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Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com
The Lazy Poor in America Pt. 2
by
Karen Pansler-Lam, J.D.
A few days ago, I received an unsigned e-mail rebuking me for my message "The Lazy Poor in America." Out of curiosity, I searched the e-mail address and discovered it came from the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance. Here's what their website states @ http://www.dallaschristians.org/About.htm :
The Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance (DACPA) was founded by grassroots Christians with a mission to live the radical love, compassion and justice of Jesus and to promote these values in religious and public discourse . DACPA uses Matthew 25, a chapter of the Bible in which Jesus reminds us that we are judged by how we treat the hungry, the stranger, and the prisoners, as a guide to fulfilling this mission.
Then
the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you
hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And
when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave
you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited
you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as
you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you
did it to me." (Matthew 25:37-40)
From:
Matthew 25 <matthew-25@earthlink.net Came upon your blog and all I could think
was, "Get behind me, Satan!" You clearly do not know who the poor
are. They clean up after you, serve you, do backbreaking work to put food on
your table, and yet you distort the Gospel to suit your perverse ideology.
Paul was clearly talking about the followers of Jesus carrying their own
weight when visiting a congregation. I notice that you really don't mention
at all the teachings of Jesus which are counter to all that you will find in
that essay. “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your
friends or your brothers or your relatives or And here is my reply...
From: karenpansler@netzero.com Subject: Re: The Lazy Poor Date: Tue, Oct 02, 2012 10:58 AM
Dear
Unsigned, I
rarely receive unsigned email. So, I searched your e-mail address and
discovered you are the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance. According
to your website @
http://www.dallaschristians.org/About.htm you
base your ministry on Matthew 25: 37-40. These verses do not apply to ALL
poor; they apply to Christ's disciples and followers who were poor because
of persecution for His Name's sake, or circumstances beyond their control. 37
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee
drink? Matthew
Henry comments: I was hungry, that is, my disciples and followers were so, either by the persecutions of enemies for well-doing, or by the common dispensations of Providence; for in these things there is one event to the righteous and wicked: and you gave them meat. Note, First, Providence so variously orders and disposes of the circumstances of his people in this world, as that while some are in a condition to give relief, others need it. It is no new thing for those that are feasted with the dainties of heaven to be hungry and thirsty, and to want daily food; for those that are at home in God, to be strangers in a strange land; for those that have put on Christ, to want clothes to keep them warm; for those that have healthful souls, to have sickly bodies; and for those to be in prison, that Christ has made free. (1)
You
clearly do not know who the poor are. They clean up after you, serve you, do
backbreaking work to put food on your table, and yet you distort the Gospel
to suit your perverse ideology. Paul was clearly talking about the followers
of Jesus carrying their own weight when visiting a congregation. My
message "The Lazy Poor" clearly talks about those who refuse to
work - the lazy poor. And
Paul was not talking about the followers of Jesus carrying their own weight
when visiting a congregation. Have you not read the following Scriptures? Then
the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief
unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. Acts 11:29 Distributing
to the necessity of saints. Romans 12:13 For
it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution
for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. Romans 15:26 The
Gospel exhorts us to love in knowledge and judgment: "And this I pray,
that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9,
10). Christians must be a discerning people; they must use sound judgment . And 2
Corinthians 8 talks about not being a burden to others: 13
For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: Matthew
Henry comments: In
this and the following chapter Paul is exhorting and directing the
Corinthians about a particular work of charity-to relieve the necessities of
the poor saints at Jerusalem and in Judea, according to the good example of
the churches in Macedonia, Rom.
15:26. The Christians at Jerusalem, through war, famine, and
persecution, had become poor, many of them had fallen into decay, and
perhaps most of them were but poor when they first embraced Christianity;
for Christ said, "The poor receive the gospel. Now Paul, though
he was the apostle of the Gentiles, had a fonder regard, and kind concern,
for those among the Jews who were converted to the Christian faith; and,
though many of them had not so much affection to the Gentile converts as
they ought to have had, yet the apostle would have the Gentiles to be kind
to them, and stirred them up to contribute liberally for their relief. Upon
this subject he is very copious, and writes very affectingly. In this eighth
chapter he acquaints the Corinthians with, and commends, the good example of
the Macedonians in this work of charity, and that Titus was sent to Corinth
to collect their bounty (v. 1-6). He the proceeds to urge this duty with
several cogent arguments (v. 715), and commends the persons who were
employed in this affair (v. 1624). But as in works of charity there should be an
equitable proportion observed, that the burden should not lie too heavy on
some, while others are wholly eased, so all should think themselves
concerned to supply those who are in want. This is illustrated by the instance of gathering and
distributing manna in the wilderness, concerning which (as we may read, Ex.
