Stimulus stewardship

Biblical times show evidence of charity for the plight of the poor and needy. The Greeks gave as a matter of being the honorable thing to do. The Romans gave wheat without expectation of getting anything in return. When the empire ultimately fell, they may have had second thoughts since the poor Romans preferred staying at home and eating free food rather than joining the army.

The stewardship standards from the Judaic-Christian tradition of giving to the poor and needy essentially has had the greatest impact today with America’s politicians, most of whom are from this tradition. The reasons for altruistic giving range from appreciation to God for his blessings to social- cultural expectations to simply feeling good about yourself. There is also the belief that everyone has something to give, even the poor, to preserve self-dignity.