In his own autobiography Ralph W. Beiting comes to grips with poverty and welfare. His fundamental stance in reaching out to the impoverished is that God has called each one of us to independence and not dependence. Many might disagree with his system of values, but he insists that this sense of calling comes from his many decades of working with the poor in Appalachia. Listen to his clarion call to the sound of independence:
“Welfare was sure. It came every month on the same day. Welfare was safe. Safe is not always good—not when it leads to dependence and despair. I don’t believe God created us to play it safe. He wants us to be explorers, dreamers, mountain climbers”(Called to the Mountains, page 25).
His observation may fly in the face of conventional wisdom. However, we all know the problem of providing safety nets for children, etc., that require no accountability and provide no opportunities for initiative. What should the Christian’s attitude be toward government welfare? Allow me to give some broad sweeping answers that of course will vary depending on the urgency of the circumstances.
1. First, welfare fundamentally speaks about a person’s well-being.
2. Secondly, welfare as originally conceived was never thought of as being a permanent solution.
3. Third, when welfare creates dependency and destroys initiative it has ceased being welfare.
4. Fourth, when welfare is offered in true circumstances of need there is no place for judgmentalism.
5. Fifth, from the Christian perspective, welfare is always offered from a heart of compassion.
6. Sixth, the church is in the business of helping others where necessary to enable them to come off welfare.
7. Seventh, welfare is often needed because innocent children are involved.
I am wondering one thing though…if welfare assistance disappeared overnight, would the church be poised to step in and provide necessary support from the stance of compassion, accountability and Christian well-being?
In Christian love, Curtis
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