Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Clint Schnekloth

Home
Progressive Christian
Replace the DOW and NASDAQ With Daily Reports Of Homelessness and Hunger

Replace the DOW and NASDAQ With Daily Reports Of Homelessness and Hunger

Last updated on: November 28, 2020 at 4:25 pm by Clint Schnekloth

Replace the DOW and NASDAQ With Daily Reports Of Homelessness and Hunger 2020-11-28T16:25:08-05:00 Clint Schnekloth

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If I open my phone and swipe left, top of the screen are indicators for the DOW, NASDAQ, and S&P 500. Numbers measuring the value of these funds also top the page of the newspaper, get mention on NPR, and scroll across the bottom of CNN.

Last week, the DOW topped 30,000. It’s never been valued so highly.

Now, ask yourself: is the value of the DOW a true measure of how we are doing as a society?

Also ask yourself: can you quickly find on your device or in the newspaper daily measuring statistics that would actually indicate overall societal health, like downward trends in homelessness and hunger?

For example, in 2019 567,715 people were homeless. Compared to the previous year, homelessness increased by 3 percent in the 2019 Point-in-Time Count. This marked the third straight year of national-level increases.

At the same time, record numbers of Americans are food insecure. Nearly 1 in 4 households have experienced food insecurity THIS YEAR.

“Even before the pandemic hit, some 13.7 million households, or 10.5% of all U.S. households, experienced food insecurity at some point during 2019, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That works out to more than 35 million Americans who were either unable to acquire enough food to meet their needs, or uncertain of where their next meal might come from, last year.”

When we highlight the DOW as a measure of well-being, we are essentially saying the well-being of the rich is what matters most.

Only about 55% of Americans own stock. “In 2020, the percentages owning stock range from highs of 85% of adults with postgraduate education and 84% of those in households earning $100,000 or more to lows of 22% of those in households earning less than $40,000 and 28% of Hispanics.”

The prophet Amos had something to say about the injustice of focusing more on the well-being of the wealthy compared to the poor.

“When will the New Moon be over

that we may sell grain,

and the Sabbath be ended

that we may market wheat?”—

skimping on the measure,

boosting the price

and cheating with dishonest scales,

6 buying the poor with silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals,

selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

7 The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.

8 “Will not the land tremble for this,

and all who live in it mourn?” (8)

In 2020, we have learned to measure well-being by tracking daily COVID statistics. We have not done well, because we have had poor leadership, but at least we now have reports of some health measures in front of us daily.

What if every single press, every single resource, published daily reports measuring the decline of homelessness and hunger in our communities? What would it center? What would it change?

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 27, 2020

Why The Supreme Court Was Right For The Wrong Reasons On Andrew Cuomo's Restrictions

Next Post

December 1, 2020 Why Progressives Can't Say "Sin" And Conservatives Can't Say "Social"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #blacklivesmatter advocacy Avengers baptisms Capitalism church growth clergy silence corporate ethics Creation Care Donald Trump elections Evangelicals Evangelism Friendship hermeneutics Immigration Intersex introverts Jesus Labor Liturgy Lutheran MLK Jr. New urbanism Pentecost philanthropy Poem political theology Post-program church Prayer private devotion Reformation Refugees sacraments Scripture Secularity Sin small church social media Sovereignty Trauma-Informed Theology travel Trump Uncategorized wealth white supremacy Workers worship Youth

Select a Month January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 January 2016 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 May 2014 March 2014 June 2013 January 2013 December 2011 December 2010 February 2005 February 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Satan" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Murderer Destroyer Deceiver Adversary

Books by This Author Books by Clint Schnekloth

See All Titles »