Is It a Sin to Be in Poverty?

If we're honest, people in poverty can frustrate us. Sometimes it's hard to sympathize with someone who seems to have a destructive lifestyle or doesn't embody a strong work ethic. It's easy have negative thoughts when we encounter someone in a financial crisis. Sadly, the ideal of the American Dream has taught us, whether consciously or subconsciously, that someone's financial state is a direct result of their ability to work hard. Therefore, people in poverty are often thought of, at least in the American context, as lazy. Although we know better than to give people in poverty such a narrow view, we should at least, I think, acknowledge these feelings and address them.

So why do people in poverty sometimes get under our skin?

We may not realize it all the time, but our attitudes toward certain people come from our own cultural practices. In sociology we call this Social Norms. For example, here in Thomasville, it's a social norm to ride around town in a golf cart. That's a social, unique norm for Thomasville, GA and other places in the US, but not everywhere.

However, some social norms are more deeply rooted than others. So, if you live here in Thomasville and ride around in a golf cart, you might not critique someone walking in your neighborhood because, sure, having a golf cart is nice to have, but walking is acceptable, too. However, if it's a social norm to use reusable bags at, say, Publix, you might mentally question the person in front of you at the check-out getting plastic bags. Why is this? Because if you use reusable bags when grocery shopping, it's probably because you are trying to care for the environment, or because having a million plastic bags in your house drives your crazy! At some point in your life, plastic bags became a social taboo. It's a fairly deep conviction for you. You might even say things like, "everyone should use reusable bags", but you probably wouldn't say, "everyone should own a golf cart" even if you own one and use it regularly.

I hope you're still with me here..

Simply put: some social norms are more deeply/ethically rooted and viewed as something everyone should do, whereas others are less important, but still common.

Some cultures are more assertive about their norms. For example, in Zambia it was REALLY important that babies in infancy wear socks at all times, even if it's REALLY hot outside. So, if we took Lillian out and she wasn't wearing socks strangers would come up to us and let us know that she should be wearing socks and question our parenting! You may not always be told when you break a social norm, but people generally notice when you do from culture to culture.

When someone steps outside of social norm, we can feel it.

At the heart of our social norms is the conviction that the way we live is the "correct" and "right" way. We typically think what we think is "right" and that those with a different perspective are "wrong", and we want people to be more like us. It's natural! I do think there is an actual "right" and "wrong", but what I want us to realize is that our social norms aren't always "right" or "wrong". They are simply the invisible rules that guide us through life and keep communities in motion.

Another important discussion in Sociological study related to this is "class". You can call it "economic class" or "social class", but the general idea is that people all over the world find a way to separate themselves into classes. Again, this happens naturally and subconsciously and it's not always wrong. The long story short is, for better or for worse, we like to spend time with people who are similar to us. For example, we spend time with people who have a similar religion, similar ethnicity, a similar value system, a similar economic status, a similar house and family size. You get the picture. I'm not a Marxist, but I do see how class distinction causes social divides in the world.

Class distinctions may be the reason why we are easily bothered by those in poverty or those with great wealth. We sometimes can be hypersensitive to people different from us. Personally, I try not to allow differences to be the reason why I don't befriend someone, but I do notice differences and you probably do, too.

Within these class distinctions, social norms impact what we think is right behavior and wrong behavior. Some social norms are recognized by everyone, but some are just within a class or small group of people. Even small congregations can develop social norms, which can make it difficult for new people to feel comfortable who aren't aware of the secret rules.

The truth is, all classes have their norms. I was raised in a middle class family and I think it's easy to be baffled by those in the lower class. Just by the fact of being poor or not managing their money in the way we would disrupts a social norm in our culture. However, as followers of Christ, it's important that we recognize our social norms and not treat others who don't look like us, don't make as much money as us, don't spend their money like us, don't live in the same part of town as us or go to the same school as us as if they are living the "wrong" way. Christ welcomes all.

Which leads me to the question of this blog: is it a sin to be in poverty? Because, if you think about it, it's easy treat people in poverty like they are living in sin.

You know what's strange about this? From the evidence we have, Jesus was poor. Jesus probably didn't have a home; He could have been homeless, according to our standards today. Isn't ironic that we have a tendency to look down on the people Jesus would have been in a social class with? Now Jesus had a lot of social capital as a religious teacher, but he was probably in a lower social class financially speaking.

Do you know the story when Jesus says it's difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? In Matthew's account of the story the disciples are astonished and ask, "Who then can be saved?" (Matt 19:25). Why do they ask this? It's because in those days (and today) people believed that if someone had great wealth they were favored by God! Jesus' statement is counter to that culture's belief. It probably sounded to the disciples like, "No one is going to the Kingdom of God."

Now obviously Jesus is not saying that one social class will go to the Kingdom of God and the other is not. He's noticing a problem in some wealthy people's perspective on life. He clarifies His statement in verse 26, "With men and women this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". That's probably one of the most sobering verses in the Scripture. Don't you agree? Your lifestyle, your culture, your money, your job, your family, your status and your convictions can't save you, only through God can someone be rescued by God. Our social norms might matter a lot to us, which makes them important, and they could be influenced by God or Christian tradition, but this statement from Jesus makes it seem like they don't matter very much to God. In God's perspective, everyone is equal.

So let's answer the question: Is it a sin to live in poverty? I don't think so. Is it a sin when someone isn't a responsible steward of what they have? Maybe so, but that might be a symptom of a deeper issue.

Do I believe poverty is a problem in the world? Yes. However, I don't think possessions and money is a good indication of who is in poverty and who is not. I don't think poverty has to do only with lack of comforts. If someone is homeless and is choosing to live that way and finding that she/he has everything they need to live a genuine, happy life, I don't think that's a problem. However, if someone is homeless and wants a job and wants to come out of homelessness and can't get an opportunity to do so, then there's a problem. That is what I would call poverty. The kind of poverty we as Christians should do something about. There are people around the world with unrealized dreams because they can't get access to jobs, education, capital, or community support to make change for the better.

May we remember that everyone, regardless of appearance, lifestyle or culture is created in God's image. May God give us hearts that are not annoyed by difference, but recognize the beauty in God's good creation.

Amen.