Blessed Are the Poor? Urban Poverty and the Church

Abstract: Solidarity, a modern word and concept, has old roots in the concept of koinonia (fellowship) as it is understood in the New Testament. David G. Horrell even maintains that what we now call solidarity, functions as a meta norm in Paul’s ethics, since phenomena of solidarity are clearly present in the central elements of Paul’s community building. Reference is made to the two basic rituals, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which build unity in diversity; to the most frequently used form of address, adelphoi/brothers, which asks for familial treatment of one another; also to the special way in which Paul often tries to restore unity in the middle of conflicts; and especially to his metaphor of the Church as the one body of Christ with many different parts that need and support one another. When speaking about the collections as a sign of the Greek community’s solidarity with the poor community in Jerusalem, Paul refers to Christ’s solidarity as the source of solidarity within and among communities. Keywords: Solidarity, fellowship, David Horrell, Paul, Ethics, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, brothers, Body of Christ, Christ’s solidarity. Abstrak: Solidaritas, sebuah kata dan paham modern, memiliki akar yang lama, antara lain dalam paham koinonia (persekutuan), sebagaimana digunakan dalam Alkitab Perjanjian Baru. David G. Horrell mempertahankan bahwa apa yang sekarang kita sebut solidaritas, merupakan norma dasar (meta norm) dalam etika Paulus, sebab fenomen-fenomen solidaritas tampak dalam unsur-unsur sentral pembinaan jemaatnya, antara lain dalam kedua ritual paling dasar, baptisan dan perjamuan Tuhan, yang membina kesatuan dalam perbedaan. Solidaritas juga muncul dalam sebutan paling frekuen, saudara-saudara (adelphoi), yang menuntut suatu etos kekeluargaan. Solidaritas juga tampak dalam banyak seruan Paulus untuk memulihkan kesatuan apabila ia berhadapan dengan perpecahan, dan teristimewa dalam menggambarkan jemaat sebagai satu tubuh Kristus dengan banyak anggota yang berbeda dan saling membutuhkan serta memberi. Dalam konteks kolekte-kolekte sebagai tanda solidaritas antarjemaat, Paulus secara eksplisit menunjuk kepada solidaritas Kristus dengan kita sebagai dasar terdalam dari solidaritas antarumat. Kata-kata kunci: Solidaritas, persekutuan, David Horrell, Paulus, etika, baptisan, Perjamuan Tuhan, saudara-saudara, Tubuh Kristus, solidaritas Kristus.

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Mechanisms for Unity

10.1093/oso/9780198819660.003.0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Samuel K. Cohn, Jr.

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

Sixteenth Century ◽

Black Death ◽

Men And Women ◽

The Poor ◽

Works Of Art ◽

The Face ◽

The Church

This chapter investigates changes in mentalities after the Black Death, comparing practices never before analysed in this context—funerary and labour laws and processions to calm God’s anger. While processions were rare or conflictual as in Catania and Messina in 1348, these rituals during later plagues bound communities together in the face of disaster. The chapter then turns to another trend yet to be noticed by historians. Among the multitude of saints and blessed ones canonized from 1348 to the eighteenth century, the Church was deeply reluctant to honour, even name, any of the thousands who sacrificed their lives to succour plague victims, physically or spiritually, especially in 1348: the Church recognized no Black Death martyrs. By the sixteenth century, however, city-wide processions and other communal rituals bound communities together with charity for the poor, works of art, and charitable displays of thanksgiving to long-dead holy men and women.

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Urban Poverty: A Study of Income Patterns and Processes of the Poor Families in Kathmandu

Banking Journal ◽

10.3126/bj.v1i1.5142 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 29-45

Author(s):

Kedar Dahal

Keyword(s):

Family Income ◽

Urban Poverty ◽

Working Hours ◽

Professional Services ◽

Cash Income ◽

Decent People ◽

The Poor ◽

Poor Families ◽

Patterns And Processes ◽

Urban Livelihood

The poor are highly migrate from the surrounding districts of Kathmandu valley and largely dependent on direct cash income from the informal activities. Casual wage labor, petty trade and private and professional services are common livelihood activities. However, availability of income generation activities remains largely irregular and depends on the season, gender, age of person, ethnic and education background. Foreign employment, skill-based activities and petty trade fetch the highest return. It is also found that the level of family income is determined not only by ethnic background; but there are other factors, for example family structure, working hours, nature of work and seasonality. There is a significant impact of education and working hour in household income. Poor are assets of urban economy. We could not neglect them. They are hard working and decent people. But poor policy and attitude makes them highly vulnerable in the urban environment. However, all people living in the squatter or slum are not only poor but some of them are economically well-off, though they have poor accessed of modern banking and financial institutions, in many cases, banking policies discouraged them for providing credit facilities. Key Words: Poverty Pockets; Communities; Urban; Livelihood DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bj.v1i1.5142 Banking Journal Vol.1(1) 2011: 29-45

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Urban social movements in South Africa today: Its meaning for theological education and the church

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v73i3.4770 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Stephan F. De Beer

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Social Movements ◽

Theological Education ◽

Cape Town ◽

Urban Social Movements ◽

Gustavo Gutierrez ◽

The Poor ◽

The Social ◽

The City ◽

The Church

In the past decade, significant social movements emerged in South Africa, in response to specific urban challenges of injustice or exclusion. This article will interrogate the meaning of such urban social movements for theological education and the church. Departing from a firm conviction that such movements are irruptions of the poor, in the way described by Gustavo Gutierrez and others, and that movements of liberation residing with, or in a commitment to, the poor, should be the locus of our theological reflection, this article suggests that there is much to be gained from the praxis of urban social movements, in disrupting, informing and shaping the praxis of both theological education and the church. I will give special consideration to Ndifuna Ukwazi and the Reclaim the City campaign in Cape Town, the Social Justice Coalition in Cape Town, and Abahlali baseMjondolo based in Durban, considering these as some of the most important and exciting examples of liberatory praxes in South Africa today. I argue that theological education and educators, and a church committed to the Jesus who came ‘to liberate the oppressed’, ignore these irruptions of the Spirit at our own peril.

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Urban Poverty and Vulnerability: Literature and Perspective

Regular issue - International Journal of Management and Humanities ◽

10.35940/ijmh.i1323.055921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (9) ◽

pp. 12-18

Author(s):

Shilpa Deo*

Keyword(s):

Poverty Alleviation ◽

Task Force ◽

Urban Poverty ◽

Research Papers ◽

The Poor ◽

Poverty Elimination ◽

The Government ◽

Set Up ◽

The Needy ◽

Measurement Of Poverty

The Government of India has been taking various steps towards identification of the poor (and vulnerable through the Socio Economic Caste Census) and measurement of poverty with the help of various Expert Groups right from the Task Force that was set up in 1962 to the Task Force on Poverty Elimination of the NITI Aayog. There have been many researchers as well who have been suggesting the ways in which the poor and vulnerable can be identified and poverty can be measured besides the suggestions given by the Expert Groups. However, it may be considered as a ‘national shame’ if we are unable to identify the needy even after 75 years of independence. Through the review of around 100 books, research papers and articles, an attempt has been to understand the strengths and shortcomings of suggested ways to identify the poor and vulnerable and suggest a comprehensive methodology to identify the needy. Unless we are able to identify the poor and vulnerable sections of society correctly, planning and implementing poverty alleviation programmes for “ending poverty in all its forms everywhere”1 would be a futile exercise!

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A FÊ DOS POBRES: DESAFIO Â NOVA EVANGELIZAÇÃO

Perspectiva Teológica ◽

10.20911/21768757v45n125p107/2013 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (125) ◽

pp. 107

Author(s):

Ignacio Madera Vargas

Keyword(s):

Male And Female ◽

New Evangelization ◽

The Poor ◽

The Church

A fé dos pobres possui uma lógica interna que é necessário aprofundar para identificar o que dita lógica pode oferecer aos processos de nova evangelização na Igreja e da missão continental proposta por Aparecida. No interior da confissão de fé, compreendida em seus níveis epistemológico e ético, caracteriza-se a fé dos pobres em suas dimensões de minoridade, resistência e maravilha e suas relações com a fé e a esperança. Uma nova dinâmica ministerial emerge como necessária para uma nova evangelização do continente que inclui o ministério dos teólogos e teólogas em relação adulta com os pastores e o magistério da Igreja.ABSTRACT: The faith of the poor has an internai logic that is necessary to deepen in order to identify the contribution that logic can offer to the processes of the new evangelization in the Church and of the continental mission proposed by Aparecida. Within the confession of faith understood in its epistemological and ethical leveis, the faith of the poor is characterized in its dimensions of minority, resistance and wonder and its relationship with faith and hope. A new ministerial dynamic emerges as necessary for a new evangelization of the continent which includes the Ministry of theologians (male and female) in an adult relation with the pastors and the Magisterium of the Church.

