Solidarity with the Poor in the Richest Nation on Earth

"Can Christianity Become a Religion of Loving-Justice?" series, Part 3

One of the top hot-button issues for Jesus as recorded in the Gospels is the issue of wealth inequality. Railing against the system of economic injustice was a central part of his proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

Part of what the Kingdom of God entailed was the Year of Jubilee. Every 50 years, according to the texts, The Israelites were supposed to cancel all debts (among other things). Basically, they were hitting an economic reset button that leveled the playing field for everyone. (Whether the Israelites actually did this is a whole other question.)

Part of what I find interesting about the Year of Jubilee is the way the Hebrew Bible has built it into the religious-sociopolitical system. The system itself was supposed to have something in it to prevent economic inequality from getting out of hand.

The system itself was meant to be self-correcting.

Think about that as we talk about economic inequalities in America today.