Cafeteria Christians?

Sometimes referred to as, “Cafeteria Christians,” some churchgoers pick and choose what they would like to believe and follow from God’s Word or from the Church and her directives. Possibly when it comes to things like deciding whether to eat pork or eat meat sacrificed to idols or ladies choosing to wear a head covering in church - cafeteria-style selectiveness like this can work on various levels for a lot of good reasons.

Being picky and choosy is not a good idea in matters of Faith, Doctrine and justice for the poor. Here, we are tampering with the very heart and soul of the Ruler of the Universe Himself. The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, social justice, and God's deep concern for both. If we take our Faith, Church and God seriously, we will want to take these passages seriously.

As you read the many Bible passages in HIA articles and posts, you may very well feel a good deal of resistance (possibly at first manifesting itself as indifference). Many American churches have departed strongly from Biblical values in these areas, and even created a rationalization-- "prosperity theology"-- for rejecting them. It takes time, the Holy Spirit and reflection to get past this misteaching. But do try to get past the resistance. Spiritual growth doesn't come from what goes down easily, or what we like to hear and read. It comes from what's different, and even difficult.

With more than 107 articles, many containing Scriptural references, Homeless In America is a good place to launch a home-based or church Bible study on the topic of the poor. After reading a Scripture passage about the poor, the homeless or migrant ask the following questions: "Why does Jesus or the Bible say this?" or "What did I learn from these verses?" and also ask, “In what ways are the poor reflective of the 'poverty' in my own life?”