16) it was the duty of every family, and all in the family, to gather what
they could, which, when it was gathered, was put into some common receptacle
for each family, whence the master of the family distributed to every one as
he had occasion, to some more than they were able, through age and
infirmity, to gather up; to others less than they gathered, because they did
not need so much: and thus he that had gathered much (more than he
had occasion for) had nothing over, when a communication was made to him that
had gathered little, who by this method had no lack. Note, Such is the
condition of men in this world that we mutually depend on one another, and
should help one another. Those who have ever so much of this world have no
more than food and raiment; and those who have but a little of this world
seldom want these; nor, indeed, should those who have abundance suffer
others to want, but be ready to afford supply. (2)
I
notice that you really don't mention at all the teachings of Jesus which are
counter to all that you will find in that essay. “When you give a
luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your
relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you
would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay
you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
(Luke 14:12-14)Nothing about lazy poor here. As
for the parable of the great feast in Luke 14:12- 14, Matthew Henry
comments: 2. "Be forward to relieve the poor (v. 13, 14): When
thou makest a feast, instead of furnishing thyself with what is rare and
nice, get thy table spread with a competency of plain and wholesome meat,
which will not be so costly, and invite the poor and maimed, such
as have nothing to live upon, nor are able to work for their
living. These are objects of charity; they want necessaries; furnish
them, and they will recompense thee with their prayers; they will commend
thy provisions, which the rich, it may be, will despise. They will go away,
and thank God for thee, when the rich will go away and reproach thee.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfmAuthorID=4&contentID=1655&
;commInfo=5&topic=Luke (3)
Blessed
are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled…But woe to you who
are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:20-21,
24)The word in Luke for poor is from the Greek for "destitute." There
is more to the Bible than the Gospels and you must look to the entire
Bible to correctly understand Scriptures. We will discuss Jesus' actions
later, however, the early church demanded that every man fulfill his duty of
work. Paul writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians: "For even
when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would
not work, neither should he eat" (3:10). Paul didnt
suggest it, he commanded it. This echoes Old Testament Scriptures such as
"The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands
refuse to labour" (Proverbs
21:25) and "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and
an idle soul shall suffer hunger" (Proverbs 19:15). And Proverbs 24
warns laziness causes poverty: 33
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to
sleep: "But
if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (I Timothy
5:8). "The
Lazy Poor" does not condemn the lame, the blind, the orphan or any
other person who is unable to work. There is a difference between those who
cannot work (sick, injured, orphans, aged, infirm, handicapped, those
needing temporary help through no fault of their own, and so forth) and
those who are lazy and refuse to work. Truthfully, many of the so-called
"poor" spend their money on cigarettes, booze, gambling, drugs,
cell phones, costly cable/satellite television packages, and other
extravagances. Christians have no Biblical duty to provide the lazy poor
with necessities so they can spend their money on extravagances and sinful
habits. And
you cite Luke 6: 20, 21. This is addressed to Jesus' disciples and suffering
saints. 20
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed
be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Matthew
Henry comments: I. Blessings pronounced upon suffering saints, as happy
people, though the world pities them (v. 20): He lifted up his
eyes upon his disciples, not only the twelve, but the whole company
of them (v. 17), and directed his discourse to them; for, when he had
healed the sick in the plain, he went up again to the mountain,
to preach. There he sat, as one having authority; thither they
come to him (Mt.
5:1), and to them he directed his discourse, to them he applied it, and
taught them to apply it to themselves. When he had laid it down for a truth,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, he added, Blessed are ye poor.
All believers, that take the precepts of the gospel to themselves, and live
by them may take the promises of the gospel to themselves and live
upon them. And the application, as it is here, seems especially designed
to encourage the disciples, with reference to the hardships and
difficulties they were likely to meet with, in following Christ. 1. "You are poor, you have left all to
follow me, are content to live upon alms with me, are
never to expect any worldly preferment in my service. You must work
hard, and fare hard, as poor people do; but you are blessed in your poverty,
it shall be no prejudice at all to your happiness; nay, you are blessed for
it, all your losses shall be abundantly made up to you, for yours is the
kingdom of God, all the comforts and graces of his kingdom here and all
the glories and joys of his kingdom hereafter; yours it shall be,
nay, yours it is. Christs poor are rich in faith,
Jam.
