Proverbs 22:16

I'll be the first to say that Proverbs isn't always meant to be applied literally.   Interestingly, many people today consider this book of wisdom to have been assembled after the Babylonian Exile rather than during Solomon's reign as it says.

And rather than discredit what it has to say, I think the intention of it becomes even clearer and more profound.   Likely these pieces of wisdom were around at the time of Solomon, but Israel had yet to learn something essential about putting them in to practice: it takes a discerning wisdom to use the proverbs.   Not every one applies in every situation.

It wasn't until The Exile that Israel began to wonder if they hadn't understood the role they played in the success and failure of their nation.

It is called a book of wisdom, because it is most effective when we learn to use it wisely - whether that means saving it for special occasions, or making sure to not ignore it.

That being said, what do we do with Proverbs 22:16 today?

“Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.”

A Community Based Approach to Rethinking Value:

There is a part of me that rages against the very idea that I am nothing more than a collection of abilities to increase the GDP.   I can roast coffee, I have skill on the phone, I know how to develop and execute successful programs, and based on that there is a formula out there that determines my worth to our economy.

And, I'd venture to say, I don't have nearly the same value as a doctor or a corporate executive.   An hour of my time is only worth so much - 12-18/hr I'd guess.   I am now nothing more than an hourly unit because there is no metric for the things about me that don't contribute to the economy.   My hopes and dreams are worthless if they don't involve monetary exchange.

Thankfully, people are thinking outside the paradigm and creating alternatives.   One in particular gets me humming: time banks.   In a time bank, an hour of my time is worth an hour of time from a CPA, doctor, or masseuse.   Think how this throws the hierarchical, capitalist paradigm on its head!

Not to get all revolutionary up in here - I wouldn't have the opportunity to share alternatives with others over the internet if it weren't for our paradigm - but opportunities to see others differently creates the mustard seeds needed to reverse the class system we all contribute to by being consumers.

Maybe time banks and other alternatives may one day fundamentally change the conversation on Capitol Hill from economic growth to more kingdom oriented value structures: relational inclusiveness rather than a free market, or opportunity creation rather than job creation.

Check out the time banks website for yourself and begin to dream: what could this bring to your neighborhood?   And then take a look - there may be people already at work in your city, making it happen.

- Andrew

The Ministry of Presence

A friend of mine, Paul Sparks, recently brought a Henri Nouwen quote to my attention here.

An Old and a New Cry for Justice

With the news today that President Obama has agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for the top 3% of Americans, I find myself in a surprising grief.   I have had opportunity that many Americans haven't, and yet at the same time I find myself among the other 97% who are seeing their voice shrink in efficacy in the face of big business.

A letter to the President worth noting:

Dear Mr. President,

Every choice our country makes is a statement of who we are and what we prioritize. At its heart a budget is a moral document. For people of faith, our priorities must always lie with the poor and most vulnerable. Extending the Bush tax cuts for the most fortunate while ending unemployment benefits and cutting back services for the poor does not reflect the values of faithful Americans. For that reason, we urge you to let tax cuts for the most fortunate expire as scheduled at the end of the year.

Almost 50 million Americans wonder where their next meal is coming from. One in 5 children live in poverty and many Americans are out of work. At the same time, there are more millionaires in our country today than at the peak of the market in 2007. In the last 30 years, the wealthiest 1% have seen their incomes increase almost 300% while regular Americans are worse off.

We have a responsibility to balance our budgets. We have an equal responsibility to make sure that burden is carried by those who can most afford it. Giving benefits to the rich while denying them to the poor is a sin. As citizens of this country and people of faith, we have an obligation to those in need. The book of Proverbs puts it quite simply: "He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty" (Prov 22:16 NIV).

We believe that our own good is tied up into the common good; that we will meet the challenges of today not just as individuals but together as a nation. We are grateful for the leadership of the Patriotic Millionaires who have stepped forward to ask that their tax cuts expire. We hope you will heed their counsel.

May God bless the leadership of you and the Congress, and may God bless America to be a blessing to the world.

Sincerely

Brian D. McLaren

You can add your voice ... here.

Top 10 Albums of 2010 - Andrew

And now for something completely unrelated (yet obviously important):

Catcher in the Rye and Beginnings.

Wilhelm Stekel: “The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”