Acts of the Apostles & Guaranteed Livable Income

 

The Believers Share Their Possessions

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, 

and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, 

but everything they owned was held in common. 

With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, 

and great grace was upon them all. 

There was not a needy person among them, 

for as many as owned lands or houses sold them

 and brought the proceeds of what was sold.

                                                    Acts 4:32-34

Yesterday we watched the worship service from our congregation, Trenton United, since in-person worship has been suspended during the provincial lock-down. The Rev. Isaac Mundy, our son, offered a thoughtful, helpful, and Christian reflection on a Guaranteed Livable Income. Isaac read the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, which is the lectionary reading for this day. It  describes how the first Christians become raving socialists because of the Good News of the Resurrection -- I hope you can see my tongue in cheek here. 

Isaac shared how he and colleagues are preparing podcasts on Guaranteed Livable Income including interviews with different people who have studied the concept and its implementation of ensuring that all Canadians have a level of income which allows the basic needs of life to be addressed. Rather than the piecemeal social welfare programs we have now, this would allow recipients to make choices which would them dignity and allow them to return to the workforce, where that is possible.

It turns out that the federal Liberals were holding a convention this weekend and delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution to implement a Guaranteed Livable Income in Canada. While I'm not holding my breath on this coming to immediate fruition, it's important that the party in power has acknowledged the importance of this concept. Some have suggested that the pandemic has shown the value of such a program, and not just in times of crisis. 

We know that the enthusiasm of those first century Christians changed their world. Sadly, through the centuries the church became an institution which ignored the call to create an equitable society. We can hope that communities of faith can be the leaven in the loaf for positive change in the 21st century. 

Here are links to United Church resources and yesterday's worship service at Trenton UC.which includes a portion of one of the podcast Interviews. 

https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/create-guaranteed-livable-income-program

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5PQQx0i_A