Amos's Call on Katrina

Yesterday, I was doing my Bible study and I came across a passage in Amos that seemed appropriate for the anniversary of Katrina. Now, I think these things rarely happen by mistake, so I figured I was mean to share this with you in my blog.

Amos 6:1,3 "Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come. 3 You put off the evid day and bring near a reign of terror."

So many people have been working hard in the Gulf region to rebuild. Americans from across the country, including many people of faith, have made the pilgrimage South to assist in whatever way they can. Amidst this tragedy, there is plenty in the human spirit to celebrate and we should not lose sight of these blessings.

However, there is a spirit of complacency among others, including the Bush administration that must be called out. Bush showed up in New Orleans yesterday for the first time in a long time. It was clear to all of us that our government in unprepared for a natural or man-made disaster. What progress has been made to improve that readiness? Why hasn't the President reported back to the nation to let us know what changes are being made to ensure that our goverenment never responds so poorly again?

And of course there are the core issues of poverty and racism that seemed to surprise many Americans. If you live in middle class suburbia its easy to forget those living in the inner city or out in the country who are poor. Often our only contact with the poor is seeing the shootings and other crimes on the local evening news. Katrina was the evidence, provided to us once again. The images do not lie, we only lie to ourselves in our complacency doing little about the poverty and racism. Churches and nonprofits have a role, but we also must realize that our government must also play a significant role in providing the resources to assist people to lift themselves out of poverty.

While the images confront our hearts, the raw data addresses our intellect. The census released a report yesterday telling us that 1 in 8 Americans are poor. 1 in 8! That's astounding in the richest country in the history of the world. During the Bush administration, the country has seen an increase in the number of poor in the 5-6 million people range. After years of decreases in the poverty under Clinton, the poverty rate has gone up under Bush. The number of people with out health insurance increased again...1 in 6 are without health insurance. Priorities of the government matter and Bush has had little compassion in his conservative policy making. There's nothing Christian about this people.

We all have a duty to give to charity and to serve in volunteer positions that help the homeless, the poor, and the sick. Beyond that, Christians have a responsibility to lobby their government to do more to support programs that lead to self-sufficiency, that care for hungry children, and that rebuild the homes and lives in the Gulf Coast. Amos calls out our complacency and telling each of us that "6:7 your feasting and lounging will end."