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IDENTIDAD DE LA TEOLOGÍA LATINOAMERICA Y LA TEOLOGÍA DE LA LIBERACIÓN

Perspectiva Teológica ◽

10.20911/21768757v50n1p19/2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 19

Author(s):

Jorge Costadoat Carrasco

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Liberation Theology ◽

Latin American ◽

Theological Method ◽

The Poor ◽

Age Of Maturity ◽

The Status ◽

Original Speech ◽

America Latina ◽

The Church

RESUMEN: El objetivo de esta investigación es suministrar argumentos para identificar la Teología latinoamericana con la Teología de la liberación, y viceversa. Entre estos argumentos se debe considerar la conciencia de alcanzar la “mayoría de edad” de la Iglesia en América Latina en el postconcilio; la convicción de los teólogos de la liberación de estar elaborando una “nueva manera” de hacer teología; una toma de distancia del carácter ilustrado de la teología; y la posibilidad de reconocer en los acontecimientos regionales, particularmente en los pobres, un habla original de Dios. Este artículo pretende hacer una contribución al status quaestionis del método teológico.ABSTRACT: The objective of this paper is to provide arguments to identify Latin American Theology with Liberation Theology, and vice versa. Among these arguments, one should consider the awareness of the Church in Latin America reaching its “age of maturity” in the post-conciliar period. Other arguments are the conviction of liberation theologians to be elaborating a “new way” of doing theology; a distance from the illustrated characteristic of theology; and, the possibility of recognizing in regional events, particularly in the poor, God’s original speech. This article aims to contribute to the status quaestionis of the theological method.

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Luther and Economic Questions

Papers of the American Society of Church History ◽

10.1017/s1079902800113312 ◽

1910 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 131-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John Alfred Faulkner

Keyword(s):

Common Good ◽

Kingdom Of God ◽

The Other ◽

Word Of God ◽

The Common Good ◽

The Poor ◽

Special Knowledge ◽

The Common ◽

The Church

There are two facts to be borne in mind in regard to Luther's whole attitude to social and economic questions. The first is that ordinarily this was a territory to be confined to experts, in which ministers should not meddle. He believed that a special knowledge was necessary to deal with some of these matters, and that they had better be left to those to whom Providence had assigned them, whether the jurists, those clever in worldly knowledge, or the authorities. The other fact is that the Church after all has social duties, and that Church and clergy must fight flagrant abuses and try to bring in the Kingdom of God on earth. The Church must use the Word of God against sin and sinners, and so by spiritual ministries help the needs of the time. The authorities on their part shall proceed by strict justice against evil doers. But there is another fact here which it is necessary to mention to get Luther's whole attitude, viz., that the State's function is not simply to administer justice, but to secure the general weal. They shall do the very best they can for their subjects, says Luther. “The authorities shall serve their subjects and use their office not petulantly [nicht zu Mutwillen] but for the advancement of the common good, and especially for the poor.” The princes shall give laws which shall limit as far as possible social misery and national dangers. They should listen to the proposals of the Church to this end, and on the ground of wise counsels of churchmen, do away with old laws and make new ones.

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The Unity We Seek

The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199600847.013.44 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Radu Bordeianu

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

New Delhi ◽

Orthodox Church ◽

Local Churches ◽

The Poor ◽

The Relationship ◽

Eucharistic Communion ◽

The Church

Orthodox theologians such as Bulgakov, Florovsky, Afanasiev, Staniloae, and Zizioulas consider eucharistic communion to be the sign of ecclesial unity, but their understandings of the boundaries of the church and unity in love, teaching, episcopacy, and Eucharist (including intercommunion) are varied. This chapter analyses Orthodox understandings of the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Una Sancta of the creed, considers the ecclesial status of other Christians, and assesses various models of unity, such as ‘all in each place’ (New Delhi, 1961). Unity is conditioned theologically: Christians need to confess the same faith, though uniformity is not the goal. Churches should enjoy unity in love, common service at the altar of the poor (in ‘the liturgy after the liturgy’), synodal decision-making, and communion among local churches represented by their bishops. These forms of unity do not represent successive stages, but they mutually condition each other.

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