Words of Wisdom
“When I was hungry, you gave me food; thirsty, you gave me drink; a stranger, you took me in; naked, you clothed me; sick and in prison, you visited me. Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto me.” (Jesus, Matt. 25:35-40)
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A Review: Ch. 1-4: Restoring America’s Soul
This weekend on Crossroads we are beginning Chapter V of Rita Dunaway’s book entitled Restoring America’s Soul. However, once again, we’ll start with a quick review of the ground we’ve covered so far and then tackle the big question of whether liberals or conservatives are more effective and more generous in caring for the poor.
- — In Chapter One, Rita sets out to counter some of the negative perceptions about conservatives. She describes a true conservative as someone who is committed to “conserve” the things from our rich heritage that are worthy of being kept. It should also put greater focus on what we are FOR rather than what we are AGAINST, and what we have done to honor God rather than to promote ourselves.
— In Chapter Two, she emphasizes the importance of tone in our conversations and debates, particularly when we get into hot button issues of politics, religion, and morality. That includes the need to listen carefully to others if we want them to listen to us.
— In Chapter Three, she talks about the importance of promoting virtue in our culture and of making decisions based on what is true and good rather than just on our “feelings”. Therefore, we must be careful to avoid falling under the spell of catchy phrases like “Just listen to your heart”, and “If it feels good, do it.”
— In Chapter Four last week, we took a step back to examine how political conservatism is directly connected to the strong influence the Bible had on our early settlers and Founding Fathers, and which helped shape the limited federal government that is clearly enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
In fact, as we reported then, a recent study by two political science professors showed that out of more than 15,000 documents written between 1760 and 1805, the Bible was far and away the source that the Founders most often cited or quoted at 34% of the total — more than the next three sources combined.
In summary, this chapter described the Biblical foundation on which America grew and prospered, and prepares us for the second half of her book in which she addresses some of the more controversial issues that challenge America today.
Ch. 5: Liberals vs. Conservatives—Who Really Cares for the Poor?
One of those issues, surprisingly, is the different perceptions that many people have on whether Liberals or Conservatives deal more effectively and generously in caring for the poor and needy among us.
On the one hand, self-identified liberal “progressives” advocate for big government programs that are designed to take care of the poor and make their lives better. In so doing, they portray themselves as the ones who more caring and “compassionate”.
On the other hand, “conservatives” generally oppose these big government giveaways to avoid creating a socialist culture of government control and dependency. Therefore, “liberals” like to portray them as a bunch of greedy, tightfisted, heartless Grinches who would gladly push Granny over a cliff in her wheelchair in order to save a few bucks.
So who really cares for the poor? It looks like an easy call. Or is it?
To help answer that question, Rita turns to a book by Arthur Brooks entitled Who Really Cares for the Poor? What he discovered was quite unexpected.
For example, he reports that households headed by conservatives give on average 30% more money to charity than households headed by liberals – even though conservatives earn an average 6% less. In addition, nearly all the states in the upper end of the giving spectrum during the 2012 and 2016 presidential election years were “red” states who voted for Romney and Trump, respectively.
His conclusion? “Liberals who accuse conservatives of being greedy or lacking compassion are just dead wrong, and the cold, hard data prove it.”
So what makes the difference? Could it be that Christians take very personally Jesus’ call in Matthew 25 for His followers to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the sick, and those in prison? In addition, there is no record that Jesus ever gave this mandate to a big government entity. Rather, He points to the individual and to the church to meet these needs and, in so doing, to bring honor and glory to God.
By contrast, liberals seem to prefer that the government take on this responsibility – and relieve them of getting personally involved. There are many examples of this, but the one that illustrates this most clearly is the Affordable Care Act, which puts health care into the hands of government rather than of private enterprise, of churches, and of other caring individuals.
All this despite the fact that the Constitution does not grant the federal government the authority to assume this responsibility but rather reserves such power for the individual states and to the people.
Rita’s “Elevator Speech” on Caring for the Poor
To put all of this into perspective, Rita offers what she refers to as her “elevator speech”, in which she too concludes that the conservative approach is the better of the two, as follows:
“I care deeply about the poor, and I am convinced that we conservatives can personally do better for them than to relegate them to a cold, distant, government bureaucracy. Human needs deserve human caring. Community-based help can include not only financial resources, but also a local support network to go along with them.
“That’s why I want to explore ways for private, community-based organizations to revolutionize the way we help those who really do need help, to enhance human dignity by honoring and promoting work, and to provide state and local government safety nets only as a last resort.”
What Qualifies Her for This Challenge?
That brings us back to the question of “What qualifies Rita – or anyone else for that matter — to tackle this monumental challenge of Restoring America’s Soul?”
In case you missed our earlier snapshots, Rita has had experience first of all as a constitutional attorney with honors degrees from West Virginia University and the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
She then worked as staff counsel for the Rutherford Institute, as an allied attorney for the nationally respected Alliance Defending Freedom, and now serves as the National Legislative Strategist for the rapidly growing Convention of States Project.
In addition, she has contributed to various academic journals and media outlets including her weekly column for the Daily News Record, she has personally testified and written briefs for various courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and she has served as co-founder and weekly host of our weekly Crossroads radio programs, where faith and culture meet.
How to Order Her Book and also how to support these Crossroads programs
We will continue to discuss other hot-button issues for several more weeks. Therefore, we would again encourage you to get your own copy of her book and follow along with us. You can order it online from Amazon.
To hear more about all of this directly from Rita herself, please join us this weekend on the following Valley radio stations: WBTX (1470 AM and 102.1 FM) today (Saturday) at 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550 AM and 92.1 FM) at 8:30, ESPN (1360 AM and 106.9 FM) at 9:00, and WNLR (1150) at 11:30. You can also listen online by clicking on the menu of Crossroads programs available on our home page at www.valleyfamilyforum.org.
Crossroads is almost entirely listener supported, and we are deeply grateful for your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support. If you would like to help, please send your check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803. All donations are tax-deductible.
Finally, and again, from Dean on behalf of the Crossroads Team, thank you!
And Yes, by working and walking together, we can make a difference, for God and Country!