The Fear of Beggars: Stewardship and Poverty in Christian Ethics (Eerdmans Ekklesia Series

by Kelly S. Johnson

Why, asks Kelly Johnson, does Christian ethics so rarely tackle the real-life question of whether to give to beggars? Examining both classical economics and Christian stewardship ethics as reactions to medieval debates about the role of mendicants in the church and in wider society, Johnson reveals modern anxiety about dependence and humility as well as the importance of Christian attempts to rethink property relations in ways that integrate those qualities. She studies the rhetoric and thought of Christian thinkers, beggar saints, and economists from throughout history, placing greatest emphasis on the life and work of Peter Maurin, a cofounder of the Catholic Worker movement. Challenging and thought-provoking, The Fear of Beggars will move Christian economic ethics into a richer, more involved discussion.

Genres: Theology, Poverty, Economics

246 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2007

Reviews

[Daniel Rempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started strong, almost lost me in the middle, and then finished with a bang, masterfully tying all the threads together.

The “big idea” (one which I do think gets lost along the way) is that the Christian tradition cannot be understood through globalized property rights, but rather that the Christian’s challenge to economics comes on a person-to-person level, exemplified in the practice of friendship. Beggars, in this sense, are the foil which allows Johnson to get under the skin of Christian economic thought, for they pose a unique challenge and calling to those encountering them, one which can only be answered in these intense, personal interactions.

tl;dr: the scandal of particularity is strong with this one.

[David Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly Johnson in Fear of Beggars describes rather winsomely the life.and thought of Pater Maurin, the great hobo mentor of Dorothy Day.

[Kristina Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I opted to read this book to inform my final project on a Christian ethic of economic poverty for a seminary class. I was disappointed. This felt like a disjointed slog through very carefully curated figures and moments in Church history, with the bottom line being: St. Francis = good (though his movement, less so!), Wesley = bad, and Peter Maurin = our ideal example of a mercy-centered poverty ethic. Three stars because I feel thoroughly informed about each moment in economic-theological history, but without any real cohesive ethical framework to chew on as I walk away.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for Christian Ethics class in seminary and was quite put off by it. Johnson uses a Franciscan ethic of poverty to take a bat to an ethic of stewardship, and John Wesley is her chief tackling dummy (of course, he is linked up to that evil founder of capitalism, Adam Smith). On the whole the question of why we "fear" (more accurately, are made uncomfortable by) beggars is an interesting one and she challenges us to think through a Christian response to povery in some helpful ways.

However, Johnson's reading of Wesly's view of stewardship misses the mark to a great degree - he died with almost nothing to his name because his idea was that all of it belonged to God anyway - and so the stewardship boogeyman (properly nuanced) is not the monster she claims. It is excellent reading for the "I'm-more-radical-than-you" club, but beyond that will hold little interest for most.

[Terry Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An academic read more for the theorist than for someone working with folks on the streets.