I've had a few people ask me to write something since I haven't done so in awhile so this is for all of you who wanted a tid-bit of thought...
Two weeks ago at Imago, Eric Potter talked about a passage in Ephesians in regards to anger. Out of that he talked about a few instances where Jesus got angry, and how that anger always led to action in a positive way. Too many times in our anger we do something foolish or negative and that's not what God wants us to do with our anger. Jesus got angry with people making profits off of the Jews desire to honor God with their sacrifices and made use of that instance by showing that the place of gathering for believers is not meant to be used for material gain. He also got angry when people were unsure whether it was okay to heal on the Sabbath. This may seem ridiculous to us, but Jews followed these rules set in place by legalist Pharisees very closely so they'd be counted worthy, and Jesus responds to their ignorance with an angry look and took action by healing a man's hand.
So Eric posed the question of what made us angry and asked what we were doing about it (in a positive way). Usually we get angry about things that don't matter, like the Cubs losing or a bad driver, but this was more about anger towards an injustice. So I began to think about this and after mulling over some recent discussions I had with some people about my current job of tutoring at Manual High School, I knew right away what made me angry.
I get angry at people's stereotypes of those living in poverty and the nature of poverty itself.
I can't tell you how many times I've told people (including friends and family) what I'm doing now and they are quick to make a remark about whether or not I bring a gun with me or if I'm afraid for my life or why i'm not helping at a school where people "aren't just looking for handouts". This makes me angry...and I think rightfully so. It's an injustice that people (this includes Christians even) have these thoughts and feelings about people that they know nothing about and who God calls as blessed and calls us to love and help.
I feel like the best thing I can do, for now, is to shed some light on my experiences at Manual in hopes that some of you may reconsider your thoughts or feelings about folks in poverty or who are less fortunate that most of us.
I must say that if it wasn't for my old youth pastor James P. I wouldn't have the slightest clue about how to interact and relate to people of a different culture than me. But because of his love for kids in inner-city peoria, I feel that I understood at an early age God's love for everyone, especially those that are poor, oppressed, and exploited. (So James, if you read this, thank you soo soo much!) I can't talk about everything but it will touch on a few issues that I think are very important to understand about these students.
One is literacy. I know it's hard to believe but there are still many kids in Peoria that can't read ( and this is in high school). And if they can read, they can't comprehend what they are reading. THIS ISN'T BECAUSE THEY ARE DUMB. It's because of the lack of resources in education and a lack of people in their lives that serve as positive role models to care about them and believe in them. (hmmm, maybe there's a role the church can play) Many of these students are stuck in generational poverty and don't see a way out so unless they have a relationship with someone encouraging them and telling them otherwise, they don't have a reason to believe any different. This education is vital to them because it provides a way out of the mess they were born into, but this is only possible with the help of people to invest TIME and ENERGY in them. Also, it's been my experience so far that most of these kids that are causing trouble are the one's that can't read. It's hard for them to follow along in class so they end up causing trouble because they can't focus on their schooling. So not only would improving their literacy help their acadamics but would cut down in behavior issues (which eventually lead to crime....starting to see importance of education?)
In our African American Studies class, the students watched a video on Ghandi and we then had a discussion comparing his non-violent ideals to that of Martin Luther King Jr. These kids couldn't fathom a life without violence. Right or wrong, gangs and the guns and violence that come along with it provide an escape from the s**ty reality they find themselves in. It's a game to them. And yes, I think it's bad and wrong, but we at least have to begin to understand why they do the things they do and acknowledge the reasons they do so. Telling them that gangs are bad and wrong aren't going to do anything to change their behavior. Just like abstinence only programs are the dumbest thing for these kids because they aren't going to listen to us telling them sex is bad. Without proper sex education these kids are going to continue having babies younger and younger forcing them deeper and deeper into poverty. Same thing with drugs. Again drugs ARE bad, but just as telling them so isn't going to change them using drugs as an escape from their seemingly hopeless destiny of being stuck in poverty. The only thing that's going to change all of this is RELATIONSHIPS. At the center of the faith many of us claim we have is the importance of relationships. So I find it unnerving that our hearts aren't moved by the opportunity to provide the life and love of Christ in the lives of those that desperately need it. Relationship and love is what will bring justice to their situations and that's what following Jesus is all about...so why isn't it happening more?
I'm not saying that everyone needs to go be a tutor or teach inner-city kids, so please don't assume that. I'm just saying that if we (especially Christians) want to see poverty and the things that come along with it alleviated we have to invest in some relationships with people in those situations and forgo any preconceived ideas (which are probably wrong and generalized) about people in these situations. Also, this is different than charity...which involves just writing a check or giving some money to a worthy cause. That's only part of it. It's the relationship and the working of Jesus through you that's really going to bring change to people's lives and life situations.
My prayer and hope is that the Church will wake up to this reality and play a bigger role in something we should have been doing all along...following clear commands of God and Jesus throughout the entirety of Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) and loving and helping those in need and whom God calls blessed. (Maybe your interaction with them may actually teach you a little something about God) If anything, I ask that people, again especially Christians, would at least stop making judgments about people and situations that they really know nothing about.
So there it is...that's what makes me angry. And I have a long way to go myself in regards to playing my part. This is all observation after only a few months. I have a lot to learn and do myself. I'm just thankful that God has opened my eyes to the reality of the situation. It's to easy for us to ignore it or act as if it's not really an issue here in America. But it is, and I hope that we will do whatever we can to bring hope to the poor here in America and ultimately to the world at large.
So what makes you angry?
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