(February 23, 2000) -- A theologian who is an Old Testament professor from India told a Seminary audience this week that congregations and church leaders need to advocate for vigorous anti-poverty agendas where they serve.

"When a church decides to spend $450,000 to build a park or fix expensive stained glass windows, they need to ask themselves how those resources might otherwise be spent," said Dr. James Vijayakumar, a visiting theologian at Lancaster Theological Seminary. "Those resources could feed a lot of people." Vijayakumar, who chairs the Department of Biblical Studies at the United Theological College in Bangalore, India, was lead presenter for the Spring Lecture Series at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

Referring to a biblical mandate to "bring the message of salvation to all children no matter where they are through all the ends of the earth," Vijayakumar referred to the rapidly growing gap around the world between rich and poor. The gap has "rich western nations fully excited" by the globalization of market economies. But in what Vijayakumar called a "scandal of the Gospel," one-third of the world's population lives in dehumanized conditions, totally unable to benefit from the fruits of their labors. He said a majority of those in the grips of poverty "see no way of recovering and face a frightened future."

Citing United Nations statistics, Vijayakumar said the poorest 20 percent of the world's population has access to only 1.3 percent of the world's buying power. Whereas the 20 percent on the opposite end of the economic scale, consume 86 percent of the world's goods.

In an address liberally punctuated with Old and New Testament biblical references, Vijayakumar said the mission of Christ calls for all people to "have life and have it abundantly no matter where they are" (John 10:10). Congregations and leaders need to constantly remind themselves to work aggressively toward that end. He spoke on "The Mission of the Church and the Poor Agenda." The theme for the Seminary spring series is "Mission in the New Century."

"The primary condition causing an absence of fullness is poverty," Vijayakumar said. Yet when believers try to make sense out of the plurality of cultures and how that plurality interfaces with the Gospel "the economic sphere isn't included. The issue of poverty is often kept on the sidelines," he said.

The vision of God for God's people as traced in Isaiah calls for a "radical leveling" where "valleys are lifted and mountains made low" in order that all the world's people may live on even ground. Such a vision needs to take into account repairing the devastation of ruined lives produced by the effects of colonialism and neo-colonialism with "written-off places readied for the way of the Lord."

Nothing short of a "conversion both within and without" will suffice, involving the mission of faith communities, Vijayakumar said.

He said in response to an audience question that he does not believe that churches investing heavily in themselves are comprised of "bad people…But they need to recognize that how they live their lives can lead to changes elsewhere. An authentic life lived in one place can make life more livable for a child elsewhere."

Vijayakumar taught briefly at the Seminary in the mid-a990s as a visiting professor. These days at Lancaster, he is providing leadership for that Seminary's cross-cultural program under a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.