On the Anniversary of Katrina: What Would Jesus (Re-)Build?

Mega-millions for huge new church sanctuaries and superdomes OR provide housing, jobs, health and other services for the poor, displaced, elderly, sick, youth, abused, foster children, homeless, disabled, veterans?

In my own southern small-town, rural, blood-red county which has few if any real services for those populations, I see an evangelical fundamentalist baptist church building a multi-million dollar grander bigger taller sanctuary -- adding onto their just-a- few-years old already largest-in-the-county church -- all right across the street from a defunct, now-closed small assisted living home for the elderly and disabled.

It's the kind of glory-monument-bigger-is-better-proof-of-our-power thing that has been a trend for the past 30 years throughout our land. Apparently Katrina, among many other things, simply hasn't made a dent in that way of thinking or behaving.

And while the housing crisis deepens, even for 'the suburbs (here, too)' what about the fact that poverty has increased while wages decreased (wages as well as health and pension benefits for workers and working class people --all but the top tier elite) ever since Bush and the rabid right took control 6 years ago.

I just have to wonder: what would Jesus do and say about all that?