Social Justice: Equity or Equality
In America today, poverty and homelessness appear to be the proverbial elephant in the room that no one wishes to address much apart from acknowledging it exists. This might be an overstatement in and of itself, as many would stray away from the topic altogether. This September 2019, President Trump brought up to reporters that we cannot allow Los Angeles along with many other cities to be destroyed by the homeless encampments [1]. While there is an acknowledgment of a problem, the solutions that are being presented are lack-luster at best and represent a flawed functionalist approach to solving social issues. In an attempt to maintain the greater good of our society, the solutions range from- new legislation that restricts sleeping, loitering, and even sharing food in public [1]. Using such language as “sweeping” the streets of homeless tent encampments, these people are being minimized to nothing more than trash and a hindrance to our economic growth (the great goal of our society).
What seems to be worse is the willingness to issue citations to the homeless and put them in jail for crimes such as trying to survive and find the basic human needs, i.e. food, shelter, and sleep. While the numbers are staggering and unfortunate, more than half a million Americans are homeless according to a 2018 report done by the Department of Housing and Urban Development [1]. Now, there is a distinction that needs to be made in light of social justice and the sweeping movement across the country today that essentially posits all human beings should be guaranteed equal equity- that is Socialism. Equity would state that everyone receives what is due to them based on their work and production. When it comes to equality, however, every individual is to be treated as equals under the law, and in the case of the poor and homeless, this notion does not suddenly disappear [2].
In an article from the Reformed Libertarian, the writer quotes Beisner in saying that, “my right to life means I have a right not to be murdered or assaulted [having my property taken], but it doesn’t mean I have a right to have someone else ensure that all the conditions of my survival are met.” [2] Where then does a biblical worldview come in regarding the poor and homeless and the government’s role in legislative actions against the homeless? Starting in the sixth and eighth commandments of the Decalogue would be a helpful place. We see from the Westminster Shorter Catechism Questions 67–69, the explaining of the sixth commandment. Simply put, the sixth commandment is that we should not kill (Exo. 20:13). What then is required from this commandment? Well, it requires every lawful endeavor to preserve our lives and the lives of others [3]. This then would forbid the taking of our own lives, and the life of a neighbor unjustly (Gen. 9:6). There are just reasons to take the life of another, but that is a topic for another post. In this context though, there should be a desire for preservation of life- both of ourselves and others.
This explanation of the sixth commandment then in light of legislative actions taken against the poor and homeless in particular needs to be rightly understood. While they may not be taking the life of another, fining them and placing them in further poverty, or removing them from their encampments very well could be putting them in a situation that endangers their lives. Everyone has a right to their property, not necessarily being provided for, but our rights would assert that what we have should not be taken from us (including our lives). However, this is a slippery slope because the property owned by the government such as city sidewalks and streets that these encampments are settled on creates a problem. Should they not have a right to have anyone removed from that place if these homeless people did not purchase that property as their own?
A tender response is required here. Perhaps instead of spending the money on enforcing laws such as removal of homeless encampments and legal charges for court cases- and in the extreme, tax dollars spent on the incarceration of the homeless, perhaps funding low-income housing developments or other supportive measures should be taken? On one end, many sociologists would see poverty and homelessness as a result of a social system, on the other side there are those who would strictly say this is an issue of personal failure [4, page 196]. There needs to be a distinguished nuance here as both are contributing factors to poverty and homelessness. It would be difficult to prove that these issues stem solely from one side.
Continuing with the commandments, we see in the eighth commandment that we shall not steal [3, Q. 73]. This requires the lawful obtaining and furthering wealth of ourselves and others. Essentially, we may not hinder our own, or our neighbor’s wealth and general property in an unlawful manner. Is fining a homeless person for sleeping on the street, or sharing their food with others unlawful? We would have to ask the question- according to what law? If we live in a city or state that defines those certain issues as law, we have a need to follow according to that law unless it violates God’s moral law for His people. While the Scriptures certainly have many places where the poor and needy are addressed, it always comes from a place of mercy and a desire to help them as opposed to a requirement that demands we do so. Proverbs 31:8–9 would say that we are certainly to open our mouths for those who cannot speak for themselves and defend the rights of the poor. We are to judge righteously and defend the rights of the poor and needy, but it does not say that we are required to provide every provisional need for them.
We see in Proverbs 14:31 that those who oppress the poor insults God, but he is supposed to be generous to the needy as that honors God. Note, it does not say provide every single need, but rather be generous. Once again, we are coming to a position of mercy and generosity. Those who have much, especially Christians, should be generous with what they have, but the Scripture does not command full provision and hand-outs to the poor. Isaiah 10:1–3 calls out woe to those who decree iniquitous laws and oppress people and also turn aside the needy from justice. Isaiah goes on to discuss that there is also woe to those who would rob the poor of their rights and prey on the orphans. The equating poor and needy and equal rights under the law with complete social equity is not found in Scripture. What we should be defending in this situation of law enforcement against homelessness is their right to justice and fair equality under the law.
