“Jesus was a Low Wage Worker”: Reading the Bible in the Living Wage Movement

Abstract

Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament illustrate a concern for economic situations of the poor, but how can these concerns become primary for contemporary Christians. One way is to read the mandates of Scripture through the lens of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR). The UNDHR provides a framework for reading an emphasis of human rights within the biblical texts—especially as it relates to providing a living wage for workers today.