A buzz phrase among many evangelicals and within the Christian Church today is the expression “poverty alleviation”. For many Christians this topic elicits a plethora of thoughts, ideas and actions that are often associated with the command to reach out and care for the “least of these” (Mat. 25:40). Many Christians are well aware of the over 400 verses in the Bible that identify God’s concern for the poor. Christians understand that God is a Father to the Fatherless (Psalm 68:5), a deliverer of the needy and the afflicted (Psalm 72:12), and a God who secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy (Psalm 140:12). The God of the Bible is an active, protective, fatherly God who sees the poor as precious in his sight (Psalm 72:14). So how do Christians live out these commands and help the poor to embrace God’s plan for their life? What actions can Christians take to combat poverty and empower the poor to change and reach their potential?
In the February 2012 issue of Christianity Today, an informative article entitled “Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor” points out some very succinct ways to be cost effective in outreach and service to the poor. Not only does this article help enlighten Christians on how to be well-informed when giving money to poverty alleviation efforts, but it also re-enforces the very important and biblical concept of stewardship. With that said, I would like to take a moment to dive deeper into this concept from a little different angle. Not only should Christians seek to care and serve the poor in their immediate circumstances, but there should also be an emphasis on creating a long-term sustainable answer that will change the poor for generations to come.
PRODUCTS OF OUR CULTURE
As citizens of the United States and a product of a very secularist culture, many U.S. Christians struggle with a materialistic worldview. Materialism rests on the presumption that the universe is comprised of one substance and one substance only – physical matter. Thus, a materialistic worldview perspective focuses on the physical world and brings a heightened emphasis towards material resources such as money, technology and natural resources. Such a paradigm puts great emphasis on development strategies that garner the transfer of material resources as the answer to poverty alleviation. This perspective often leads to such ideas as “the most effective way to eliminate poverty is to give the poor enough money or material resources so they won’t be poor anymore.” Simply stated, poverty alleviation or development efforts with a materialistic worldview focus on the transfer of wealth, resources, technology and know how from the more well-off to the less well-off. This philosophy in many ways has become the unconscious focal point of current day poverty efforts. Accompany this culturally bred concept with the need for emotional gratification (another weakness of the U.S. culture) and the result is millions of dollars being given yearly, by well-intentioned Christians, towards poverty efforts that exclusively deal with the consequences and not the roots of poverty. The reality is there are millions of hungry, sick, and abandoned people in the world and Christians have a responsibility to reach them. The challenge for current day churches, organizations and individuals is how to do this in the most effective manner that utilizes a biblical worldview to create long-term transformation.
POVERTY AT ITS ROOTS
When discussing the term poverty, it is vital for Christians to approach the dialogue from a biblical perspective. Though our American cultural has told us that poverty is the result of the lack of material resources, I believe the Bible sees poverty as a deeper issue. Human beings, God’s crown jewel of creation, have profound potential and value. The place this potential often falls short is through the fallen nature of man first brought about through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. With the entrance of sin came the reality of spiritual, emotional and physical poverty, a complex and devastating result that continues to afflict the world today. The poverty of man is grounded in the brokenness of his four key relationships established by God from the beginning. The most obvious and detrimental broken relationship is man’s separation from God. Separation from God and brokenness in this primary relationship has both severe current and eternal consequences. Next is man’s brokenness with others, himself, and all of God’s creation. These four relationships are characteristic of all humans, each made in the image of their Creator. Therefore, poverty as defined by Bryant Myers in Walking with the Poor (pg 86) is “a result of relationships that do not work (are broken), that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable.” The consequence of this holistic brokenness manifests itself in a multifaceted poverty that can cause pain and grief in all aspects of individual, family, and societal life. Many of the examples of poverty that exist in the world today (hunger, enslavement, sickness) are a direct result of broken relationships that have brought about corruption or oppression, therefore, resulting in severe poverty.
On the flip side, when viewing poverty from a biblical perspective one recognizes that material wealth does not bring holistic poverty alleviation. The secularist worldview that promotes the stockpiling of money and material resources may provide for physical necessities, but it does not reconcile our broken relationships. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are suffering from severe spiritual and social poverties. The brokenness they are experiencing from being separated from God has lead to a life without purpose, wrecked marriages and shattered relationships. The decay is there and is often masked by material wealth and worldly recognition. The reality is this. Without the reconciliation power of Jesus Christ, man continues to live in a spiraling state of spiritual, emotional, and physical poverty.
