the age of hunger

Ronald J. Snider's Rich Christians in an age of Hunger
I can't say any of these things better than he did. And these should be nailed to the doors of every Christian home and every church building. Luther style.

Guidelines for Living:
1. Move toward a personal lifestyle that could be sustained over a long period of time if it were shared by everyone in the world
2. Distinguish between necessities and luxuries; withstand the desire to indulge regularly in luxuries and resist the inclination to blur the distinction
3. Distinguish between legitimate and nonlegitimate reasons for spending/buying
4. Distinguish talents and hobbies from a curious interest in current fads. Allow spending that will develop talents & hobbies, but don't indulge in all the latest recreational equipment simple because it is popular with those who seem "successful". Each person has unique interests and gifts. We should be able to express our creativity in those areas. But if we begin to justify lots of things in many areas, we should become suspicious.
5. Distinguish between occasional celebration and normal day-to-day indulgence.
6. Resist buying things just because we can afford them. The amount we earn has nothing to do with what we need.
7. Seek a balance between supporting emergency relief, development, and broad structural change. Emergency food is important when people are starving. But more money needs to go for long-term community development so folk can feed themselves. It is especially crucial to give to organizations that increase understanding and promote just public policy and structural change.
8. Do not neglect other areas of Christian work. (Holistic programs are the ideal- the incorporation of spiritual and social outreach)


Some Practical Suggestions (for Christians/anyone to get involved in alleviating the issue of poverty)
"The following are hints, not rules, for living more simply. Freedom, joy, and laughter are essential elements for responsible living."
1. Question your own lifestyle, not your neighbour's.
2. Reduce your food budget by…
a. Gardening
b. Substituting vegetable protein for animal protein (cookbooks like Recipes for a Small Planet and More with Less Cookbook = delicious, meatless meals)
c. Joining a food co-op *(if there's none in your area, write to The Cooperative League of the USA for materials on how to start one. Look into your local CSA)
d. Fasting regularly
3. Lower energy consumption by:
a. Keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees F. or lower during winter months (layer up, drink tea, sit close to one another- it's cozy. Enjoy the season.)
b. Supporting public transportation with your feet and your vote
c. Using bicycles, carpools, and your own two feet
d. Making dish washing a family time instead of buying a dish washer
e. Buying a fan instead of an air conditioner
4. Resist consumerism!
5. Reduce your consumption of nonrenewable natural resources by:
a. Resisting obsolescence (buy quality products when you buy)
b. Sharing appliances, tools, lawnmowers, sports equipment, books, even a car (this is easier if you live close to other Christians committed to living more simply)
c. Organizing a "things closet" in your church for items used only occasionally such as edger, clippers, cots for guests, lawnmowers, camping equipment, ladders, etc.
6. Determine how much of what you spend is for status and eliminate such spending
7. Refuse to keep up with clothing fashions
8. Enjoy what is free
9. Live on a welfare budget for a month
10. Examine Shopping for a Better World from the Council on Economic Priorities and Alternatives Celebrations Catalog published by Alternatives. It provides exciting, inexpensive, ecologically sound alternative ideas for celebrating Christmas, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.
11. Give your children more love and time rather than more things.

My last plug is for community living. When I talk about community living a lot of people criticize saying that the whole ideology behind it is just hippie-mindest, weird, inappropriate or immature…what crap. It's not being a "hippie" to want to be ecologically responsible and craving community with those around you in sharing responsibilities, tasks, costs, facilities, appliances, etc. That kind of community life is Biblical, not "weird".
From Snider: "Housing, furniture, appliances, tools, and cars that would normally serve one nuclear family can accommodate ten or twenty people. Communal living releases vast amounts of money and time for alternative activities. Some Christian communes have been initiated as conscious attempts to develop a more ecologically responsible, sharing standard of living. "
(A shout out to members of Community House in Beverly, MA. Well done, guys. You've got the right idea.)