2:5. http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfmAuthorID=4&contentID=| The
poor are those who suffer because they follow Christ. James 2:5 declares:
"Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith...?" But
you must read on to verse 22... 22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when
they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast
out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Read
the entire chapter of Luke 6. (4)
Jesus
throughout the Gospels makes no distinction between
"deserving/undeserving" or "productive/lazy." In fact,
in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, the one who labors less is
still deserving of as much as the one who labors longer, because their needs
are the same. The
parable of the laborers in the vineyard illustrates "So the last shall
be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen"
(Matthew 20:16). It has nothing to do with "their needs are the
same." Matthew
Henry comments: Now this seems to be the principal scope of this parable, to
show that the Jews should be first called into the vineyard, and many of
them should come at the call; but, at length, the gospel should be preached
to the Gentiles, and they should receive it, and be admitted to equal
privileges and advantages with the Jews; should be fellow-citizens
with the saints, which the Jews, even those of them that believed, would
be very much disgusted at, but without reason. I
suggest you read the entire commentary on these Scriptures. And
since you narrow your focus to the Gospels, let's look at Jesus' actions... Jesus
repeatedly said: "Follow me."
So, if we follow Jesus through the Scriptures, clearly even though the
disciples had a money bag, neither Jesus nor His disciples ever went about
feeding the poor, including the lazy. Unquestionably, Jesus could have done
so as evidenced by feeding the multitudes more than once. In other words,
Jesus Christ could have miraculously fed all the poor and hungry. In
fact, John 6 records Jesus rebuking the people for seeking Him for bread: 26
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye
did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Clearly,
Jesus reproved the multitude for following Him because he fed them on
several occasions. Jesus made it very clear that His ministry did not
consist of handouts. His ministry was concerned with their spiritual needs,
not their physical needs. Moreover,
Jesus did not set up church welfare programs. In fact, as stated in
"The Lazy Poor," the early church set up qualifications for
those receiving charity. In his first letter to Timothy addressing the
Churchs duty to support widows, the apostle Paul explains the Church
should give money to deserving widows only because families should be the
primary provider (5:8-16). In other words, if the widow has family, they
should provide for her, not the church: "If any man or woman that
believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church
be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed"
(5:16). Finally,
the Great Commission is not to go into all the world and feed the lazy. The
Great Commission is a spiritual mission....
Go
ye into all the world, We
are called to give the world the living bread - the Bread of life. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, I
am that bread of life. Your
fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. I
am the living bread which come down from heaven: The
Great Commission is to preach repentance toward God and faith in Jesus
Christ. True faith will result in good fruit: obedience to the faith, or
righteousness and holiness. To pervert the Gospel into a socialist doctrine
of humanitarian good works is a false gospel. Jesus
did not come as a social reformer. Jesus
came as our Redeemer. Jesus
came as our Saviour. Jesus
did not die on the cross to feed lazy neighbors and lazy nations! Jesus
died on the cross to redeem our sins! Jesus
died so that we may be reconciled to God. The true message of the Gospel is
salvation, not social reformation. Jesus came to save us from our sins, that
we may be saved from eternal damnation and spend eternity in the holy
presence of the Lord God. Clearly,
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel: "Ye must
be born again" (John
3:7). We must
become new creatures in Christ. We must be saved and sanctified by the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This will transform our lives. This will
transform our communities. This will transform the world. In
other words, it is not social reform that will transform the world - it is
spiritual transformation. To illustrate, if a great true revival took place
in the world today and men and women were born again, their hearts and lives
would be transformed. By the power of the Holy Spirit they would be new
creatures in Christ. Consequently, society would be transformed: drunkards
would drink no more, drug addicts would be set free, broken marriages would
be healed, the lazy would work and we would witness other glorious
transformations by the power of the Holy Spirit. A
gospel of good works without preaching salvation and sanctification is a
false gospel. In fact, it is a loveless gospel. For if you truly love others
you will earnestly preach Jesus' words: "Ye
must be born again." My
prayer is that you will carry out the Great Commission... Go
ye into all the world, Lives
transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit will transform the world! Faithfully
serving our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour, Karen
Pansler-Lam, J.D.
