I know that several comments have said that they think your ideas are possible or socialistic. But for what it is worth there are many professors at bethel who have done some serious reading, who would agree with you. And through my study of scripture, the christian tradition and my own experience entering into the lives of those who experience homelessness, i 100% agree with your ideas.

Tanden

Sure, it was said that people who do not work do not eat. But the only people who use that verse are those who assume incorrectly that people without are necessarily not working, or are able to work. They judge the poor and homeless from a distance too great to see the reality of the situation. It is a lazy man who will look for excuses to not help others. It was Paul who said that above quote, but it was Jesus who said, “give to all who ask, and turn no one away.” So, who are you going to listen to? Paul, or Jesus?

Leftover clothing from clothes drives, goodwill, etc. goes to Africa to die. Its send over by the boatload in garbage bags. This is then purchased by wholesalers and our “donated” clothing is sold (quite cheaply) to villagers. Ever since, the textile industry (in Kenya) has completely failed b/c they cannot make clothing as affordable as the resold clothing… thus a blow to their economy.

It’s really all enough to make your head spin ;)

we definitely all have a long way to go, but I really like your imagery…
“I just don’t think most of us would like to believe that we’d want Jesus to wear our old clothes while we’re hanging on to the new clothes.”

I agree with you completely, Ariah. One more thought that came to mind as I’ve read through the comments. You alluded to this in your post, but it’s been lost along the way, I think. When we choose to give, there is a lot that happens before it ever becomes about the recipient. First, it’s about us, and our hearts, and what place the Lord has there. If we take the Gospel seriously, and believe that when we give to the least of these we really truly give to Jesus… well, I just don’t think most of us would like to believe that we’d want Jesus to wear our old clothes while we’re hanging on to the new clothes.

I think if we really lived in a heart-place where we asked the Lord what to do with everything that comes through our hands… we’d find little of it staying there. Enough. But so much more would be released to those who need.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not there. But that’s the direction I’m headed. Thank you, Lord.

This conversation is really beautiful, I think. Everyone who’s brought up the practical side of people actually donating nice stuff has had valid points…not gonna happen on widespread basis. So yes, we should gladly take donations from all and be thankful for their contribution. But, to me, there’s one striking difference in someone who chooses to give their good clothing vs. one who hands down the old and buys new. I’ll call it the extra mile principle, and it’s a teaching of Jesus.

What I find so fascinating about the kingdom of Christ is that he calls his followers to go the extra mile. People do good things all the time, but in this radical kingdom, you see him asking us to give more. Not just the coat, but the shirt too…and that’s even to someone who forcefully is taking the coat! We see a man take a stranger of another country who’s been beaten and left for dead and put him up at the inn, paying for all his expenses. We hear Jesus call us to do exactly what Katie just described…

“Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

There are lots of people who will do good things for people, and that’s awesome that there is goodness all around. But, to those of you who are Christians, you cannot stop there. You simply must go the extra mile, otherwise Christ’s radical message of love becomes…well, common. Maybe that’s why so many are bored with Jesus. They don’t feel like he offers anything new. But he does.

Katie, my wife and I did something almost exactly like what you described a few months back, including 2 homeless guys and a meal and shower and change of clothes, and it was an awesome experience. I also know Ariah, and he has in fact done similar things as well. I don’t say that to boast or to invalidate what you were saying, but to actually validate your point…if one makes a statement like Ariah did about giving nice clothes, shouldn’t we take it further? I think so. Thanks, Katie, for the reminder to all of us.

Oh, and Katie’s exactly right on the old vs. new coats…more important than fashion (which I don’t get anyway) is warmth and durability. Selecting a coat to give with love may not always mean selecting the most current one. I think Ariah’s principle, mainly, was that when we give, we should give the best and not the worst (often, the warmest IS the best).

When we set up out little table out there in the park, and we spread out the tarp with the donated clothing and blankets on it, and people wearing filthy ripped clothing with dirty tangled hair swarm around the table (not meaning to be rude, but it is an accurate depiction) it’s pretty obvious that a clean warm coat, be it from the 80’s or brand new from Nordstroms is in fact a lot better than what many of them have.