Hope is not lost. Christians believe that the blood of Jesus was shed to redeem mankind and “reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col. 1:20). When a person submits his life to the Lordship of Jesus a restoration process begins. Hope for the brokenness of his relationships in all capacities is restored. What Christians must also realize is that poverty is a deep rooted issue in cultural and societal worldviews. For this reason, the immediate impact on physical poverty is many times not apparent. Poverty, in many cases is a generational issue, re-enforced through lies that have destroyed and debilitated one’s ability to grow and develop his potential. Many of those living in severe material poverty have developed a fatalistic mindset that breeds hopelessness for any sort of change or cure to their current condition. They live with little optimism of things being any different than the way they have always been. Therefore, Christians who toil at the deepest levels of poverty alleviation must be advised that overcoming physical poverty takes time, effort and great intentionality. However, in the midst of these obstacles is recognition of God’s life- changing power. The faith of a Christian is rooted in the assurance that as man submits, God restores, promise returns, behaviors are changed and poverty (from a biblical perspective) can slowly be alleviated.
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
Not all physical poverty is equal. The child dying of starvation, the widow desperate for medicine or care, or the family displaced by famine, hurricane or earthquake is in need of immediate action. Christians must not wait. Christians must react with due diligence and passion to serve and care for the immediate physical needs of these individuals. With each bowl of rice served, and every dose of medicine given, Christians must realize that a greater message is being spoken. This is a message of hope and reconciliation. A message that declares that all men have been made in the image of God and have infinite value, dignity and purpose. As Christians serve they must also connect. The Christian aspiration should be to not only connect the individual to the love of Jesus but also connect them to an entity that can walk with them through the hardships of life and disciple them in the promise offered through Jesus Christ on the cross. Enter the local church.
EMPOWERING THE LOCAL CHURCH
The moment Adam rebelled against God in the Garden everything God created became corrupt. Since that moment God has been redeeming the carnage that began with Adam, resolving the brokenness and restoring all things to himself. By following the Apostle Paul’s dialogue in Ephesians chapters 1-3 one realizes the important role of the church. Ephesians 1:22-23 states “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in everyway.” As believers in Christ, the church (local and global, individual and corporate) should be a representative of God’s fullness in everything and in every way. The church should be the most compelling poverty alleviation advocate that exists! The church will never be perfect, but this is God’s intention as revealed to Believers through the apostle Paul.
Paul continues this thought in Ephesians 3:10, “His intent was that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” The Oxford Dictionary defines “manifold” as: “many and various, having many different forms or elements.” The wisdom of God is multi-dimensional, expansive and seeks to include the restoration of all that was broken in the fall. As the church obeys Christ’s purpose, it administers his agenda and declares the manifold wisdom of God. This results in some major ecclesiastical implications! I believe the scriptures are clear, that God desires to accomplish His redemptive purposes through using the church (local and global, individual and corporate).
Since the local church is composed of sinful people, it is not without flaws. However, one should realize that this is the agent that God has utilized to demonstrate and carry out His intentions. As Christians seek to eliminate and combat poverty, they should also realize the important role the church has in this process. Whether it is a group of local believers united together to make a difference or an organized structured church established in the vulnerable area, these indigenous groups can and should be a strong ally for Christian relief and transformation. Not only will the church have the opportunities to make lasting relations with those being served (which should be an open door for working on the roots of reconciliation) but the church also has important ownership in making this change to better their community. A local church that grasps its role in holistic transformation can work at the roots of the problem much more effectively and more quickly than outside organizations because of its prior relationships and knowledge of the culture. Though often times limited in material resources, a local church with a heart for transformation can still have a profound impact on a congregation that trusts in God’s multiplying power while living out his manifold wisdom. Empowering indigenous people and the local church to transform their own communities is the most effective weapon against global poverty.
Sometimes limitations and circumstances may arise when the resources of the local church are not enough to serve the needs or crisis of the community. When this happens it is often necessary to enlist the services of other outside resources. Whenever possible, it is important to encourage the local church to implement a poverty alleviation plan. Reaching and encouraging the local church to grasp this responsibility can be filled with a multitude of challenges. Nevertheless, incredible rewards await when the church is empowered and equipped to be the agent and leader of poverty alleviation and transformation in their community.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
The issue that faces Christians today is not whether money should be given to alleviate poverty. In fact, one could argue that more money could and should be given. Rather the question is, are the resources given being used to fight poverty while also working at the root of the problem to bring long-term sustainable transformation. Helping the poor and poverty alleviation are two distinctive duties. Christians are clearly called to help the poor, that is an undisputable biblical mandate for those who follow and claim Jesus as Lord, but they are also called, as well, to have a deeper impact on the effects of poverty. Poverty alleviation begins with the reconciliation power of Jesus. A redeemed life should result in a biblical value system, which establishes Godly behaviors and ultimately results in positive consequences. The poverty of man is a profound and multi-dimensional issue, so any effort to truly alleviate poverty should also be multi-faceted and diverse. There are a multitude of ways Christians can give money to be cost effective, which is important and valuable, but seeking impact effectiveness and transformation should be the goal.
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