The chapter ends like this: Perhaps the best giving is the kind that enables the poor to experience the blessedness of giving. It’s a beautiful summary of the concepts of reciprocation and development that he’s brought up so far. I think he’s right and his principle of not doing anything for anyone that they can do for themselves is a good one-generally. His examples are fabulous and my hope is that we’ll be challenged by them.
First he tells the story of a food co-op that emerged from a free food pantry. Now there are four, serving 120 families, each of the staffed by those in their own community. Beautiful.
Now the one I really love is the second. A real estate entrepreneur, bought, re-hab-ed, and transformed a neighborhood. He added mixed income, cleaned up parks, and made it a safe, inviting place to live. Then he used his considerable experience and salesmanship to bring a Publix to the community. Employment, quality food at a low price, stability to the local economy, and beauty. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
Some of you reading this blog have tons of expertise and capital and people resources to make these kinds of things happen. Go for it!
But let’s come to grip with what Lupton says will keep us from this better way. First, he says, good feelings. Second, ease. Frankly, working for the poor is always easier and more immediately than working with the poor. Less complication. Less mess. Unfortunately, less dignity for both parties: one party suffers the indignity of perpetual neediness; the other suffers the indignity of perpetual arrogance.
I’d like to add a third though. I think there is one more “thing” that gets in the way. Our lack of imagination. We do not dream enough. We do not contemplate with creativity. We do not hope and imagine. I’m not sure anything is more important than this. So many of you are entrepreneurial, so many are risk takers, so many know the delay of gratification for the future. I’m convinced if we could dream of better ways to create, sustain, and restore holistic community, we could commit to it. We need to mull some more-letting the Spirit blow through our hearts and minds and dreams.
Let me give you an example: Hope for Charlotte has been considering purchasing a house or duplex to help with the extraordinary need for transitional housing in Charlotte. He told the idea to real estate person who said, “Why don’t you try this out with a few rentals first. See what you need and learn you lessons before raising a couple hundred grand for the housing?” Then I got to thinking, why don’t we rent it in a middle income neighborhood or on a street that would be a delight to live in for anyone? Shoot, why don’t we make it as nice as possible-even nicer than anyone would hope. Then empower the home renter with incentive rental rates and all sorts of other support. And that’s 15 minutes of dreaming with Jeremy Sorzano, our executive director.
So let’s do the dangerous thing-dream, imagine, hope, and then work toward that end.
I think a better approach to this is to think of ourselves as the recipients of the incarnation-recipients of God’s loving and just kingdom. And now believers in that kingdom are gathering to bring that love and justice to bear on the world. The second verse of the famous mini-hymn “They will know we are Christians by Our Love” really helps here.
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Our manner is to be less about being incarnational and more about working side by side to guard dignity and pride (of course not hubris, but good pride).
This is why Lupton is so revolutionary. He demands respect-not of and for himself alone…but for those with whom he interacts. We need to be on guard for the transactions of dignity and respect that occur in our attempts at ministry. We need to trust that the kingdom has the power to come and bring healing and development (theologically speaking healing and sanctification) to people holistically.
Here’s the challenge. Think of the ministries that we do that require no exchange of dignity and lets try to figure out how to make the more developmental. Any ideas?
