I get to read this...

Among other readings the homework for "Biblical Faith and Economics" includes two chapters from Ron Sider's "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger"... for homework.... woot woot.

“Is creating wealth bad? No. The Bible says exactly the opposite. Is God engaged in class warfare? Not at all. Scripture never says that God loves the poor more than the rich. But it does regularly assert that God lifts up the poor and disadvantaged. And it frequently teaches that God casts down the wealthy and powerful in two specific situations: 1) when they become wealthy by oppressing the poor; or 2) when they fail to share with the needy” 53.

“God's Word teaches a very hard, disturbing truth. Those who neglect the poor and oppressed are really not God's people at all- no matter how frequently they practice their religious rituals nor how orthodox are their creeds and confessions” 59.

“In evangelical circles today it is much easier to insist on an orthodox Christology than to insist that God has a special concern for the poor. We have allowed our theology to be shaped by the economic preferences of our materialistic contemporaries than by Scripture. And that is to fall into theological liberalism. We are not nearly as orthodox as we claim to be.” 65.

Incidentally Ron Sider sat behind me in church the other day.... and he's a keynote at the conference