Neighborhood Ministries

The poor were a small and isolated problem which did not effect the majority of America. However, the prosperity after the Second World War brought the problem to mainstream America. Many women worked in the factories while the men were overseas fighting. Afterward, Europe’s industry was destroyed and America was called to supply the world with manufactured goods.  The high demand for workers led many women to return to work in pursuit of the dream of a house in the country. With both parents working, children got very little of their parent’s time and many spent a lot of time in daycare. Many felt abandoned and rebelled against capitalism which they felt stole their parents.  Some went to live in communes, but they and others also rejected Christian values like the importance of family and the rule of law., which dominated society.  An increasing number of kids refused to marry or have kids. Russia during the Cold War knew it could not overthrow America and so began to undermine it.  It used the media to undermine Christian values by flooding the media with sex and unmarried characters.  They began infiltrating the schools through liberal textbooks and later with sex education teaching free love protected by contraceptives and abortion. Women’s equality groups which had sought to protect women and the family were replaced by women’s liberation groups promoting personal achievement through freedom from family responsibilities and rules protecting the family. Gay rights groups sought to redefine the family to gain respectability and break down traditional male-female roles which later expanded to push the transgender movement. By redefining gender roles, it destroyed the family structure needed to train children to become adults. Many of the problems we face today have resulted from the breakdown of the family.

Value of Family  America grew into a strong nation and eventually became the greatest country in the world due to the strong Christian values  but those values were transmitted through the family and the church which formed a supporting family. They were also supported by the schools which reenforced those  values. When Americans first went west, they left their family, schools, and churches behind. Life was untamed and brutal. However as families followed and began to be established, they built churches and schools which supported the family values and brought order to the West. Black people have had a hard time establishing themselves because of the past. Slave owners often divided families to allow them to train the children to be obedient slaves and prevent rebellion. After slaves were freed, Southern states enforced Jim Crow laws to deny Black men work so families were supported by the mothers. Without any experience in family living, Black men felt no reason to marry or any responsibility for their family if they married. While some are able to establish stable marriages, many have not been able to. Welfare has also contributed to the continued difficulty establishing stable families. Welfare rules required the husband leave the home so the wife could get help. While it primarily effected Black families because discrimination prevented men from getting good paying jobs, it also effected many poor Whites. By disrupting the family, it led to perpetuating poverty and has been the primary reason we have not been able to wipe out poverty.