Unashamedly copied from Niall Cooper's blog, by way of Pilgrimpace. At a tertiary discussion last weekend on homelessness, one telling remark from the visiting speaker; a volunteer at a local drop-in centre for homeless and precariously housed people, stood out for me. When asked what she had learned from her many years work, she replied - the realisation that many of us stand several steps only from that same fate ourselves. It doesn't take much for those things we thought secure to be swept out from under us.
“The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty. Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that are made in the image of God… In the final analysis, the rich must not ignore the poor because both rich and poor are tied in a single garment of destiny. We are inevitably our brothers’ keeper because of the interrelated structure of reality.” Apt words from Martin Luther King, whose day was marked this week (17 Jan).http://niallcooper.wordpress.com/ - _edn1
The UK remains the sixth richest nation on the planet – but one increasingly characterized by inequality between rich and poor. The total net household wealth of the richest 10% is now almost 100 times higher than that of the poorest tenth of the population – a gap higher than at any time in the past 30 years. When the highest-paid workers, such as bankers and chief executives, are put into the equation, the division in wealth is even more stark, with individuals in the top 1% of the population each possessing total household wealth of £2.6m or more.
But more than this, inequality harms us all. There is persuasive evidence in theSpirit Level of the “pernicious effects that inequality has on societies: eroding trust, increasing anxiety and illness, (and) encouraging excessive consumption.” Whether in relation to health or social problems; drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, trust or community life, inequality harms the outcomes for everyone – not just the poorest.
As the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales said as far back as 1997: “There must come a point at which the scale of the gap between the very wealthy and those at the bottom of the range of income begins to undermine the common good. This is the point at which society starts to be run for the benefit of the rich, not for all its members.”
Our Christian faith tells us that another world is possible…. and for this reason, Church Action on Poverty is teaming up with several of the main Christian denominations and national partner organisations – to launch a major new three year campaign, with a challenge to both to the Churches and to politicians:
Are you prepared to give, act and pray to Close the Gap between rich and poor in the UK?
The campaign will challenge both individuals and churches to sign up to specific Pledges to Give, Act or Pray to Close the Gap. The specific target is mobilise up to 10,000 people to sign up each year to take part in actions, which will seek to make politicians and other powerholders accountable for their role in narrowing – or increasing – the gap between rich and poor. Overall, the aim is to build a more powerful movement within the churches committed to working for long-term pro-poor change within the UK.
Look out for the launch on 31 January – timed to coincide with Poverty and Homelessness Action Week… if you haven’t already done so, you can download all the resources you need from theAction Week website. You can also follow the daily prayer calendar throughout the week, including video stories, prayers and ideas for action each day. Sign up at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=175376421972 or on Twitter (@phactionweek)."