There are those who would argue that the poor and homeless are required in society in order to maintain a basis for status comparison [4, page 198]. Essentially, we need the poor in order to really shed light on where we are in the social order of things. This notion is misplaced and unfortunate. Despite whether or not as Christians we agree with this notion, what are we called to do? If we do not see a direct command to provide every single need for the poor which almost tends to the enabling of their situation, what are we to do? Well, Romans 12:13 tells us to contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Matthew 25:35–40 reminds us that by caring for those who are hungry, thirsty, homeless even- we are caring for Christ. We are certainly to care for, aid, and help those in need in any way we can with a proper heart and attitude within our ability.
Those who would rely on passages such as Deuteronomy 15:7–8 for a demand to supply every provision for the poor and homeless miss a crucial point in that passage. Verse 8 states that (to the needy), we should be open-handed, but by lending sufficient funds for the need. This lending would then be paid back even if with zero interest. How can we lend to every single person with a need and expect to be paid back? Perhaps a relevant application here could be lending our time and energy in seeking justice for the oppressed or time spent helping build housing and low-income developments. Maybe we own a large company or know people in our networks that can help provide jobs and temporary housing for those seeking to get back on their feet?
The unfortunate thought process that leads Christians into thinking that social justice and equity is a demand leading to and part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is incorrect- it is a manifestation upon being converted. If we have a love for Christ and have been saved by His redeeming work, then we have a desire to care for people in a loving way. Maybe instead of arguing against the social system or complaining that homeless people are being mistreated in large cities, we need to figure out a different way to help. If the government sets up laws that enable officers to issue citations to the homeless for sleeping on public property, we need to help get them off the public property. If we lived in a true Libertarian society, we would have nothing but private property and the owners of that property would have the rights and decision-making ability to either allow or disallow the homeless to live on it, but we do not.
The intention of this blog is not to sway opinions on the issue of poverty and homelessness- it exists whether we like it or not, but rather to raise awareness as to what we as biblically-grounded Christians are to do. As much as I wished I had a complete step-by-step process to solve these problems, I do not. Recently, after the first article on homeless encampments in Los Angeles was posted, the Los Angeles Times stated in October that they would be voiding two million dollars in court citations and warrants. This would affect the homeless population the most as the warrants and fines trapping them in the legal system was preventing many from access to housing [5]. This seems to be a great start- by getting rid of many cases in the courts that appear to be unnecessary, more money can be spent on issues of true injustice and save taxpayers money, especially if these homeless people were incarcerated.
I would not advocate that the government should have no right to making laws that keep homeless people off of the public property, but I would say there is a fine line between law enforcement and the obstruction of individual rights to life. We can certainly all recall a situation where we have dealt with panhandling or people asking us for money for food and questioning whether or not it would be used for that. I have had many experiences in the Church where I have been made aware that certain homeless people know how to work the soup kitchen and shelter system so they never have to sleep outside or pay for a meal or attempt to get back on their feet. Some even try to exploit the generosity of the Church by looking to have bills paid if they are not homeless and hop from church to church seeking financial assistance. We need to be wise with situations like these while maintaining generosity and provision within reason.
A first step to solving the problem of poverty and homelessness is admitting there is one. From there, each church should define a mission and purpose for how they can be generous and caring for those in need while not being taken advantage of. We must remember that we live in a sin-cursed world, while also remembering that we have a call to care for those in true need- lending to those who need help, while also holding people accountable for their actions and decisions. We should be counseling those in need and tending to their spiritual welfare and not just their physical needs- remembering that the eternity of those in need is just as much at stake as those in a wealthy status.
Works Cited
[2] Adams, Brandon. “On Social Justice (3): Justice for the Poor & Needy.” Reformed Libertarian, 9 Oct. 2018, reformedlibertarian.com/articles/theology/on-social-justice-3-justice-for-the-poor-needy/.
[1] Bach, Trevor. “More Cities Crack Down on Homelessness, but Will Fines and Jail Time Fix the Problem?” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 7 Oct. 2019, www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-10-07/us-cities-are-increasingly-cracking-down-on-homelessness.
[4] Grunlan, Stephen A., and Milton Reimer. Christian Perspectives on Sociology. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001.
[5] Puente, Mark, and Richard Winton. “L.A. Vows to Void 2 Million Court Citations and Warrants. Homeless People Will Benefit Most.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2019, www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-02/homeless-housing-erase-citation-fine-fees.
[3] “Westminster Shorter Catechism.” Reformed Standards, reformedstandards.com/westminster/wsc.html.
