Christian Mission and Poverty
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Christian Mission and Poverty
subject to job loss and economic decline. When jobs leave, many other social problems spring up, initiating vicious cycles that marginalize people. The tax base is affected, which affects educational options, which affects future employment opportunities, and so on. The housing market is affected, which dampens new investment, which discourages new business startup, which affects future income potential, and so on. Illegal methods of getting money spring up and laws are passed which target those in poverty, which increases policing in poor neighborhoods, which leads to a disproportionate increase in arrests, which increases jail populations, which encourages recidivism upon supervised release, which sustains mass incarceration, and so on. Addiction becomes a major public health crisis but treatment is often underfunded. Violence is instigated as people fight from boredom and for position and resources; military recruiters enlist young people affected by poverty; police with military combat gear descend on the community fighting a War on Drugs. In the sixteen years I have lived in Muncie, the closing of two factories took eleven thousand jobs. The two largest employers in our town are now a university and a hospital. This means that blue collar workers who had earned a living wage are now required to get a new education in order to qualify for entry-level positions. While the city has been working hard to attract new companies, it is an uphill battle. Additionally, much of the city’s community development resources must be used to tear down blighted houses. Meanwhile, many people with resources move to the suburbs or surrounding rural communities, transfer their children out of schools in the city, or leave altogether to pursue promising careers elsewhere. As Christians
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