Tag Archives: Poverty

Book Review: Humanitarian Jesus by Christian Buckley and Ryan Dobson

Posted on by
1

Humanitarian Jesus: Social Justice and the Cross is basically two books in one.

The first book is a discussion by the authors of the 20th century split between the social gospel and traditional Evangelicalism which called to seek to save souls at any cost. On the one hand, social gospel urged the Church to save lives, and Evangelicalism urged the saving of souls.

So which was right? Both and neither. Focusing on providing for physical needs only goes so far…after all, without sharing the truth of Christ, you’re only postponing the inevitable punishment for their sins. But on the other hand, how receptive to the Gospel will someone be if their physical needs aren’t being met?

I did enjoy the first half of this book, though I felt like When Helping Hurts speaks to this issue better and obviously more comprehensively.

The second half of Humanitarian Jesus is the transcript of 15 interviews. These interviews are with leaders of organizations that seek to meet physical needs, seek to meet spiritual needs, or both.

This section is what made this book stand out.

I found several points in the interviews to be insightful and encouraged me to reconsider or refine my own views on the subject.  That said, as a book as a whole, these interviews made for a rather disjointed read.  The interviews are presented almost entirely without commentary–though the authors injected their own opinions as part of a discussion of the issues. I think I would have read these interviews in a magazine or blog. If they were going to be given in book format, I would have preferred more commentary and analysis.

That said, this is an interesting book with some valid points worth the read if this is something you are interested in. The role that humanitarian work has in sharing the Gospel will continue to be an issue of discussion in Christianity (rightly so) for some time to come.

Book Review: When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Posted on by
2

In the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to help the poor.  I wish I could tell you that I spent a lot of time actually helping the poor, but I know I don’t do enough.

As part of thinking through this, I read When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, and I’m so glad I did.

I think the biggest “aha!” moment I had while reading this book (and I had several) was recognizing that the materially poor have a lot–probably even more–to offer towards solving the problems of poverty.  It’s important to recognize that we’re all poor and broken, but in different ways.  Just because I have material wealth does not mean that my ideas are more valuable than someone else’s.

This is a great resource in thinking about how we attempt to help others.  It helped me understand–even if only in a small way–what it would be like to be poor.

Long story short, I highly recommend it if you’ve ever thought about how you can help others, whether in North America or overseas.

Ice Cream Really is a Way of Life

Posted on by
Reply

These are just a few quotes that have caught my interest–for good or bad–the past few weeks.  Feel free to discuss them with me in the comments.

“…the economically rich often have ‘god-complexes,’ a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which they believe that they have achieved their wealth through their own efforts and that they have been anointed to decide what is best for low-income people, whom they view as inferior to themselves.” – When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, p. 65

“You never know what a man is capable of, even old friends.”
Yeah, Jimmy was a good guy.  He has one turn of bad luck, and it changed all that.”
No, Belson made the choice to go down this road.  Luck has nothing to do with it.” – CSI:NY, “Out of the Sky”

“This boy and million like him want a meaningful life, not ping pong.” – Native Son by Richard Wright

“…she was a Baptist through and through, which meant she approached her faith like the woman on the Bounty paper towel commercials: quick, with no time for nonsense like spiritual leaks and spills.” – Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner, p. 13

“…he feels that ice cream should be for special occasions, while I believe it’s a way of life.” – The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne, p. 125

“As I listened to these people praying to be able to live another day, I thought about my ample salary, my life insurance policy, my health insurance poplicy, my two cars, my house, etc.  I realized that I don not really trust in God’s sovereignty on a daily basis, as I have sufficient buffers in palce to shield me from most economic shocks.” – When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, p. 69

“So many of us Christians are all about being vulnerable, especially when we’re on stage, dressed up in a costume, and wearing makeup, putting on a performance we consider ‘a means to an end.’ ” - Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner, p. 11

“Make it a practice to feel special to God.” – church sign

“The goal is not to make the materially poor all over the world into middle-to-upper class North Americans, a group characterize by high rates of divorce, sexual addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness.” – When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, p. 78

“I think some women at [the church] feel sorry for me,” she said, “as if they think I’m only half the woman I could be because I don’t have a husband to act as my spiritual leader.” – Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner, p. 17

“I’m absolutely positive,” he assured Gallien, “I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own.” – Chris McCandless in Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

“Roberta talked about God like a scientist talked about gravity or Darwin, with no room for mystery or wonder.” – Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner, p. 76p

“But I am convinced that Christians in America can appreciate their country without worshipping it, be politically engaged without being politically consumed, and hold opinions about healthcare and the economy without insisting that God agrees. We can be civil because we know that people are infinitely more valuable than positions. We can be calm because we know that love will win in the end. We can laugh because we’re neither threatened nor dazzled by power.” – Rachel Held Evans, “Moderates: The Silent Majority?”

