“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”

Christians of good conscience have always lent their hand to those in the most need. You’re more likely to find hospitals and orphanages named after saints (St. Luke’s, St. Jude’s) than ones after even the most famous atheists or agnostics. Can you imagine a Christopher Hitchens Hospital or Bertrand Russell Home for Children?

Every week a Korean Church in San Francisco brings hamburgers and coffee to people experiencing homelessness. Throughout the winter they give out gloves and scarves and every year before Christmas they distribute hundreds of expensive jackets. If they don’t have your size, they’ll go out and buy one. In fact, they bought a bus to pick up homeless people and bring them to their church Bible Study. Afterward they bring them to their homes to feed them or buy them a meal in a restaurant. A homeless friend of mine, an atheist (to date), said to me, “These people are the nicest people I’ve ever met! A fascinating group of people to be around.” Blessed are the merciful!

[An excerpt from WHAT ON EARTH? Considering the Social Implications of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount]