Christians should reject media advertising and desire for ever-increasing standard of living. Even though the GNP of the U.S. is the highest of any nation, our charitable giving lags behind other Western countries. God is not a Marxist, but hates it when people amass wealth specifically by oppressing the poor. God's non-bias influences His hatred of this economic injustice. Economic Relationships Among the People of God Sider contends that God designed Jubilee, the sabbatical year for land, and tithing and gleaning as means to equalize ownership of property and access to adequate food-supply.
Possessions are dangerous, and cause idolatry and covetousness.
However, even if we Northerners have no role in maintaining LDC poverty, we still must help the poor. He also gives many good examples of ways to spend less and places to direct those extra funds. He cites examples of successful house-church programs where Christians experience far deeper accountability and spiritual growth than is the norm. This chapter does contain some good advice, but the tone is that we all ought to be policing each other, rather than examining ourselves as Scripture asserts. But Sider seems primarily interested in punishing the church for the misery in the Third World, rather than blaming the structures in the LDCs themselves that oppress their own people.