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The War Cry | SEPTEMBER 2014
Blessed
are the
Poor?
by
JEFF MCDONALD
"
B
lessed are the poor in spirit,"
Jesus told people who streamed
to Him to fi nd hope amid the
oppression, insecurity and lack of
resources.
He saw in them fertile ground for God to
plant seeds of His new kingdom. Their brokenness,
their humility, their lack of material wealth and
political influence created in them an openness
to the day of salvation Jesus came to usher in.
By modern definitions, however, there is nothing
blessed about living in poverty, especially in America.
The richest nation on earth, built on values of democracy,
inalienable rights and equality, contends with contradic-
tions that for many despoil the American dream.
U.S. Census data shows that in 2012 46.5 million
people were living in poverty, the largest number in the
54 years the Census has been conducted. Children under
18 made up one�third of the 15% of the population
living below the U.S. Government's official
poverty line, defined as $23,492 for a family
of four or $11,720 for an individual.
The
CHALLENGE
of POVERTY
PART 1