“Life’s Not Fair”

Posted on by
7

All my life, I’ve been blessed.   These undeserved blessings have come in many forms, but one way I have been blessed has been in material goods.

I’ve never had to worry about where my next meal would come from.  I’ve never wondered how I’d pay the rent or figure out when I could pay the power company enough to convince them to turn the lights back on.  There’s always been a sound roof over my head and a warm blanket in my lap.  I’ve never ran out of shampoo or toothpaste or had less than a (couple) dozen outfits in my closet for each season.

Of course, I’m not the only American who has been equally blessed.  Many of the people I know or have known have been similarly blessed.  And one thing I’ve heard them say (and I’m sure I’ve said) is, “Life’s not fair.”

It’s a reasonable statement.  Certainly true.  But is it easier to say it when you’re the one being blessed unfairly instead of suffering?  Yes, I think so.

When we see someone suffering, it’s tempting to say, “That’s too bad” and move on.  It’s the easy thing.  It’s what we do all the time without thinking.  If we don’t get involved, it’s unlikely that anyone will confront us about it.  After all, it’s not “our” problem, right?

I don’t want to do that anymore.

Photo by Alex E. Proimos

Quotes, Including Mockingjay Quotes, Spoiler-Free

Posted on by
1

“…you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that’s the only way to convince her you love her.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 329

“Many churches speak about homosexuality in terms of sin and judgment but about divorce in terms of forgiveness and grace. When a same sex couple goes down to the courthouse to petition for a marriage certificate, the Christians show up with sandwich boards. Do they also show up when their congregants go to the same courthouse to petition for an “unbiblical divorce?” Likely not. And the hypocrisy on this issue has not escaped the next generation.” -“Why Our Generation Doesn’t Care About Prop 8″ by Jonathan Merritt

“I asked the children [from the suburbs] where the slums were. But they said there were no slums near where they lived, only far away, in the city.” – The Love Wife by Gish Jen, p. 44

“We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 379

“Annie, being a virgin in this day and age is something to be proud of…you’re like a unicorn.” – Shirley, Community, “The Politics of Human Sexuality”

“He is the God that understands that I just miss being loved by a lover….I am blessed in the truest sense of the word.  I am also a little lonely.” – Amy Beth Bullard, “The God Who Understands”

“Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly. And I hate him for it.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 232

“A proud person tries to reinvent reality. He tries to redraw the borders of human behavior to suit himself, displacing God as the Lord and boundary keeper of life.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 125

“I noticed, too, it was the cruelest thing you could say about a person–that they were small.” – Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

(advice given against early engagements) “…if a man is going through a woods, and sees a good young sapling, he may mark it and come back afterward and get it, if he can.” – Most Famous Man in America

” ‘Oh, no. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people?’ says Peeta. ‘It costs everything you are.’ ” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 23

Some Thinkers

Posted on by
1

“God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with ‘religious experiences,’ as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.” – Knowing God by J. I. Packer

“Regardless of what we say or sing on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 115

“That’s the problem with being desperate for attention.  You never ask who the other person is–he could be a serial killer, for all you know–you’re too busy feeling grateful he picked you to notice.” – Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney, p. 306

“Some of the BBC people had to return to Chad, where they were in a medical clinic for three days to recover from what they saw, and smelled, and learned about the nature of what simply must be called evil.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 113

“Some wonder if it is unfair for God to allow so many to have no knowledge of the gospel.  But there is no injustice in God.  The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven’t heard.  That is unfair.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 159

“But it was ten years ago, and twenty, that the United States Air Force (in its own words) ‘produced more casualties than any other military action in the history of the world’ in its great fire raid on Tokyo, and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson appalled by the absence of public protest in America, thought ‘there was something wrong with a country where no on questioned’ such acts committed in its name.” – They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, p. xv

“Carter, nothing good comes easy,” she says, “Adversity is just opportunity in work clothes.” – Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford, p. 24

