Peter Buffet questions the Charity Industrial Complex.

Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.

As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.” It’s what I would call “conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.

But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.

He has a point. If there are structural barriers in our society that keep people from escaping poverty, charity will not solve anything. The question is how to foster real structural change in our economic system.

I’m really not calling for an end to capitalism; I’m calling for humanism.

Although he does not define humanism, I suspect he means greater value being placed on social capital rather than just profit margins and market value. Capitalism with a heart for the folks at the bottom of the economic ladder. Philanthropy can then become an engine for innovation and opportunities for people to escape poverty.

It all sounds a little pie-in-the-sky for my tastes. If greed is the only virtue in the market, we wind up with capitalism that exploits and grinds the soul out of the people without much capital. That is America in the 21st century. If not greed, what will motivate the private sector to consider the human costs of corporate policies? To insure that wealth is shared down to even the lowest paid employees rather than  hoarded in board rooms? Buffet is right to suggest we need less charity in a social justice-oriented society because less need and suffering are created at the hands of privileged. But where does the moral compass come from in this utopia?

This is where the body of Christ should come in. We should be a powerful voice against greed and materialism. We should demand economic justice for all in our society, particularly for those struggling with poverty. The Jesus we see in the Gospels makes it crystal clear what he expects from his disciples. I would not want to guess how many Christians in America The Lord sees that love wealth as much as God, if not much more.

The trouble, of course, is that we who make up the body in Christ have been the dominant moral compass in America for a long time. The Rapturists are mistaken if they think encountering the one true God will be an experience of glorious bliss. Would you really want to explain to the Lord of lords, King of kings, why our country is riddled with lust for gold while we ignore the suffering of our neighbors and squander the resources of creation? Love God and others, right? Everything follows from these two ideas said Jesus. Perhaps the Rapturists think they love God more than materialism and treat their fellow Rapturists with love and respect. I have my doubts whether the Lord will look on many of us with approval and pride, regardless of the brand of Christianity we have sworn our allegiance.

Let's take stock of our fruit. Survey after survey has shown that younger generations in America are turning away from organized religion in droves. The reason is simple -  they do not see Christ in us. They do not see a chorus of voices against social and economic injustices. They do not see compassion for the suffering of others. Yet they do see high profile religious leaders take to the streets about sexual morality. They do not see Christianity as instrumental to a fair and just society.

Buffet is right to question the sincerity and effectiveness of charity. If charity means throwing the poor just enough crumbs to survive but never escape poverty, then it truly is a failure of our moral imagination. So how do we improve our moral imagination? Buffet never addressed that question.