Barna did say that born-again Christians were “somewhat more likely than non-Christians” to donate money to global poverty causes and “slightly more likely” to provide direct assistance to the poor.
Interestingly atheists and agnostics emerged as the segment of people least likely to do anything in response to poverty.
Still the finding that evangelical Christians are not at the forefront of poverty issues is a serious concern, especially for Alabama Baptists, because Alabama has one of the highest poverty levels in the nation.
Statewide the poverty level is 16.1 percent, according to the latest census data. That does not make us the highest poverty level state — Mississippi claims that dubious honor at at 19.3 percent — but Alabama does make the Top 10 list.
Unfortunately the percentage of the population living in poverty is rising after declining for more than a decade, and it is rising more rapidly than the national average.
In Alabama, poverty is color-blind. About an equal number of whites and blacks falls below the poverty line, and poverty is evenly split among urban and rural populations. But because whites outnumber blacks about 3-to-1, the 2005 statistics show a poverty rate among whites at 10.5 percent, among blacks at 31.3 percent and among other nationalities at 20.3 percent. Geographically the antebellum part of the state known as the Black Belt has the highest percentage of poverty. Most of the counties in this primarily agricultural region stretching across the southern third of the state have poverty rates above 30 percent.
Poverty does discriminate by age. More than one out of five children (age 17 and under) live in poverty (21.5 percent). Those 65 and over have a poverty rate of 15.5 percent. Ages 18–64 have a poverty rate of 14 percent.
Being involved in helping the poor should be an obvious ministry for Alabama Baptists and for all evangelical Christians, but Barna’s study shows it is not. One reason may be that helping the poor has become politicized. Republicans frequently talk about abortion and homosexuality. Democrats talk about poverty and global warming.
Political rhetoric makes one think evangelical Christians have to choose between the moral issues articulated by the politicians. Some Christian leaders even warn that if one becomes involved in issues such as poverty and global warming, it will dilute opposition to abortion and homosexuality.
That is a false dilemma. Evangelical Christians can walk and chew gum at the same time. It does not have to be either/or. It can be both/and. Christians can do more than one thing at a time.
Most Baptists, including this writer, understand the Bible is pro-life. Most Baptists, including this writer, understand homosexuality is a violation of God’s purposes for man and woman. Most Baptists, including this writer, understand that God commands care of the poor. Most Baptists, including this writer, understand that God entrusts the stewardship of creation to mankind.
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