September 10, 2009 2:25 PM
What does it mean to be our brother's keeper?
My latest article at Crosswalk:
What Does it Mean to be Our Brother's Keeper?
Barbara Curtis
Crosswalk.com ContributorRecently President Obama rallied the "Religious Left" to fight for his health care overhaul, with the spiritual - and PC - call to arms: "We are our brother's - and our sister's - keeper."
Which leaves me wondering: While a government response to a national crisis - say, an attack on the Pacific Fleet - is sometimes the obvious solution, is it kosher to claim that a thousand pages of increased control and oversight by an already monolithic government is somehow a religious/spiritual battle?
Does it make spiritual sense to rush such legislation through unread, short-circuiting the debate process? Is it ethical to mischaracterize those with specific, serious questions on beginning and end-of-life issues as miscreants? And is it morally correct to neutralize the opposition by using the language of sacred scripture to make political points?
Ironically, the Brother's Keeper epithet was first framed as a negative: When God asked after Cain, Abel - fresh from murdering him - answered "Am I my brother's keeper?" But, hey, we were only four chapters into history, and we still had a lot to learn. Today any Christian worth his salt knows that where God is concerned, the right response is a resounding "Yes!" After all, Jesus told us so Himself, through stories like the Good Samaritan and imperatives like "Love Your Neighbor."
Through the years, I've met many Brother's Keeper Christians whose walk - much bigger than their talk - led them into adoption, foster care, soup kitchens, Special Olympics, hospitals and hospice. A quick Google reveals several groups borrowing the Brother's Keeper name for practical projects like rounding up free furniture for those in need http://www.mybrotherskeeper.org/ and making sleeping bags for the homeless http://thesleepingbagproject.org/.
Compared to a government program costing trillions, these efforts may seem small and insignificant. And yet - especially as I consider the past year of my life - I am convinced that when it comes to charity, small is scriptural and personal outshines political.
Read entire article at Crosswalk.
Posted in Inspiration, Obama Nation | Permalink
Comments
Fantastic article, Barbara! You hit the nail on the head once again! Passing it on... :)
Posted by: Rachel | September 10, 2009 4:34 PM
I can't help but remember how Obama's blood-brother is still living in a hut in Kenya. Charity begins at home.
Posted by: Emily | September 15, 2009 10:20 AM
