You might of caught the first GOP candidate debate last week, but have you heard their thoughts on poverty?
The request was simple: as Christians, the fate of the vulnerable matters to us a great deal. In this nation and around the world, a plurality of our neighbors are suffering from poverty and hunger. If you--Mr. or Mrs. Presidential Candidate--were elected, what would you do to put an end to these social injustices?
Great question!
It came from a group called the Circle of Protection composed of over 100 prominent Christian leaders from across ever major branch of our faith.
They asked each Presidential candidate to reply with a 3 minute video explaining their platform on the issue. To my great pleasure, eight of the prospective Commander-in-Chiefs responded and four more have promised to do so. At the moment, we have videos from Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Martin O'Malley, and Bernie Sanders. Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio plan to send there's in soon.
The Sojourners website has the best spot to watch them. Go here to check 'em out:
No surprise, but I'm all for the effort to make poverty reduction a central issue for assuming political leadership of this nation. As their document says, the biblical concept of governing is steeped in the assumption that a ruler's job is to safeguard the vulnerable. The Circle of Protection website quotes Psalm 31:8-9:
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Bear in mind that this Psalm was not written as a charge for the Church, it was written by and for a king. Obviously there are significant differences between a theocracy like Israel with its anointed ruler and a modern democracy like ours, but the point stands: if you go looking for the bible's central expectation for government leadership, it consistently returns to safe-guarding the poor and marginalized.
Since I dabble in this world, I thought it would be fun to post reviews of each video and provide my assessment of the candidates' theories and plans.
I don't write as an expert on the policy histories of any of these folks. I am not an economist, and I certainly don't claim to have figured out how to "solve poverty." But I have been engaged in life and ministry with the poor for about a decade now, am one thesis paper short of a Masters degree in Urban Ministry, have read piles of books, and I have enough of a radical angle on this stuff to make things interesting.
Some things to look for:
- What diagnosis does the candidate offer (explicitly or implicitly) for the cause(s) of poverty? Said another way, what is the candidate's theory of poverty?
- How do they seem to view the poor? As people to be pitied? As charity cases? As criminals? As the 'noble poor'? As responsible for their own fates? As victims of broken systems? As homogenous or heterogenous?
- What connections does the candidate make between poverty and other issues?
- Does their plan do anything to address issues of power imbalance?
- What exactly IS their plan? Do they actually offer one?
- How does the candidate relate to the poor? Do they show any signs of listening to the poor and allowing their perspectives to shape or lead the candidates platform?
- Do they lean toward a focus on individuals or systems/structures?
- Do they explain how their plan will practically serve to eliminate poverty?
- How central is this issue to their presidency?
- Do you see genuine, action and relationship oriented compassion in them?
- What political, ideological, cultural, economic, philosophical, or theological precommitments might be shaping the candidate's position?
What other questions should we be asking?
Excited to dig in over the next couple weeks!
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