equality

What is equal treatment? Is it when everyone has and does exactly the same things? That seems to be what some people think, that something like socialism or communism can ensure that each of us has an equivalent house and gets one car, and so forth. Some families approach it that way: when one kid gets a bike, every kid does.

I’m more in favor of equality of opportunity; everyone has the same opportunities and will make different lives out of them depending on effort and ability. I like this idea because it rewards hard work and excellence over mediocrity, but there are some problems with it. It opens the door for highly-capable people to take advantage of less capable ones. 

Paul takes an interesting angle on the topic in 2 Corinthians 8: 13-15: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Paul is looking at equality from the hardship end of things. He seems to be saying that one key purpose of a community is that no one is in need; to some extent there’s an obligation, or at least expectation, of good citizens that they will use their wealth to ensure no one goes without.

What’s interesting is that, to Paul, this is cyclical. I don’t think he’s an advocate of the welfare state; he seems to expect that at some point everyone will need help. When you have plenty you can supply those who don’t, but at some point you’ll need something and then you have every right to think the community won’t leave you hanging.

That’s how things actually work if your community is the church. In a healthy church, there are some people who are good at making money, but they’re also very generous with it too. In large part, these wealthy people enable ministry in that they can be the chief source of funding in their churches. Yet they too benefit greatly from fellowship and pastoral care ministries that meet the kinds of needs money can’t. 

To Paul, equality seems to be more an idea that no one is left behind. Everyone contributes according to her gifts and is provided according to his needs. I’ve seen that work, but it only really works in communities of Christians. In churches.

The challenge for me, then, is to contribute all the things I’m able to. And then to let the church help me when I need it.