Spread the Wealth

Given the shared interest, I thought I’d use Luba Lukova’s social justice posters as jumping-off points for some posts. By way of giving credit where credit is due, following is some more about the posters:

Social Justice 2008 is a powerful portfolio that features 12 thought-provoking posters by world-renowned artist and designer Luba Lukova [with] themes that include peace, war, ecology, immigration, privacy, health coverage, media, corruption, censorship, and Sudanese poverty. …Lukova’s portfolio captures many of the complex issues our society faces…and yet each poster speaks to the viewer in an accessible and honest way.

Starting with the income gap, I’ll revisit my particular dumbfounderment at one of the 2008 Presidential election’s later attacks. While a background in political science tells me that seizing upon the idea of “spreading the wealth” in the United States is sure to play well, my Christian identity was stunned by some of the response to this attack.

I’ve always been a bit confused how some seem able to find a basis in Christianity for capitalism when the book of Acts is perhaps as close to a socialist manifesto as many Christians will ever read. The problem with any man-made economic system, of course, is that it necessarily involves men (in the generic use of the term, of course). While communism may look great on paper, it falls apart when sinful human beings enter the equation.

Never mind Acts – if you really want to talk about “spreading the wealth,” how about that Jubilee Year, where everyone is freed from their debts and bondage? I dare say that looks pretty good to a lot of Americans right about now.