Homelessness In America



Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008

by
firstcenturychristian

It is the sport of some worldlings, church haters and atheists to blame God and churches when something tragic occurs. It is sad when anyone dies. It is worse when the person dies alone on the street. However It is not necessarily someone else's fault that a homeless person dies in such sad circumstances.

Working Americans, living in comfortable surroundings, have been conditioned to feel guilty that there are homeless people in our society. The numbers of truly homeless people have been greatly exaggerated by those who make their living as their advocates. While the U. S. Census Bureau put their number at 230,000 in 1990, news commentator Charles Osgood was predicting 19 million by 2,000. Our media has been a willing accomplice to this misinformation. Barry Lichter of the Center for Media and Public Affairs examined television and major print news and found that only "one source in twenty-give blamed homelessness on the personal problems of the homeless themselves, such as mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse, or lack of skills or motivation." The prevailing templet is to blame it on society, and the policies of conservative politicians. I recall when do-gooders persuaded state governments to close most mental health institutions. They reasoned that the patients were wrongly confined and only needed out-patient treatment. Local governments loved that money-saving approach. Many of the ones who were freed are now part of our homeless population.

So before you blame the church or God or society, first check out why the person is or was homeless. Many of the homeless, when offered work or even places to live, turn down the offer, preferring their responsibility-free life-style. Every church, from its own resources, assists the poor and homeless of their community as they are able. Their critics stand by and throw stones at the churches. We might ask, "What have the critics done for the homeless?" Simply clamoring for increased taxes on those who work is not genuine altruism.

Without doubt we have a social and Christian responsibility to those who are homeless from causes beyond their control. However, the same source that gave us the Parable of the Good Samaritan also tells us "if any will not work, neither let him he eat" (II Thess. 3:10).

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