First, megachurch pastor Joel Hunter has looked at the facts and voiced that it is impossible for churches to do all the work that the government does in assisting the poor, according to an article on The Christian Post.
Speaking at the Q conference, a gathering of Christian leaders in D.C., Hunter asserted,
Look at the math. It is ridiculous to even, just look at the SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the old Food Stamps program – it has been estimated by I think the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that the average church in America would literally have to double its budget and just take that extra budget and give to hungry people. And that is just one government program. So let's not fool ourselves.
I can't imagine Hunter and I would see eye-to-eye on much, but it's encouraging to see that even voices from the megachurches are starting to defend the role of government in alleviating poverty.
In other news, Jamie Manson writes in the The National Catholic Reporter, a lay Catholic publication, of how the very poor the church aims to help are hurt by the anti-gay ideological battle of the bishops. The perspective should be familiar enough - just pointing out that it's also being voiced by religious voices.
The hierarchy is letting the ideology of extreme social conservatives, not the teachings of the Gospel, determine where and how the poor will receive aid.
How many social evils will the Catholic hierarchy ignore? How many injustices will they overlook in order to fulfill its zealous mission against equality for members of the LGBT community?
Apparently, quite a few. [...]
Ironically, for all of their outspokenness about political issues like gay marriage and contraception, the bishops were remarkably mute last month when the Paul Ryan budget went before the House. Ryan's proposal contradicted profoundly the principles of Catholic social justice teaching, espousing what amounts to a preferential option for the wealthy and powerful.
If the bishops criticized these policies, they might also compromise their alliances with Republicans, tea partiers and evangelicals. Apparently the needs of hungry children, disadvantaged students and the elderly just aren't worth the risk.
But who can blame the hierarchy for pandering to right-wing groups? At a time when Catholics are leaving the church in droves, parishes and schools are closing, and legal fees and settlement payments are mounting, conservative extremists offer two crucial elements of survival: radical devotion and economic power.