The name Jacob Riis is familiar to those who know something of the history of American journalism. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Riis was numbered among the so-called “muckrakers” –- reform-minded writers who sought to expose abuse and corruption in government and business. Riis was concerned about the harsh living conditions of the poor in New York City’s tenement housing.
In 1890, Riis published a book entitled, How the Other Half Lives. It recorded the hardships of life in the various ethnic areas of the city such as the Jewish quarters, the Italian district, and the Bohemian ghetto. The book created something of a sensation. When print was the only form of mass media, few knew anything of life outside their own personal environment. Civil Service Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt read Riis’s book and was forever influenced by it. The revelations in Riis’s book and similar publications such as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle spurred his passion for reform as a later police commissioner, governor, and then president.
Riis and his contemporary “muckrakers” were largely successful in their endeavors to impact public policy. Government labor regulations now protect workers, and social safety nets exist to provide for the poor and needy.
Not all services available to the indigent are government related. There are crisis pregnancy centers, rescue missions, shelters for the homeless or victims of domestic abuse, food pantries, etc., that are independent or connected with a church. The church I pastor operates a food pantry ministry. Two or three bags of groceries are available to anyone who asks. No verification of need is required.
A few years ago, a woman working for a service agency came by my office to interview me about the church’s food pantry. Among the many questions she asked was, “What, in your opinion, is the number one reason people ask for food assistance? Unemployment?” I replied, “No. Low character.” It was immediately obvious that the lady found my answer offensive. I had no intention of disparaging anyone. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear. Many honest, hardworking people reach out for help because they are victims of unfortunate circumstances. However, it is also true that many are victims of sinful choices. Often beer cans and cigarette butts litter the floors of cars of people picking up food. People have come in reeking of marijuana. Women stop for groceries for their three children, each fathered by a different man to whom they were never married. Proverbs 13:15 says plainly, “The way of transgressors is hard.” It is.
Part of the heat in the current political climate in our country is generated by the belief that laws and regulations are needed to produce greater economic equity. Political and economic reform has its place, but no government regulation ever changed the human heart. There must be spiritual and moral transformation.
16th century preacher and reformer John Bradford famously said after seeing a prisoner led to his execution, “There, but for the grace of God, go I,” The reason anyone has food, clothing, and shelter is because of the grace of God. Except for God’s grace, I could be the one asking for food instead of distributing it. But God’s grace is not just seen in external circumstances. It is also seen in His work in the human heart.
A lady invited her neighbor to visit church but was rebuffed. “I don’t believe the Bible. I don’t believe the miracles in Bible. Jesus never turned water into wine.” The woman, whose husband was a drunkard before becoming a Christian, replied, “Well, in my home Jesus turned whisky into food and clothes for my kids!”
Right now, in this age we may not be seeing oceans parted and the dead raised, but we still see lives transformed by the grace of God. We all, rich and poor, need to turn in faith to God Who forgives sin and changes hearts and lives.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God…” (Ps. 51:10)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
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