Good Samaritan

I have a post at my FandF blog on why are Christians Conservatives.

This brought up another idea:

What has happened to Christian Charity?

• Biggest reason is the cost of television broadcasts. Ambitious pastors today aren't happy unless they're on the boob tube. That doesn't leave much left over for helping the poor. When I was music director at a church on the other side of the mountain, since it was located close to I-40 it had a budget for helping stranded motorists. They had an acc0unt at the Shakeys where the church could approve meals and a tank of gas. They also from time to time helped out with repairs through a local repair shop. Do mega churches do that today?
• When the major theological tenet is the Second Coming and world destruction, why help the less fortunate?
• The culture war has created a them versus us attitude and you don't aid the enemy.
• Lastly, thinking about the parable Jesus taught known as the good Samaritan. In this story a man is beaten, robbed and left to die. Three religious leaders ignored him with only the lowly and despised Samaritan offering aid. One point I heard a preacher say once, was that the reason the Samaritan stopped and helped is because of all those who saw the man, he was the only one knew what it was like to be beaten. Does the prosperity gospel and perhaps our country's high standard of living make us blind to the plight of others?