I am not a Priest, Preacher, or Reverend. I am a Christian.
Some thoughts
The Bible talks about helping each other in society. Feeding the poor, looking after widows, trying to live up to the Golden Rule.
Divestment from legalism matters. If someone is visiting people in Jail and Prison, they are not out on the street feeding the sick, they are potentially not helping someone that is having a heart attack get to the hospital. If someone is feeding people on the street, they are not visiting people in Jail and Prison.
More people with more surface area factors into a community with more or less oversight. Less coverage matters. If I do one thing right, like pouring a bowl of soup I have to rely upon others in the community to live up to the other parts of God’s plan while I am pouring the bowl of soup.
That said pouring a bowl of soup could become common place, could become comfortable in an ivory tower kind of way. If I am pouring a bowl of soup I don’t need to visit people in the hospital. If I am pouring a bowl of soup I don’t need to care if widows are being helped or mistreated in society.
I do think this could be taken to extreme levels in ways that are inefficient. One could say God didn’t say buy a car and then feed my people, He said feed my people. The car makes the trip easier, more convenient, more comfortable and more efficient in some ways (fast delivery, more people fed faster potentially) and less efficient in some ways (I have already made one trip and am out of gas, my job is done, the environment with more greenhouse gases is no big deal, the money used for the car couldn’t be better used for feeding the poor). The amount of stipulations and legalism surrounding all of it could be paralyzing and disheartening, discouraging. Too many burdens has potential to make delivery and future delivery less likely, God’s people helping need to be supported and encouraged is likely not always fully comprehended. I am not saying every Christian should sell their car, I am saying I think legalism amplifies far less than ideally in society.
There could be reasons for society desiring to see God’s people delivering without cars and transportation – harder work valued, people don’t always appreciate stories and narrative without sufficient contrast. Cinderella stories might sell more than a guy took the check to the store to get food with the car and gave to the people in need with no flats, and no persecution? Society needs to be encouraged and inspired, to say that is ideal truth amplified over time seems unwise. Less inspired matters in not fully appreciated ways, felt like lied to can amp in ways even when problems truly exist due to the way contrast, narrative control, and propaganda amplify at certain times in history. Giving matters and giving might equal less than ideal truth inspired which also matters. Less truth could equal less cheerful givers, and cheerful less leveraged giving matters.
The following image is free to use and create derivative works from, inspired a bit by a blue bird God sent my way a while back
Free Starter Image
I am a fan of Green technology, and practical applications that are safe matter. Church goers with more access to Hybrids and Teslas, Full electric cars, bikes, and scooters at accessible price points might lead to cleaner air and a closer to ideal form of delivering aid to one another.
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