Financially Supporting Relationships ? Love Wins Ministries

Would Jesus support the United States? food stamp program? That question came up last week on Capitol Hill when legislators discussed possible cuts to the food-related financial assistance program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

NBC News reports,

During contentious debate over the Farm Bill, which funds food stamps, in the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., invoked the Book of Matthew as he noted his opposition to the cuts.

?[Jesus] says how you treat the least among us, the least of our brothers, that?s how you treat him,? Vargas, adding that Jesus specifically mentions the importance of feeding the hungry.

Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, who supports cuts to the program, had his own Bible verse from the Book of Thessalonians to quote back to Vargas: ?The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat,? he said.

Representative Fincher fails to acknowledge, however, that many of the SNAP?beneficiaries he references are willing to work and in fact have jobs. The USDA reports,

Nearly 30 percent of SNAP households had earnings in 2010, and 41 percent of all SNAP participants lived in a household with earnings. For most of these households, earnings were the primary source of income.

Similarly, almost half of Fincher?s ?unwilling? workers are the elderly and children.

Nearly half (47 percent) were under age 18 and another 8 percent were age 60 or older. Working-age women represented 28 percent of the caseload, while working-age men represented 17 percent.

I also wonder what Fincher may think if he realized his adoption of the ?He who does not work shall not eat? concept was also a tenant of Lenin?s socialism:

?He who does not work, neither shall he eat??every toiler understands that. Every worker, every poor and even middle peasant, everybody who has suffered need in his lifetime, everybody who has ever lived by his own labour, is in agreement with this. Nine-tenths of the population of Russia are in agreement with this truth. In this simple, elementary and perfectly obvious truth lies the basis of socialism, the indefeasible source of its strength, the indestructible pledge of its final victory.

The truth, however, is ?every poor and even middle [class]? person, and ?everybody who has suffered need in his lifetime,? also may?occasionally?need help. In 2010 alone, ?about 40.3 million people living in 18.6 million U.S. households,? qualified and received assistance from SNAP.

According to The Huffington Post, Fincher provides more of his thoughts:

?Jesus made it very clear we have a duty and obligation as Christians and as citizens of this country to take care of each other. Democrat, Republican, Independent ? we should look after one another,? he said. ?But I think a fundamental argument we?re having today is what?s the duty of the federal government. We?re all here on this committee making decisions about other people?s money.?

Love Wins often makes decisions about other people?s money. The organization doesn?t receive any government grants or money from denominations or other large groups. Instead, Love Wins relies on the financial contributions of supporters from around the world, who trust their money will be used to further the ministry?s mission of fostering relationships.

And Jesus would likely be OK with that.

Win Bassett is a writer, lawyer, and entering Yale Divinity School student who is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. He has written for Sojourners, Patheos, Mockingbird, All About Beer Magazine, BeerAdvocate Magazine, Beer West Magazine, Serious Eats, and other publications. He has forthcoming pieces in Books & Culture, Religion & Politics, Publishers Weekly, and Indy Week. You can find him at http://winbassett.com, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@winbassett, and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/winbassett.

Source: http://lovewins.info/2013/05/financially-supporting-relationships/

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