And
the reply from the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance...
From: Matthew
25 <matthew-25@earthlink.net To: Karen
Pansler <karenpansler@netzero.com> Subject: The Lazy Poor
I do not know who "Matthew Henry" is, but he is clearly
one of the false prophets that Jesus warned his followers repeatedly about.
There is nothing in Matthew 25:31-45, directed at the NATIONS (peoples),
limiting it to "believers and non-believers." If anything, Jesus
would be directing these to the Jews and no one else. You provide no verses
from the KJV that support your contention that God only cares about the
believing over the non-believing poor. Such is blasphemy which distorts the
word of God. Believers and non-believer limitations are always trotted out
by those who have no real interest in following Jesus's teachings--his
denunciations of those who are greedy and who serve wealth, the link with
the accumulation of wealth and the reason why there are poor. His mission in
Luke was to spread "good news to the poor," with no destinction.
Jesus' ministry is an extension of that of the Hebrew prophets he came to
fulfill. Why do you ignore the more than 2000 references to those living in
poverty? Why is your emphasis on seeing Jesus in Paul's context rather than
vice versa? That is still the question. How dare you judge that the poor are
all lazy, which is the implication of your post (implied)? That is a
judgment left to God to make. No mention of the lazy rich anywhere that I
could find. I take the parable of the laborers in the vineyard
literally--the amount of work did not matter, only that the basic needs of
all be fulfilled, and as a follower of Jesus, his words are paramount over
those of any other person. (Not to mention his description of the lillies of
the field who do not toil yet are still blessed by God.) Instead of false prophets, our organization relies upon a wealth of
religious scholars and theologians, speakers of Aramaic, Hebrew, and ancient
Greek. Archeologists. All followers of Christ. The translations you use are
atypical and, to a certain extent, very bizarre in places. What is your
theological training that you would make such outrageous statements, leading
Christians to believe that they are right to judge which of those in poverty
to care for, to lead them for a concern for a just society? This
is the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20, not what you cited from John:
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.A)"> Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations,B)"> baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,C)">
20 and TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I
HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And surely I am with youE)"> always,
to the very end of the age.” Why do you ignore the preponderance of
Jesus' teachings found in Matthew, Mark and Luke? Why do you create a jesus
in your own image, adding your obsession with the "lazy poor"? I would strongly advise you to heed Christ's warnings against the
Pharisees in Matthew 23:23-24, and concern yourself with the weightier
matters of the law, "justice, mercy and faith," without
conditions, if you are truly concerned with entering the Kingdom of God. Do
not be as Judas who "did not care about the poor" (John 12:4-6) as
your words demonstrate.
And
here is my final reply...
From: karenpansler@netzero.com Subject: Re: The Lazy Poor Date: Fri, Oct 05, 2012 10:18 AM FINAL
REPLY:
Because you really don't want to know the Truth, but merely desire to argue
socialist "progressive" theology, I will only briefly address a
few of your statements.
First,
if you would have taken a few seconds to search "Matthew Henry"
you would have learned he was a great 17th century minister and
Bible scholar. His commentaries have been revered and quoted for
hundreds of years; and are still quoted today. Unlike modern
"theologians," Henry did not interpret the Bible in the context of
the current social/political thinking...indoctrination of political
correctness. He stayed true to the plain meaning of the Bible.
Second,
as for Matthew 25:31-45, Jesus clearly states in Matthew 25:40...
40
And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Note
the words "my brethren." Who are Jesus' brethren? Jesus defines
"my brethren" in Matthew 12:46-50...
46
While he yet talked to the people, behold his mother and his brethren stood
without, desiring to speak with him.
"My
brethren" are those who do the will of my Father...true believers.
And
Jesus states in Mark 9:41...
For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because
ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his
reward. Third,
you purposely ignore these statements in "The Lazy Poor in
America" making it very clear that the message is about the lazy poor,
not the working poor...
My dear friend, this parable of the slothful sons illustrates
the wickedness of those who demand to share in the harvest when they
refuse to labor in the field. Rewarding the lazy with the fruits of
those who labor is not only absurd; rewarding the lazy with the fruits of
those who labor is unjust! But that is exactly what is happening in
America today. America is an asylum for all who refuse to labor.
The immigrants of yesteryear were not a social, political,
and economic burden to American taxpayers. Today the lazy poor oppress
hardworking Americans. Immigrants come to America for handouts, and we
hand it over even though they refuse to live and work for their own good; and
refuse to live and work for the good of our nation.
