The Poverty and Justice Bible, the latest release from Bible Society, has broken new ground as the first ever to literally highlight the more than 2,000 passages that reveal God’s sorrow over poverty and injustice, and His command to believers to act to eradicate them.
The new edition challenges the notion that the Bible is a dusty, outdated rulebook, and shows that God – through the Bible - was already speaking out on poverty long before anyone else.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Tom Wright, bishop of Durham and Bible Society’s president, said, “Poverty and injustice are two of the biggest issues of our day, challenging the minds of politicians and social activists around the world.
“The imbalance of global wealth, famine, water shortages, exploitation and corruption are all issues that invoke outrage – and demand attention. But The Poverty and Justice Bible shows that, in speaking out on these issues, God got there first.”
Far from being irrelevant, the Poverty and Injustice Bible demonstrates that God’s Word has “something to say about issues that resonate today”, the bishop added.
“This Bible connects with the very fabric of today’s world, with all its problems and messiness – and has something powerful to say,” he said.
Bible Society was inspired to develop the new Bible after Pastor Rick Warren, author of bestselling The Purpose Driven Life, admitted that had missed more than 2,000 verses that speak of God’s heart for the poor despite studying theology and being a pastor for decades. He claimed that Christians risked losing their credibility if they failed to speak out against poverty and injustice.
Christian leader and commentator Tony Campolo added, “Here’s proof that faith without commitment to justice for the poor is a sham, because it ignores the most explicit of all the social concerns of Scripture.”
Bible Society staff and experts spent months debating and sifting through the Contemporary English Version (CEV) Bible to pull out the verses that say something about God’s attitude to poverty and justice. The result was more than 2,000 sections, with almost every page from Genesis to Revelation emphasizing just and fair behavior.
The organization hopes that the Poverty and Justice Bible will also act as a springboard for Christians to take action on these issues by helping them link social action with Scripture.
The new Bible, produced with support from aid agency World Vision, includes a 32-page study guide written by bestselling authors Nick and Claire Page, and covers a wide range of timely issues from equality to education, and farming to fair trade.
The studies highlight that concern for the oppressed is foundational to faith, and encourage action – from giving and praying, to living responsibly.
“For us in this country, issues of poverty and justice have increasingly become front and center,” Bible Society Chief Executive James Catford said. “What this Bible shows is that on the topics that challenge us every day, God got there first. The Bible has something to say about life and, in fact, there’s nothing on earth that we can experience that the Bible doesn’t tackle.
“The Poverty and Justice Bible helps the Church engage with the Bible more effectively by linking Scripture with issues that are rooted in today’s world. For Bible Society, this is just as important as our work to make the Bible available. It’s all part of the fight against Bible poverty.”
Comments
I recommend supporting Food for the Hungry, based in Phoenix, AZ. THey help people all over the world. I was on staff for about 7 years with them, and though no organization is perfect, this is one of the real good ones.
Great post, BooGieONdown - Finally someone with a sound thoughts on this topic. Some poor people require help that is education. That's what I said way back in my FIRST POST. Help is not one size fits all, and the church needs to tailor help based on the circumstances. We must consider how people got into poverty in order to provide the proper solution. HALELUJAH!!!
theres a type of help called education. not everyone needs handouts some need to be enlighted on how to stay out of that place they are in. Why do we need Bible to tell us this. Shouldn't Christians be lead by the Spirit? and if so wouldn't they be led to do the will of god.
This is important, very important, because so many of us seem to ignore this part of the ministry of Christ.
QT,
"Is there a need for the IGNORANCE scriptures to be highlighted? I think so! I read a lot of ignorant, Anti-Christ blather from people who claim to be Christians. Jesus was very much a anti-poverty, anti-social injustice kinda prophet. The fact is, the people who oppose this kind of Bible are the guiltiest! They are those who sit in their ivory towers and do little or nothing but are the most vocal when they complain about the poor, the homeless and the needy."
I'm sure if you saw my house and knew the person that I am you would not say that I lived in an ivory tower, nor am I the guiltiest at leaving out the poor, you don't even know me, why would you make remarks like these? I stated my opinion I did not condemn people. My remark was based on the fact that we have soooo many different translations already. . . can anybody tell exactly how many we already have?
