Prejudice Against the Rich
Sometimes our concern for the poor may carry with it a prejudice against the rich
As Jim Wallis of Sojourners has pointed out in many of his books, the Bible is filled with passages about God’s preference for the poor. We, however, live in a world that often idolizes the rich. In this context, Henri expresses the view that, as Christians, we may at times address this tension through developing a prejudice against those who have material resources far greater than our own.
Is this an accurate perception on Henri’s part? What is your experience in your personal relationship with others? Does someone’s financial status in life impact upon your relationship with them?
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November 6th, 2005 @ 9:35 pm
My experience has led me to believe that money has nothing to do with a person’s character. It is a responsibility just like everything else. I have had many friends whose wealth far surpassed that of mine, but it never ended up in anything but furthering that friendship for positive ends. The hope is that my sanctification will hook you into participating in my mission. When Jesus was brought down from the cross, was it not a rich Jewish man who paid for his tomb with his own tomb? Material wealth ultimately comes from the Creator, spiritual wealth may be had by all. In the same sense, emptying my self to fill with spiritual delicacies is a far cry from filling my emptiness with those foods which are false.
November 9th, 2005 @ 11:24 am
I must admit that I tend to view those with great resources with a certain distance due to a feeling that they may not be interested in matters dealing with the lesser privileged, and all that counts to them is comforts/luxury and they couldn’t care any less about anything / anyone else.
However when the opportunity to scratch beneath the surface is presented, the reality in most cases, has been otherwise. The challenge is to be able to connect. I think we should never forget that ‘what is personal is universal’ and if the fire of compassion exists within me, it does within every other person regardless of what their financial standing is.
November 9th, 2005 @ 2:44 pm
Miriam, you raise an interesting point. Specifically, our experience with individual people often “goes against” what we perceive about a group of people. By way of example, we often have the perception that any group of people that is “different from ourselves” will behave differently, yet the individuals we get to know often don’t fit the stereotype.
My experience has been that level of income and financial ability do not play as much of a role in how people behave–and treat others–as many people think. I do, however, find that for many people, “income” (if far higher or lower than another person’s)does at least “shade” how people initially enter the relationship.
November 10th, 2005 @ 11:10 am
Yep, people from diametrically different and opposite cultures in the end are fascinatingly the same ! Yet how we hurt and insult and violate each other…….. just what happened yesterday in Jordan (and do we have to give more examples…….???) is glaring testimony to that.
Question is when will the suffering and violence end ? Sometimes I think that the world has enough resources that can easily end poverty, which needs to be utilized and can, well……if an effort is made.
Instead so much time and energy is devoted to attempting to stop the violence and when the motives of those that make the attempt is not noble / fair, not much gets achieved. Sensible, enthusiastic, energetic leaders…….noble minds in the corridors of power…..where are they ??
November 12th, 2005 @ 1:45 pm
Ironically–as you suggest–we have many examples in our personal lives of people being “very much the same” yet we often fall back into patterns that focus on our differences.
I have often found that it is “small acts of kindness” that point to our shared humanity and help break down the barriers that separate the rich from the poor, blacks from whites, young from old, etc. Last night, for example, I had to take a detour through a very rough section of Indianapolis on the way home from the airport late at night. When I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions, a black man tried to tell me about a very complicated way back to the interstate. In an environment that “yelled out” be on guard and do not trust your neighbor (example–the station attendant was “sealed away from customers behind bullet proof glass and survellience cameras were everywhere)here was this man trying to provide directions. In the end he asked me to “follow him” to the interstate. On the way–about an 8 mile trip–he pulled over 3 times to wait for me while I got stuck at traffic lights. In the end he directed me to the interstate–and went out of his way to be helpful.
Having been raised in the south in the era of segregation such an act would–in my childhood–been unthinkable. This man saw in me someone who was lost–not a person with (I assume given our dress, etc.) far greater wealth than he has, etc.
Yes, this was a simple act. It was, however, one that helps in its own way to break down the kind of barriers that separate us.
Unfortunately, there are aspects of fundraising–certainly for some organizations–that tend to divide people by level of wealth……….and, through the process, can isolate people one from another. I do, however, believe that in most settings fundraising–at least what I believe to be “good fundraising” draws us together in community.
November 13th, 2005 @ 8:53 am
Thanks for sharing that very beautiful incident. We need to hear stories like that, because there is so much ‘hurt’ and ‘cruelty’………..sometimes it is hard for us to remember that the kingdom of God is very real and right here in our midst !
January 3rd, 2006 @ 11:23 pm
I get excited about missionaries and people that give everything (materials…) for the sake of Christ. Being in the business setting for the last 5 years, I have seen very few examples of people that I have gotten really excited about pertaining to their dealing of money. My lens has had a negative tint on the rich for the most part as Christ continually challenged people to give their all… the widow who gave all she had. Wow- if anyone’s reading this, their may be some big disagreements. I am in the process of having more of an appreciation for the wealthy as I have seen many partner and support in a beautiful way both personally and for others. I look at a certain donor that partners with us and see a man who wants to live for Christ and he may be doing that well. It’s hard for me to look at 2 million dollar houses and have the same feeling about that person as I do about the guy w/ a few things and no house but a legacy of spending time with the poor of Cairo, Egypt. I don’t know-
February 12th, 2006 @ 12:13 pm
Dan: I agree with you. It is hard to see the discrepancy in our society and world between what is available to “those who have” and those who “have not”.
The irony is, however, that most of us (certainly in the US)are “a rich man” in comparison to our neighbor on the world stage. It has always interested me that whenever I meet someone who is rich there is always another person who that person perceives as “being rich” (rather than themselves)because someone always “has more”.
In this context, we are all asked to consider where we are, what we “really need” and what we can/should do without. Giving is one way of addressing the social inequities in our world………certainly not the only way, but certainly one way.