“The poor are shunned but the rich have many friends”

Jim Wallis, Christian leader for social change

You have to credit Jim Wallis for his efforts to remind our political leaders - especially those on the right who boast that ours is a Christian nation - that according to biblical teachings, God is on the side of the poor. 

Wallis goes so far as to suggest that God is watching the debt limit debate that of late has boiled down to whether to close tax loopholes for the rich or axe programs to aid the poor.

Are you listening America?

The markets are watching, the Republicans are watching, the Democrats are watching, the media are watching, the pollsters and pundits are watching. The public is watching and is disgusted with Washington, D.C.

When it comes to the bitter and ultra-partisan battles over the budget, the deficit, and the fast-approaching deadline for America to avoid defaulting on its financial commitments, the whole nation and even the world is watching.

But God is watching too.

Others are watching to see how their self-interests will benefit in the final deal. Or they are watching to see who's up and who's down, who will get the political win, and whose election chances will be better afterward.

Forty-eight hours after President Obama mentioned corporate jet tax deductions, and suggested they might not be as important as scholarships for low-income kids going to college for the first time, a headline appeared in the New York Times reading, "Industry Set for Fight to Keep Corporate Jet Tax Breaks." Wow. That was pretty fast. The ones who will win the current battle over the budget and deficit are the ones who are watching. As the book of Proverbs teaches, the poor are shunned, but the rich have many friends.

Read more: