation... they just want to make people think we’re really nice and make them really comfortable on their way to hell.
yup!
You’re right of course. But even believers don’t have a command to eradicate poverty and injustice (that will not happen until Jesus returns and triumphs over all his enemies, which includes some of the poor!). But to DO justice and help the poor ourselves where we have the opportunity to do so.
yup.
Just because the verse mentions the poor doesn’t mean it is concerned with eradicating poverty. So of that 200 some verses I found surely some of those were just mentioning the fact of poverty not necessarily that we should be tasked with removing such a phenomenon entirely from the world. That would make us CHRIST!
yup. I am sure some of those were in the 200 or some odd verses that I was able to find... many many of them were indicating poverty as the result of sin.
bingo.
imagine that.
I would nitpick that ... none of us deserve anything good. BUT... you are right in that that includes the POOR as well as the rich -- they seem to insist that the poor deserve it (wealth) more than the rich. But in reality neither do. So we operate according to the laws of property ownership that God has ordained for both rich and poor.
surely. Not necessarily Communists, just evil people who follow after the Enemy of God and corrupt and counterfeit God’s truth to suit their own agenda.
yeah my husband read that too on ChristianPost and had to ask me if that was a real news site or a satire site!
now that is really a brilliant, insightful post.
And exactly what kind of ‘water’ are we to give to drink? WOuld that be the water of eternal life, the GOSPEL? Or are you assuming this is a religion of works (e.g. do like Mother Teresa did and you will be saved)?
then you are with the social gospel/another gospel (Galatians 5) crowd. We will not be judged on how we treat the poor, but whether we have faith in the one sent to atone for our sins, Jesus Christ.
I have nothing against good works, but good works without faith in Christ are useless.
yup!
This is a false dichotomy. Jesus said what he said.
We dare not spiritualize away his commands.
Jas 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Absolutely it does! Just because you quoted a whole passage doesn't mean you're looking at the context! The context is the whole of Scripture which states that we CANNOT earn God's favor by ANY works. Only by faith. Yes faith gives rise to works. And we should seek to be kind to all, believer and unbeliever as well. BUT that doesn't mean God has it in mind for us to eradicate poverty, what since he already said that WILL NOT happen. No one is arguing against helping people here. What we are arguing against is the agenda behind people like Warren and Wallis using poverty to promote their unbiblical political agenda and calling it "the only truly Christian thing to do."
Did you even read the text I posted. You are directly contradicting scripture.
I have nothing against good works, but good works without faith in Christ are useless.
I completely agree. But faith withouts works is DEAD!
I just noticed that at 10:00 History Channel has the documentary “Banned from the Bible” on. I’ve seen it and if you can get by the absolute nonesense spouted by some of the liberal acedemic theologins, (no easy task) there is some good background on the gnostic gospels and other 1st and 2nd century documents that didn’t make it into the cannon. Interesting show from a historical NOT theological perspective.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.