MUSINGS FROM THE DIRECTORSocial Security: Am I My Brother's Keeper?
by Reverend Ron Quay - Churches United
I am very honored to introduce Rev. Ron Quay to Blog for Iowa. Reverend Quay is the Director of Churches United here in the Quad Cities. He is also a very active participant of the Reclaiming Moral Values forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good (among many other associations). Reverend Quay will be posting with us from time to time, as well as other local writers who speak from the perspective of faith. I am honored to share his unique insight with all of you.
One of the themes from scripture that has been bouncing through my head of late is the expectation that we, as members of God’s family, need to see and accept our responsibility for each other, for those others who inhabit this planet with us. In the story of Cain and Abel we see this issue raised as God asks Cain where his brother is and Cain responds, “am I my brother’s keeper?” This question, about our connection and responsibility for each other seems to run throughout the scriptures. We see it in the prophets as they call the nation to remember justice between the members of the community. We see it with Jesus when he is asked about the greatest commandment and he points out that love of God and love of neighbor are one in the same.
This theme or question brings me to consider the means that we have to assist those other members of the society. Currently our government is calling for a change in one of the oldest of the New Deal programs, Social Security. It was this program that drastically reduced the level of poverty among the nation’s elderly and one of its underlying principles was that we all had responsibility for each other. The younger generation would work and contribute to a fund that would support the needs of those who no longer could work primarily due to age.
Now we are told that because of the large number of people in the generation christened the “Baby Boomers,” the ability of that fund to continue to support those unable to work because of age will be difficult at best. Now I am not an economist or a political scientist or a demographer. I come to this question as a theologian and as a Christian. From that perspective we are reminded that we need to carry the responsibility for each other and particularly for those who are poor or forgotten. Some proposals put forth seem to operate from an understanding that we are all independent individuals with our primary responsibility to care for ourselves and our own close family. I will own my stake and you own your stake in the larger pie. If your stake is insufficient to supply what you need I am sorry but the primary goal is to protect my holdings for the future.
When I place that concept up to the mandate of scripture and of our tradition as Christians it simply cannot find the defense to under gird it. When we are invited to participate in a debate about Social Security or any program to support the needs of all members of the society can we ask whether the proposal truly calls for us to offer justice? Can we remember that we are a community of people and as the technology advances that community grows even larger in terms of whom we are asked to be concerned about. Do the proposals enhance the sense of community and shared responsibility or do they separate us one from the other? When as a society of people we are invited to consider how those joint funds we know as governmental budgets are spent can we be reminded again of Jesus’ definition of life in his kingdom? “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
