You have 30 Days...

The poor teach us who we are. A few weeks ago, a flood rocked Nashville, TN. Houses, roads, and businesses- all underwater- destroyed in the rising waters. In some cases, the flood claimed the lives of people we love. It continues to be a tragedy. As homes are still awaiting repair, businesses are slowly creeping back to life. Thousands of people lost the ability to make a paycheck. The first images of the flood were of I-24 ransacked by a swift moving current. It carried over 70 cars and a school trailer down the interstate. The next day, the images were of rising water in the Bellevue neighborhoods. Most of us living in Nashville are all too aware of the damage of the flood. The Cumberland filled to capacity and then flooded over, and while the news continued to show clips of rich country music artists losing their instruments, a small community of people gathered what few belongings they could carry and made for a Red Cross shelter at Lipscomb’s campus.

For these few 140 people, their place of residence by the Cumberland was destroyed. But unlike others who would receive insurance money, FEMA checks, and other assistance, these men and women would not be aloud to return to their tents. The residents of Tent City did not only begin the flood homeless, but they now had no place to return. The flood created unsanitary conditions; a new place would need to be found. While permanent housing has always been a priority for those working among the ones who have no place to lie their heads, there became a desperate need for temporary shelter- hotel vouchers, church gymnasiums, unoccupied land for tents, and affordable apartments all had to be sought before the closing of the Red Cross shelter. Unfortunately, the city of Nashville was less than accommodating. Of the 60 or so people who needed vouchers, they were only given 15 for a one-week period. After weeks in the Red Cross shelter and diminishing options, Doug Sanders at Otter Creek invited the once Tent City residents to sleep in his church for the time being. In the meantime, a 124-acre plot of land in the Antioch area was leased out as a temporary option. The residents would only need 2 acres on which to live. While this location was not ideal (too far from the downtown area), it would allow more time to find both temporary and permanent locations. The land was private property and leased for only 90 days.

The poor teach us who we are. Since last Friday, when the tents first appeared on that 2 acres, the residents of Antioch found common ground in their enmity against their new temporary neighbors. Residents called their councilman to complain. An inspector was called to try to find a land violation, and a Town Hall Meeting was set up to hear from the community of Antioch. I went to that meeting Thursday evening to listen to why they seemed to be so volatile. Here are a few quotes that I took down (more found at www.amoshouse.wordpress.com).

“You can’t just move them in on us like this. You have to crawl before you can walk. We love people- but we’re afraid of them.”

“We have a problem here in Antioch, and it’s the homeless. I work in a service station and these people steal ice. They don’t buy food; they buy junk and candy… Nashville has a bad reputation for being soft on the homeless. My community is in danger. We don’t want them here…if you want them, you take them!”

“Everyone here wants to help the homeless, but there is a proper process.” (Is this not the same argument white ministers had against Dr. King while he sat in a jail cell in Birmingham?)

“Antioch gets a bad rap, we need to care about Antioch; we ought to expect the best for Antioch. No more bringing anything to Antioch that is not positive! No more bringing anything to Antioch! The gates of Antioch’s charity are closed!” (Living Word Community Church, the Pastor).

“’The Bible says let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven.’ We say, let your light shine in Brentwood, not Antioch.”

The poor teach us who we are. These are some of the visceral reactions of some of the residents of the Antioch community against those who have been displaced. I do not wish to write a blanket statement that encompasses all of Antioch. It is not my intention denigrate or belittle many who have shown support through words and actions on behalf of Nashville's poor. But this Town Hall meeting was disgusting. Almost all the statements were prefaced by some form of- ‘I’m a Christian,’ or ‘I’ve gone to church my whole life.’ I cannot help but think, if this is what our churches have been teaching then the church has failed. We have failed to love our neighbors. We have failed to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and visit the sick and imprisoned.

The poor have taught us who we are. Antioch turned their back on those who need them most. The ones who deny the poor are the same ones who deny Christ in their every day existence. They are the ones who, while entertaining angels, have condemned themselves. They are the ones who are missing out on God’s future kingdom. Blessed are the poor for theirs is the Kingdom of God. It is not a coming blessing; it is already here. The poor are blessed. This tells me that I am missing a part of the kingdom. And until I interact, love, know, and befriend the world’s poor, then I am missing God’s kingdom. This goes further than charity. Charity is a useful device for keeping the poor at a distance. We can appease our guilt without interaction. But we miss the fact that when Jesus proclaims the gospel to the poor, he is explicitly condemning those who are rich. The road to riches is often fraught with violence, even if we don’t acknowledge or see it. The poor are blessed. God has opened God’s future to them.

The poor teach us who we are, so we often hide them. For those residents of Antioch, we displace them (once again). They have been served an eviction notice. While it remains unclear to me what violation has been found, one indeed was found. They have 30 days to clear the land. There is one more statement that stuck in my mind from Thursday night: “The heart of God is with the poor. You have 30 days to know the heart of God.”