The Classic Crime in Haiti

Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 2 Corinthians 8:11

One of my favorite bands in the past five years is a rock outfit from Seattle called The Classic Crime. From the first time I heard their inspiring rock anthem “Who Needs Air“, this band’s passion for life, love, and music has had my attention.

I recently learned that they don’t display their passion just through music, but through their actions as well. Before the earthquake crisis in Haiti, all five members of The Classic Crime decided to visit the country on a short-term mission trip. They went with the intention to serve along Jesus in Haiti Ministries and shine light on the need that people in Haiti have. (Read more about Jesus in Haiti Ministries at www.jesusinhaiti.org.)

Upon returning to Seattle, the band created a four-part video series highlighting their time in Haiti. All of this was done on their own dime, with no financial assistance from their record label or other third party. The band even went as far as to purchase the rights to their upcoming album from their record label, then partner with Zambooie to donate 100% of all record sales to the earthquake efforts in Haiti.

I have always been inspired by this band’s music, but today I am inspired by their sacrifice. They are by no means mega rockstars with luxurious lives who can easily afford to do this kind of thing. Yet, they saw the need and gave of what they had. I won’t say too much on this, but wouldn’t it be beautiful if all of us would respond to injustice as they did and made personal sacrifices for the benefit of others?

If you are a fan of alternative rock, passionate music, or want an excuse to give $10 more to Haiti relief, I would encourage you to check out The Classic Crime and pre-order their album Vagabonds here: The Classic Crime Pre-Order.

Below you’ll find the first of their four videos recapping their trip to Haiti. Check out the rest of their trip at their YouTube channel.

Resisting Macrocharity

Recently in the Indy Twittersphere and other media, I’ve been seeing a decent amount of conversation about the United Way Campaign. Each year, the United Way of Central Indiana raises several million dollars that go to benefit some truly amazing charities. The UWCI isn’t the only organization doing great things here in Indianapolis. Wheeler Mission, Gleaners Food Bank, and Salvation Army are just a few here in town that are able to serve those in need through the generous giving of others.

Giving to each of these organizations can never be a bad thing, but there’s an issue that arises from giving to them. The simple act of writing Wheeler Mission a check once a month serves to create a comfortable layer between us and the poor and homeless, all the while making us feel good about our charity. For most people, this layer of separation has been reinforced throughout our lives. After all, there’s a reason that your mom used to say, “There are starving children in Africa!” instead of “There are starving children just down the street!” when you refused to eat your brussels sprouts.

The majority of us, including myself, have distanced ourselves (geographically and emotionally) from having to see or experience poverty and suffering. As a substitute, we’ve engaged in what some call macrocharity, meaning that we give to a large organization instead of giving on a more personal level. Macrocharity is a good and noble thing, but it hinders us from experiencing what we’re fully called to: community. When Jesus tells us that “The poor will always be with you”, he isn’t telling us that we should accept that poverty will always exist. He’s telling us that the poor should be with us and we should be in community with them. Really, we should be experiencing community with all people, but I believe Jesus knew that it would be easy for us to distance ourselves from the poor.

When we make the decision to shorten that distance that we’ve put between ourselves and the poor, we’re able to see the humanity and the true needs of those people that most of us desire to help. Then, we get the opportunity to directly love, serve, and learn from those that most people have writen off. And we don’t love and serve because they are poor, but because they are people that are worth loving and who can challenge us in ways that others can’t.

The struggle to resist macrocharity can be a difficult but beautiful thing. As author Shane Claiborne says in Irresistible Revolution, “We wrestle to free ourselves from macrocharity and distant acts of charity that serve to legitimize apathetic lifestyles of good intentions but rob us of the gift of community.” Once we make the choice to see those in need as brothers and sisters who belong in community with us, we can begin to fully live what Jesus has commanded us: Love your neighbor.