Good points. IIf we should truly help people regardless of circumstances, I have your first charity case: I saw in the media, a man who spent $250 on a pair of gym shoes and then could not pay his rent, and the landlord was suing him, and demanding he turn over the shoes as part of a settlement. But wait! He can call one of you so YOU can pay his rent. Which of you is willing to pick up the $630 rent tab??? Then he could keep his shoes. And if you would be kind enough to pay his rent again next month, he can afford to buy some $90 jeans to go with those shoes. ( : Remember, we must help EVERYONE, so start writing those checks people.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, Galatians 6:1-10, Luke 4:18,19
Galatians says to let the spiritual correct a "man" when he is caught in a fault. Regardless if he is in the faith or not. 2 Thessalonians says to not keep company with a "brother" that walks "disorderly, not working at all, but are busybodies". But we should "admonish" them: indicate duties or obligations to, express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner, and give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to. Jesus said that he was anointed to "preach the gospel to the poor" in Luke 4. Let the spirit of God lead you where you should go in this direction. God bless.
pammie: Ok, so those are some ways folks become poor. None of those verses says that if they become poor because they are lazy, we are not to help them (the verses say just the opposite) - it wouldn't matter if they were poor because they were mentally ill or if they gave their money away or if they just were plain lazy - they're still poor and we're still mandated to take care of them. Now, we can certainly talk about different ways to help them but we are to help them nonetheless . . . this is good dialogue! I like it. :)
Povery in many cases is unavoidable. Many people here and abroad are doing all they can just to surviive. No argument there. However, the following scriptures speak of poverty caused by personal choices and actions (or lack thereof).
Prov 19:15 KJV) Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Prov 20:4 KJV) The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Prov 20:13 KJV) Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Prov 23:21 KJV) For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
(Prov 21:25-26 KJV) The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour
pammie - But the Bible doesn't make that distinction. Look up the verses on the poor, and then tell me that there is a distinction. There isn't one that I can find.
When some people make a plain judgement about people as " lazy" we must look to the other
side. If they don't have a job to do, what they can do? I have traveled to some of the remote
areas of India ( that is my native country), I was broken hearted due to the fact that, even though they want to work, they don't have an opportunity to work. World Christian community
has a responsibility to solve this problem. When Jesus said, if somebody ask you to walk a
mile, walk the 2nd mile. When we try to wipe the tears of the suffering people anywhere in
the world, we are actually walking the 2nd mile, as Jesus has commanded us to do.
Why do you think the Bible has instruction on BOTH benevolence and slothfulness??? It’s because distinction is made between those who are in need because of circumstances beyond their control , and those who have caused their own problems by being slothful or disobeying God. The Bible makes a clear distinction. We should too. ( :
<<<Having a bible that highlights passages about poverty and injustice...the whole of the bible should be highlighted. Looking for these passages I believe should come out of Love for God, then love for your neighbor as yourself otherwise I believe this could turn into a good works for salvation bible to people. >>>
Is there a need for the IGNORANCE scriptures to be highlighted? I think so! I read a lot of ignorant, Anti-Christ blather from people who claim to be Christians. Jesus was very much a anti-poverty, anti-social injustice kinda prophet. The fact is, the people who oppose this kind of Bible are the guiltiest! They are those who sit in their ivory towers and do little or nothing but are the most vocal when they complain about the poor, the homeless and the needy.
Funny that in all those statistics regarding POVERTY, no mention of "laziness."
BTW, I saw nowhere in the article that the highlighted scriptures regarding poverty and injustice were changes or additions to the original scriptures. FROM THE STORY
<<<"The Poverty and Justice Bible, the latest release from Bible Society, has broken new ground as the first ever to literally highlight the more than 2,000 passages that reveal God’s sorrow over poverty and injustice, and His command to believers to act to eradicate them.">>> That means that the bible will be highlighted, kinda like the Red Letter Bible highlights what Jesus said.
Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Poverty.asp