Maybe he needs to read it again

Brian Zahnd, here:

[W]hat does the Bible ask of me? Voluntary poverty? Not necessarily.

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What part of "sell what you've got and give it away" don't you understand?

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

-- Luke 12:33

What Do The UK Guardian And First Things Have In Common?

Both websites ruthlessly reject comments like the good little fascists they are.

Whether it's political religion or the real thing, ideologues invariably behave the same way in silencing their respective oppositions.

Pope Francis Thinks Poverty Is An Option: "I Want A Church Which Is Poor"

The pope comes near to the kingdom of God:

198. For the Church, the option for the poor is primarily a theological category rather than a cultural, sociological, political or philosophical one. God shows the poor “his first mercy”.[163] This divine preference has consequences for the faith life of all Christians, since we are called to have “this mind… which was in Jesus Christ” (Phil 2:5). Inspired by this, the Church has made an option for the poor which is understood as a “special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity, to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness”.[164] This option – as Benedict XVI has taught – “is implicit in our Christian faith in a God who became poor for us, so as to enrich us with his poverty”.[165] This is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us. Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, but in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves be evangelized by them. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the centre of the Church’s pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.

-- Evangelii Gaudium, 11/24/2013

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When will the church actually divest itself of everything and become the poor instead of objectifying the poor and viewing poverty as an option, preference or priority for itself?

"So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."

-- Luke 14:33

Not even Stanley Hauerwas (here) considers that in "The End of Charity".

The church has still not come to terms with the fact that the foundation laid by the apostles has a giant crack in it.

Jesus Charged The Disciples To Become Poor, But They Eventually Objectified The Poor As "Other"

James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

-- Galatians 2:9f.

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

-- Luke 14:33

Evangelical Timothy George Calls Lincoln The Most Spiritually Minded American President

Well, the devil was spiritually minded, too.

Here: 

Though Abraham Lincoln was neither baptized nor joined a church of any kind, he was the most spiritually minded president in American history. His faith was wrought on the anvil of anguish, both personal and national, and because of this he has much to teach us in our own age of anxiety.

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Why is it that religious people today are so quick to venerate the American model of authoritarianism, the man who arguably ended the Republic, invaded the South, presided over the mass murder of fellow citizens, set the precedent for the meaninglessness of citizenship in the age of Obama and Anwar al-Awlaki (just as imperial Nero slew Roman citizen Paul of Tarsus), and refounded the nation on the basis of a few ideological principles and executive power which did nothing but alienate the Constitution from the Declaration? 

The "spiritual" views of the founding generation of enthusiasts found opposition to such tyranny completely synonymous with obedience to God, but we are largely found on the other side of the argument today.

They wouldn't know us, and if they did they'd take up arms against us. 

Without The Bible, Vices Become Our Virtues, Tyrants Our Liberators

Cristina Odone, here:

The extraordinary, subversive book, with its lessons on charity, compassion and respect for others inspired generations to rebel against tyrannies of all kinds – dictators, addictions, vices. Men and women dedicated their lives to its teachings – and were ready to die for it. But today it seems that a host of martyrs lost their lives in vain: the Bible is just another book that sold more than the Hunger Games trilogy at some point.

Both Thieves Revile Jesus In Matthew And Mark, But Not So In Luke

Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads ... Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said ... The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

-- Matthew 27:38, 39, 41, 44 

Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

-- Mark 15:32

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

-- Luke 23:39ff.

Have You Ever Noticed The Gnostic-Like Esotericism Of Calvinism?

Here's a recent example:

As I said, I've only slowly come around to the Reformed tradition. It's taken years of reading different texts, working through heavy issues in metaphysics, thinking deeply through implications of the Creator/creature distinction, and coming to appreciate the Reformed tradition beyond its soteriology. I was brought into its richer tradition of spirituality through an appreciation of its emphasis on a constellation of biblical doctrines like revelation, union with Christ, providence, the atonement, and the Lord's Supper, which form the proper background for its teaching on election.

That process didn't happen in a vacuum, though. A couple patient buddies embodied helpful humility toward me as I worked through the issues. They were quick to celebrate the truths we shared together. They argued graciously with me at the right times but never questioned my faith or intelligence. They pointed me to good resources and were willing to read some of the ones to which I pointed them. Essentially they took the time to hear and understand my problems as we discussed. More than that, they honestly tried to extend the free grace that they believed they'd received from God through no merit of their own. ...

Let me put it this way: if you're really a Calvinist and believe you've received knowledge of the truth by the sheer grace of God, which is what a Reformed view of knowledge teaches, then be patient with those who don't see it. God has been (and is currently being) patient with you in some area as well. So stop sneering and ask God to humble you enough to be helpful to those offended at or wrestling with those doctrines you now hold dear.

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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

-- Matthew 3:7

Some religions are more complicated than others.

No One Should Ever Have Too Much Good

Nemesis

"But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation."

-- Luke 6:24