the unbribed soul

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the Law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
1 Corinthians 9:19-22

I read this verse this morning and remembered my thoughts on how hard it is for the rich to help those in poverty because they don't live with them. They do not suffer the same things they suffer. They do not know their life and yet they judge it. If Christians really wanted to reach the poor with the news of the gospel...the good news....wouldn't they need to become like one of them. How are we suppose to live our lives so as to be an example to others if we never come in contact with those who are not white middle class Christians.

Are we afraid of poverty?
William James once wrote: "Among us English-speaking peoples especially do the praises of poverty need once more to be boldly sung. We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition. We have lost the power even of imagining what the ancient realization of poverty could have meant; the liberation from material attachments, the unbribed soul, the manlier indifference, the paying our way by what we are and not by what we have, the right to fling away our life at any moment irresponsibly, the more athletic trim, in short, fighting shape."

Have we as Christians told ourselves that the bible says to work hard and thus when we have plenty and more than plenty it is God's blessing. Or is it that we have bought into the American dream and just slapped the cover of "biblical truth" on it? Are we afraid of being poor? Are we afraid of becoming or entering into the lives of people "different" than us in order to live among them while retaining our own values and beliefs? Could there be a greater sense of freedom from materialism and corporate mandate in poverty, something so many people look down upon?

Comments welcome.