The Jan. 6 issue of The Tuscaloosa News carried on its front page two articles about gambling. One reported that Pete Rose, after 14 years of denial, has confessed that he bet on the Cincinnati Reds while he was the team manager. He is hoping that this confession will bring forgiveness and the opportunity to get back into managing and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The second article was about the opening of a bingo parlor at the dog track in Greene County. The legislation that provided for this was sold to the Legislature by Sen. Charles Steele as being a little something to provide some funds to help run government in an impoverished Black Belt county. Its incarnation is much like a casino with more than 400 slot machines masquerading as bingo machines. The camel’s nose is indeed under the edge of the tent.
The Tuscaloosa News recognized this in an editorial citing the inconsistency in the gambling laws in the state of Alabama. It sees increased pressure for opening the state to other forms of gambling. Given the financial problems of the state, the supporters of gambling will be able to make a strong case. The camel, with all of its fleas and stench, may soon be our bed partner.
I found the juxtaposition of the two stories to be ironic. Pete Rose is something of a “poster child” for what addiction to gambling can do for a person.
Is a government which is commissioned to promote the “general welfare” of the people to promote destructive behaviors?
I also find Sen. Steele something of an enigma. He is a leader in both the state and the national Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He has been a champion for justice for the African-American citizens of our state and our nation. I applaud him for that. Yet he has also been a champion for the extension of both gambling and the sale and consumption of alcohol in Alabama. Both have long been seen as unrighteous behavior. Both have a record of great damage to persons, families and communities.
My reading of the Bible finds it stressing both justice and righteousness as being the will of God for persons and communities. Across the years I have noted that often leaders will stress one and neglect the other. Those who actively opposed civil rights in the 1960s often focused on the unrighteousness of civil disobedience. They were blind, however, to the justice issues. It appears to me that Steele has been so consumed with seeking justice that he has neglected righteousness. My prayer is that he will find balance in his life and work.
What God expects of us is justice in the laws of our communities, state and nation; justice in the application of these laws; justice in our relationships with one another; righteousness in our attitudes; righteousness in our conduct; righteousness in our relationships. It cannot be one or the other. It must be both.
Gambling does not promote righteousness in or for individuals. It is based on greed. It focuses life on the material. It exploits the weak. It takes from the poor. Winners are filled with pride. When one wins at the expense of another, where is the love that is so central to the Christian life?
The only righteousness that I can imagine resulting from gambling in Greene County will be found in the response of churches and their charities to those who come asking for food, assistance in paying their bills and good counseling.
Living in a poor county that adjoins Greene and operating the charities of the Baptist association, I imagine that I will be called upon to be “righteous” in my response to those who have squandered their limited resources on the false hope for gambling riches.
What we need to be about is developing a Christian culture that permeates our communities. We need people to understand they are part of a community and need to contribute to the common good. We need to encourage folks to get a good education. We need to develop an economic system where people can earn a living. We need a system that will respond to the needs of those who are unable to work, temporarily out of work or get hurt.
We need to return to an authentic and balanced understanding of Christianity that stresses both justice and righteousness. Right now I fear that we are losing.
Editor’s Note — Gary Farley is director of missions for Pickens
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