Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Study Guide | Page 11

CHRISTIAN STUDY GUIDE – 2014 HUNGER REPORT

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SESSION 5: REDUCING SOCIAL EXCLUSION
The Word
Read Lev 13:45-46 and Matthew 8:1-4
The dream of God is for all to be included. But in Jesus’ time as in ours, people who were
considered to pose a threat to the community, to carry an infectious disease, or to simply be
troublemakers were kept apart from the community. The 13th Chapter of Leviticus describes
in detail the process by which priests should decide whether people with leprous sores should
be included in the community or excluded—in the words of Leviticus 13:46, sent to live “outside the camp.” Priests could also restore people to community if their sores disappeared.
So, when Jesus healed a leper as described in Matthew 8, he not only solved a physical or
spiritual problem, he also made it possible for disenfranchised members of society to return
to their communities. Jesus healed, made whole, and reintegrated into society lepers, a hemorrhaging woman, and many people with “unclean spirits.”
1. Who in your community is set apart (in group homes, hospitals, prisons, or other facilities, or out on the street)?
2. What would it take for them to be more fully included in the community?
3. How does your church minister with and to people who are “outside the camp”?

The Issue
People on the margins of society need more than a full employment economy in order to
overcome hunger and poverty. Without attempting to make a complete survey of all those
who are marginalized, the Hunger Report describes how social exclusion compounds the
problem of hunger for people with disabilities, ex-offenders/returning citizens, at-risk youth,
and our most vulnerable seniors. The report also shows how programs meant to help special
populations can sometimes disconnect them further from the community. It argues for both
safety nets and programs that minimize social exclusion.
1. Who in your community would need extra support, even if jobs that pay a living wage
were plentiful?
2. What is a community’s responsibility to care for all its members? How can communities
be encouraged to live up to and even expand these responsibilities?

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