Why is James Fiercely Anti-Rich?

Why is the book of James fiercely anti-rich?

From The Message translation, James 1:9:

"When the down-and-outers get a break, cheer!  And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer!"

According to Luke, Jesus was also fiercely anti-rich; a sample of his teaching:  "Woe to the rich"---the unrepentant rich be damned.  And he called the sacred Temple, "a den of robbers" run by a rich religious elite.

James, the half brother of Jesus, agrees with Jesus; James exposes and explains why in greater detail in 5:16:

"And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament.  You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you.  Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink.  Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within.  You thought you were piling up wealth.  What you've piled up is judgment.

"All the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment.  The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger.  You've looted the earth and lived it up.  But all you'll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse.  In fact, what you've done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it."

With this powerful passage as a background, James two will make more sense.  James is anti rich because the rich are usually greedy oppressors; one exception can be found in the book of Acts 4:32-35 where the newly converted, Spirit-filled rich sold houses and lands, then gave the proceeds to the church to feed the poor.  Should the American church also be anti-rich?  Is it now?  Should the Second Reformation be anti-rich oppressors?

At the end of chapter one, James distinguishes between worthless, hot air religion and pure, real religion---genuine biblical Christianity that combines spirituality and justice.  1:27 "visit the widows and orphans in their affliction" better translated "minister among/release the oppressed poor."

Immediately James (2:1-7) scorches the churches for acting like the godless world.  The church was showing favoritism, partiality, discrimination, segregation; it was honoring the rich oppressors and disrespecting the oppressed poor.

God, on the other hand, honors the poor.  "He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. . . .And here you are abusing these same citizens."

How stupid can you be?  Are you religious idiots? "Isn't it the rich who oppress you?"  So why in the world do you honor the rich in your churches?

Solutions

Love the oppressed poor; how about spending a generation rebuilding one community.

Combine faith and works; combine God-talk and God-acts.

Do works of Jubilee justice that release the oppressed; they need much more than fragments of justice.

The acid test:  Is our gospel RELEASING THE OPPRESSED?  See Isaiah 58:6 and Luke 4:18.