God is concerned about economics?

So what does the above illustration from a recent Brookings Institution finding tell us about our city? At first glance it tells us two things at a minimum. First, the economy in our area has done a good job of expanding and adding jobs. Hooray. That is certainly something to be applauded. There are many areas of our nation that have not fared nearly as well. (I'm feelin' ya' Detroit.)

Second, these findings tell us while our economy has done relatively well, the benefit has not been felt proportionally throughout the area's population. If you live within 3 miles of the city center, you are living under very different circumstances than the rest of the area. What we basically see is that, in comparing a resident of downtown Birmingham and one from an area in Northern Shelby County particularly when it comes to issues of economic opportunity, we might as well be looking at two different countries. Many of these residents are then hit with a myriad of issues which snowball out from jobs moving further and further from where they live.

Elizabeth Kneebone, researcher for the Brookings Institute study, listed some of the following adverse effects of having a job market sprawling over a larger geographic area.

• Infrastructure. In diffuse, low-density development, the cost of water and sewers may be 20 to 40 percent higher than for high-density development. And the urban core may be left with a depleted tax base that cannot support existing infrastructure and services.

• Transportation. Growth without limits along interstates and commercial corridors like U.S. 280 fails to integrate residential and business uses, and leads to longer commuting times and road congestion. It also prevents efficient and profitable public transportation.

• Access. Decentralization separates under-employed workers from better job opportunities.

• Innovation. Lower-density development means less interaction between businesses and may reduce idea sharing and innovation.

• Energy consumption. Lower-density development increases the overall number of vehicle miles driven each year, making the per-person "carbon footprint" of a metro region greater.

How do we live out the implications of the gospel in such a way that it impacts not only what we do on Sunday mornings, but also how our local job market looks? How can we strive to take the Bible's words about the poor, the orphan, the widow, the alien and actually live it out in such a way that a watching world sits up and takes notice? People expect the church to talk about "spiritual things", but when the church stands up and begins to speak with Biblical authority on issues like economics, job creation, and social justice people likely will truly begin to pay attention, even if it at first it is only out of shock!

May we be a church that redeems shock value for the purposes of the gospel of Jesus Christ.