And it's not just the lazy immigrants who want a handout. America
is an asylum for all who refuse to labor, including Americans. And,
unfortunately, laziness among the poor is publicly encouraged by the
government and the Church. The slothful live off their wits instead of their work. And
they have outwitted us into letting us do the work, and they live off of us
through government welfare and church handouts. And while the financial
and social burdens get heavier and heavier for the hardworking American, the
moral burden gets lighter and lighter for the freeloader. The lazy poor
force their moral responsibilities and duties onto those who work. The lazy
poor oppress hardworking Americans.
Look, my dear friend, wise men simply do not tolerate the
idle living off the labor of the workers. It is time for Christians to
reevaluate their charity to the poor. They must evaluate charity according
to Biblical principles and give to the deserving poor only. So, who
are the deserving poor?
Are
you distorting my message out of ignorance or out of malice?
Fourth,
why do you focus solely on Matthew, Mark and Luke and ignore the Gospel of
John? And why do you ignore the other 63 books of the Bible? The Bible is a
conditional covenant; and you must look to the entire Bible to properly
interpret each Scripture.
Fifth,
as for the lilies of the field in Matthew 6:28, Matthew Henry comments:
[2.] Consider how free from care the lilies are: they toil
not as men do, to earn clothing; as servants, to earn their liveries; neither
do they spin, as women do, to make clothing. It does not follow
that we must therefore neglect, or do carelessly, the proper business of
this life; it is the praise of the virtuous woman, that she lays her hand
to the spindle, makes fine linen and sells it,
Prov.
31:19
24. Idleness tempts God, instead of trusting
him; but he that provides for inferior creatures, without their labour, will
much more provide for us, by blessing our labour, which he has made
our duty. And if we should, through sickness, be unable to toil and spin,
God can furnish us with what is necessary for us.
Sixth,
the Great Commission is in both Mark 16:15 (I quoted Mark, not John) and
Matthew 28:18-20. Don't you understand the synoptic Gospels?
Seventh,
as for Matthew 23 omitting the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy, and faith; it is only just that hardworking Americans should not
have to bear the social burden of the lazy in America and around the world.
The Bible says we must not be a respecter of persons: we must not favor the
poor over the rich. We must use righteous judgment:
Ye
shall do no unrighteousness in judgment:
To
favor the poor and give them what they do not rightfully deserve is
unrighteous judgment. Righteous
judgment declares the lazy must not be rewarded for their idleness. This is
unjust enrichment and an offense against public justice.
Eighth,
why do you willfully ignore John 6 where Jesus rebukes the people for
seeking Him for bread?
26
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but
because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
To
corrupt Biblical charity into the man-made socialist doctrine of
redistribution of wealth is "teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men" (Matthew 15:9).
Ninth,
the first duty a man owes is to support his family, and that he support it
so that the church and state will not be burdened. This is the foundation of
good character and good government. This is the foundation of a righteous
nation.
Estelle
Avery Sharpe writes about the lazy in Character Building:
To have family, and then leave the community to support it,
is thieving because no equivalent is rendered. No shiftless, lazy man or
family is honest. No shiftless, lazy man or family can be independent. They
are the subjects of those who support them, whether these be separate
individuals or the community. To be master of one's self, to be a man, one
must be independent in money matters. Only he who is industrious and saving
can look any man in the face and say, "I, too, am a man. I am my own
master...I am free." But the lazy man who is dependent upon others is a
slave to their wishes, their commands.
Foundation
Stones of Success ... - Page 282 - Google Books Result
Tenth,
why are you oppressing and enslaving the lazy poor? If you truly love the
lazy, you will seek their best interests - dignity and independence. If
we truly love the lazy, we will admonish them to become productive citizens.
Eleventh,
again, Jesus did not come as a social reformer. His mission was to save us
from our sins. He died on the cross as our Redeemer. Salvation is free to
ALL- rich and poor - who repent and truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you truly believe, the fruit of that belief will be righteousness and
holiness.
Finally...
More
important, why do you willfully ignore Jesus' stern rebuke of the slothful
servant in the parable of the talents?
Thou
wicked and slothful servant...take
therefore the talent from him, and
give it unto him which hath ten talents...
and
cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew
25:26-30
Irrefutably,
Jesus condemns the lazy. Faithfully
serving our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour,
Karen
Pansler-Lam, J.D.
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