The fact is, people need.
If I give someone a coat that I have had in my closet for 2 years and never really wore because I don’t like it very much, they appreciate it. They don’t know whether or not I wanted that coat or not, and they don’t care.
If I were to give them my favorite coat, it would most likely be of little use to them. If I were homeless, I would much rather have something ugly, too big, but warm. Quite frankly, our modern jackets with the little fur around the hood and the rhinestones on the back are worthless out in the real cold. If I were homeless, I would select my least favorite coat from my closet. It is old. It is quite unattractive, but it is probably the warmest thing I have.

If you really want to help someone, go drive around your city, find two or three homeless people, pick them up in your car. Now take them to your house, let them shower in your bathroom. While they are showering, get in your fridge and cook a three course meal. Let them pick out clothes from your closet, while they wash their own in your washing machine. Not set your table with your finest china and sit down and have a good meal with them. After dinner, take them shopping. Buy them all new clothes, a nice new waterproof coat, and groceries for two weeks.

What? You won’t do that?

Then don’t complain that nobody will give nice things. Let them at least have a coat and be warm, because they don’t care if you liked the coat or not. Half of them are on drugs or crazy anyways.

Thanks for your comments, both insights help us better understand the ideals and realities that we face on this topic.

I’m definitly an advocate of making resources available to those who need them, even if they are the leftovers or trash of another group. This article though was very much directed to the folks who fit into the full-closet category.
We need to start rethinking the way we live.

But on the other hand, those ripped up, paint spattered, way too “shrunken” jeans can be put to good use. Many of the bigger agencies take these items and have them recycled into cleaning cloths or other items so they are still have use.

Whatever the motivation, donors are what keep many nonprofits going and I know the our organization, Katrina’s Angels, has been able to help thousands of people from these donations alone. And people that can’t give money, do help a lot with in kind donations.
This just goes with charity drives —God bless the donors, we couldn’t do it without them. It’s a reason that America is great–this spirit of generosity and reaching out to those in need.

I am planning a coat drive in my neighborhood and will take donations from everyone who is willing to contribute, no matter what they have in the closet and no matter if they are Christians or not. As a person feels led, so they should contribute.

The idiology you propose is wonderful, but in real life, it will not put one extra coat on a person and will probably get a lot of doors slammed in your face when you ask for the new coat they got for a birthday or Christmas present.

Living out a conviction that God has placed on your heart is our duty to Him. The conviction God has placed on my heart is to do what I can to help stop people from freezing and to share His word as well, when and where I can.

I have a wonderful ( I think) idea. Actually, I heard a similar idea used by a family last year to celebrate the first Christmas after a loved ones passing.

Suggest to all your congregation that they ask their spouse and anyone else who would usually buy them a Christmas present to take the money they would have spent on the present and donate it to a charity or group in need. Instead of a gift under the tree, hang an envelope with a description of the donation and how it was used. A picture of a group of needy children with new gloves and hats or an inner city baseball team with new equipment etc… A picture like that should be worth at least as much as that new ……. your spouse was planning to buy you.

I would definitely agree with your response. As I continue to think about the issue, I’m mulling over your thoughts about our tendency to go out and replace what we gave away with newer/nicer things. I’m not sure that we are going on and buying more simply because we got rid of something that we “needed”. Another force that I believe may be at work here is the value that our society places on consumerism. If you think about it, what’s one of our responses to felt emotional needs? To consume! Hence we have the phrases “emotional eating” and “retail therapy”. (I’m not trying to be judgemental. I’ve been guilty of both of these offenses at times.)
I wonder what phenominal changes would happen if we intentionally changed our emotional response from consuming to giving? Wouldn’t it be great to hear someone say, “I’m having a bad day, I think I need to go give”? I know that for me, no bowl of ice cream or new pair of shoes gives me any type of feeling remotely compared to that of giving… That could be giving something to someone in need or giving of your time to serve someone.