George Will's column of March 27 ("Not just red-blue: We're split between religious givers, secular non-givers") cites statistics to show that conservatives are more charitable than liberals. I wonder, though, how those statistics would change if contributions to churches were excluded.
Religious conservatives do indeed give a lot of money to their own churches - money that goes to maintain their buildings and pay their staff. Little of that money goes to feed the hungry, clothe the poor or shelter the homeless - it goes to provide services to the donors themselves. The difference between "blue" and "red" is that most liberals give (and vote) to benefit others, while most conservatives give (and vote) to benefit themselves.
Shirlie Briggs
Finneytown
Actually Shirlie, conservatives give more to non church charities than liberals do; above and beyond their church tithes. If you were to read the article, you would know that.
But just to give Shirlie and all the atheistic liberals out there a taste of what churches do with their money, let me share an email (press release) I received from my church, Crossroads Community Church, a mega church here in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI - March 26, 2008 -- The Ohio Supreme Court released a decision today clearing the way for the development of a new social service center in Cincinnati's West End. By declining to hear an appeal of a 2007 Ohio First District Court of Appeals ruling that upheld CityLink's original Zoning Certificate of Compliance, the Supreme Court removed final barriers that delayed the Bank Street development.Now how many atheists groups are out there are trying to do something for the poor in this magnitude. I'm going to guess that it's the same number as the SEC teams in the final eight.... a whopping zero.
CityLink is a new kind of resource where care is integrated into one location to serve the city's poor, with a wide range of services to improve their lives.
"We're pleased with the decision and excited about moving forward with a new strategy for combating poverty in Cincinnati," said Tim Senff, board chairman for CityLink.
Though Cincinnati now nearly tops the list of poorest cities in America, supporters say CityLink can help break cycles that keep so many trapped in generational poverty. CityLink was organized by local churches and Christian social service providers and is modeled after a growing nationwide trend of integrated service centers. Such integrated centers can be found in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio, for example.
Senff puts the scope of Cincinnati's poverty problem on par with some of the most significant issues in the city's history. According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey released last August, 28% of Cincinnatians live below the poverty line, making it the third poorest city in the nation and the poorest city in Ohio. Even those not living in poverty are affected by these statistics. Negative perceptions of the city impact tourism and economic development dollars for the entire region.
Yet CityLink leaders believe their facility and its services can positively impact not only those in poverty, but also CityLink neighbors and the entire city.
"Our research has shown that property values have increased for real estate near co-located integrated service centers, and that crime has decreased when vacant buildings are replaced by new development,." Senff said. CityLink Center will be constructed on the site of a long-vacant former slaughterhouse facility in Cincinnati's West End.
Once complete, the center at 800 Bank Street will incorporate the services of the founding faith-based agencies plus additional social service organizations. CityLink will provide holistic services centered in four primary categories: health and wellness; basic life skills; employment and education; and therapeutic fitness. It will also provide a multi-month transitional housing program for people who have committed to making a change in their lives. While faith-based, CityLink is open to anyone regardless of their religious beliefs.
"The fight against poverty in Cincinnati is about to widen," said Jim Strayhorn, pastor of Bright Star Baptist Church in the West End. "I am thankful CityLink is making its multi-million dollar investment in our neighborhood, and very proud that healing for thousands of Cincinnatians will begin here with the support of my church and many other churches in our neighborhood."
# # #
More on CityLink Initiatives
While the development for CityLink Center is still in process, CityLink-the movement-is now. Join one of several current initiatives, all facilitated by OneCity (www.onecity.org).
* The Outlet at City Gospel Mission - Saturday morning games and relationship-building with homeless individuals; to get involved, e-mail us at outlet@crossroads.net.
* StepUp Prison Mentoring - helping residents at River City Correctional Facility pursue a fresh start; to get involved, e-mail us at stepup@crossroads.net.
* TeamWorks Job Mentoring - helping people move from unemployment to self-sufficiency; to get involved, e-mail us at teamworks@crossroads.net.
Check out ReachOut for more information.
I haven't been down to the City Gospel Mission since the beginning of the year but I intend to start serving the last Friday of the month starting in May. If any of you liberals actually want to put it on the line, let me know and we'll go down some Friday night.
My guess is that you really just want to thrust your projection around and not really solve anything.
4 comments:
Shirlie’s observations are wrong on so many levels, yet they represent many of the most basic misconceptions in the liberal philosophy:
1) That (in her words) “liberals give (and vote) to benefit others”. Regardless of the end, the means of forcibly take resources from someone, anyone, is the exact opposite of benefiting others.
2) That there is a discreet Poor America and Evil Rich America (that causes Poor America). Hundreds of millions have avoided or risen out of poverty by virtue of the free market, yet now they are shamed into considering themselves part of Evil Rich America. These hundreds of millions are not allowed to claim modest beginnings. Instead they must bow to the Liberal God of Social Guilt, barred from being counted as the successful product of the greatest social program in the history of the world: The Private Sector. At the same time these successful Americans, the vast majority of the population, are forced to pay homage to the socialist elites who seem to be so compassionate and generous with everyone else’s resources, yet who have done a tiny, tiny fraction of actual good with those very resources.
3) That the only responsible place for other (emphasis on “other” when speaking liberalese) people to spend disposable income is directly on food and shelter for the poor. And since most people are not “responsible”, as defined by liberals, the government’s duty is to force said responsibility. Therefore it makes sense, in the liberal mind, to take profits and disposable income from the evil employer. That income can (and should) be redistributed to the unemployed man that employer can no longer afford to hire. That’s progress!
Jesus tells us all through the New Testament "how you treat the least of me is how you treat me".
If you serve down at City Gospel Mission, they'll tell you to not give people more food than they can eat and to not let them take food with them.
They know that people will take food and go right back to using drugs and alcohol.
Now is that mean to want to not enable a group of addicts?
Yet that is what our government programs have done to an entire population of poor people. I don't think that's serving them at all.
Cincinnati City Government, Public school system so Ruled by INEPTS is but a Microcosm of the National recipy for DISASTER!!!
Put CityLink in your own neighborhood!
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