Rich or Poor?

My friend Kent Chevalier recently posted an interview between Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, and Joshua Harris on his blog. Please go to Kent's site (a link is on the right side of this page) and watch the interview. Francis Chan, who is a famous author of the books "Crazy Love" and "Forgotten God," has made the decision to walk away from his role as the lead pastor of a megachurch in an affluent part of southern California in order live and minister incarnationally among the poor in inner city Los Angeles. Chan seemed to have it all, in terms of success, from an American cultural Christianity perspective... a popular preacher and leader of a big church in the suburbs and great wealth that could potentially be generated as a famous author and sought after speaker within mainstream evangelical Christianity. So what would make him walk away from that path? He is on a journey to follow Jesus. But, what does it mean for Christians to follow Jesus?

Obviously I admire Chan for what he is doing, but I was very interested in the tough questions that Mark Driscoll asked him. What does it mean to follow Christ in America, a culture that is defined by extreme brokenness found in both affluence and poverty? Is a calling to minister to the rich just as meaningful as a calling to minister to the poor? These questions have "haunted" Christianity for the past 1700 years since the Roman Emporer Constantine endorsed Chistianity as the main religion of the Roman Empire. During the first 300 years of Christianity, the religion grew exponentially among the poor and Christians were persecuted by the rich and powerful people in the world. When Christianity was embraced by the rich and powerful, it caused a great deal of tension. Christianity has not really grown since the 4th century. About 34% of the world's population were Christians when Constantine endorsed Christianity, and today about 34% of the world's population classifies themselves as Christian. Most growth in Christianity over the centuries has been defined by growth in some geographic regions and decline in others, as is happening now with the massive decline of Christianity in America and Europe and the growth of Christianity in the global South (Asia, Africa, and Latin America). These trends show us that Christianity often declines when it is tied too closely to affluence and power, and it grows exponentially among the poor.

What does all of this mean for us as followers of Christ? Should American Christians immerse themselves in the culture of prosperity, materialism, and individualism in order to enact change from within? Or, should American Christians go to the poor in order to minister where Christianity is experiencing exponential growth in places that desperately need the resources and influence of rich and powerful Christians who have been hoarding wealth and power for many years? I loved Chan's answer to these questions... it is not a matter of choosing between rich and poor. It is a matter of love. If God is love, then all Christians should be ministering to one another whether we are rich or poor in this short life on earth. We are all the body of Christ. Affluent and powerful Christians should be engaged in deep, meaningful, authentic, loving relationships with the poor and powerless. And vice versa. We have much to learn from one another. This is not an either/or decision. We are not defined by our economic class. Christians are defined by the body of Christ. We are all one in Christ. The problem is, many Christians do not live like that. Societies in this world are often structured for us to assimilate with people who look and act like us, and reject people who are different than us. Just look at all the divisions in this world between races, classes, and religions. The way the world looks models what the world values. But Christians are called to be set apart from the values of the world. We are the one body of Christ. We are reconcilers and peacemakers. We should be defined by love and grace, not hatred. To be a Christian means that we follow Christ, and we all have different callings within that context. It's refreshing to know that even the heavyweights of American Christianity, people like Francis Chan and Mark Driscoll, wrestle with the implications of their unique callings within the body of Christ.