On the Census Bureau’s website, I came across a spreadsheet showing the number of families below the poverty line from 1959 to 2008. As I quickly looked through the sheet (since I’m supposed to be doing other things), I noticed that the rate of families below the poverty line has hovered around 10 percent, plus or minus, since the late 1960s. Now, throughout my life I’ve heard about the war on poverty, and how we must increase welfare to try and raise people out of poverty. So, the fact the overall rate of families living below the poverty line got me thinking: are we wasting our money? If we continue to spend more, with little or no significant impact, is there a better way? I think there is.
Being a Pastor, I tend to look at Scripture for answers to life questions. I do so for two reasons. First, I do so because I believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God. Thus, its principles are timeless and still useful for guiding decisions. Second because Western Civilization is largely based upon the Bible. For over 1500 years the history of the West has been the history of Christianity—good and bad, alike. Our founding fathers, while all may not have been Christians, were profoundly impacted by lessons found in Scripture. So, if it served so well as a foundational document for so long, I figure, “Why reinvent the wheel?” That said, let me share a principle that I believe is at the core of our welfare failure. You can find it in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
Paul recognized some in Thessalonica were taking advantage of the charity of others. Capable of working, these folks choose not to work—instead eating the food provided through the work of others. This was unacceptable. While feeding those unable to work is at the core of loving thy neighbor, feeding those who will not work runs counter to the entirety of Scripture.
Perhaps, then, we might consider a welfare system that only feeds those who are truly unable to eat. Those who are able, it is assumed, choose not to for one reason or another. They, therefore, receive nothing. Not only might this provide some motivation toward work, but it also might help instill a work ethic seriously lacking in our society.