Christian Obligations: "The Poor You Will Always Have with You"

This article argues that a biblically framed approach to wealth and poverty is much more complex than simple answers as the Left or the Right often state them. Neither a I fight poverty; I work mentality, nor a soak the rich attitude does justice to Scripture or to the complexity of economic life. Rather than moving simply from specific Bible texts to prescriptive rules for contemporary economic life, we need to turn to basic Christian teaching about humanity, about the image of God, as ways into the complexity of economic life.John Bolt, "Christian Obligations: 'The Poor You Will Always Have with You,' " Journal of Markets & Morality 7, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 467-49