“…all these material discomforts which were yet to be account as so many privileges soon to be withdrawn kept constantly before her the disadvantages of her state.” – House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

“We express enthusiasm, emotion, and affection for football and other sports, and it begs the question, what would happen in our culture if the church prayed with such passion?  What would happen if Jesus dominated our affections more than the superficial trivialities that garner our attention?” – Radical by David Platt, p. 188 (ignore the misuse of “beg the question” as the quote is worth it)

“It’s sometimes easier to believe what everyone else believes.”  - The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 104

“It is interesting to me that people bother to shout at you, or even to hurt you, when they are planning to kill you.  What lesson will that teach you if you are going to be dead?” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 153

“Mah-mee believes she does more than her share by donating to charities.  She would rather live her own life of mah-jongg games, while pretending all those starving in the streets are invisible.” – The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 118

Privilege: a Wake-up Call

Posted on by
14

I don’t remember what I was doing, but somehow I stumbled on a website that would tell you demographic stats on specific US zip codes.

For kicks, I entered the zip code I grew up in.

For whatever reason, the results surprised me.

Compared to the rest of the US, this zip code has:

  • a high number of high school and college graduates
  • a high median income (though Kansas has a fairly low standard of living)
  • a higher than average number of married couples
  • 2/3 of adults working in white collar jobs
  • only 4% of its residents below the poverty line (national average is around 15%)

I was born into privilege.

Not only am I a part of the 4.5% of the world population who lives in the US, I’m among the 6% of that population that has a Master’s Degree.  While I myself don’t quite make enough to reach the US median household income in the US, it’s just me, so obviously my costs are much lower than most.

I was born (and raised) into privilege.

I thank God for the blessings He’s given me and my parents who gave me so much, but that’s not what I want to talk about.

I’m a numbers person, so when you show me my blessings numerically, it really sinks in.  I’ve always known that I was overwhelmingly blessed, but when everyone around me is too, it’s easy to forget.

These thoughts were already on my mind, when I started reading Radical.

Here are a few things that David Platt said that stood out to me:

“We are an affluent people living in an impoverished world.  If we make only $10,000 a year, we are wealthier than 84% of the world, and if we make $50,000 a year, we are wealthier than 99% of the world.” – p. 194

“But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it’s public transportation), then we are in the top 15% of the world’s people for wealth.” – p. 115

“The reality is that most everything in our lives in the American culture would be classified as a luxury, not a necessity. The computer I am writing this book on, the spoon and fork I will eat my dinner with later this evening, and the bed and pillow I will sleep on tonight (in additon to many other things in my life) are all luxuries.” – p. 127

All this merely starts to illustrate how blessed we are in America.  Yet we, the Church, wrap ourselves up in our own cares, ignoring the extensive needs of those all around us (even if we have to close our eyes to them).  If you’re like me, these facts might make you pause for moment, but then you shut them out because they make life too uncomfortable.

I don’t want to live comfortably at the expense of others (and that’s what it is…I don’t “deserve” a better life and haven’t earned it…I didn’t choose to be born here, to my parents).

I’m still thinking through what the implications of all of this.  I don’t have everything (anything) figured out.

While I don’t have much “stuff” by American standards, I’m sure if I added up the costs of everything I owned, I’d be shocked.  I do have more than I need.

I’m sorely tempted to give some of my income away and turn around and spend the rest on my own excesses.  I can placate myself by saying that I give more than most.   But would I except that excuse from my own child?  ”Mommy, I know I didn’t clean up my room like you asked, but I spent 2 minutes more on it than any of my friends.”

That’s not what God has called me to.

Photo by 96dpi

Book Review: Radical by David Platt

Posted on by
13

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream is about just that: rescuing American Christians from the deadly kudzu of the “American Dream.”

He’s not saying that America=evil or that everything within our culture is bad, but that there are harmful ideas that we have bought and followed without discernment, becoming normal in the American church.

I don’t really know where to start on this review.  In some ways, I only need to say: go out and buy it (it would be worth buying at twice its $10-12 price tag, and when you’re done with it, lend/give it to someone else).

When I first got my hands on this, I did what I do to every book: look to see how many actual pages it had (secret: I do the math to figure out how many pages I need to read in each book per day to finish it by the date that I want).  At the very end, I noticed it has 5 things he wants the reader to commit to, and leaves room for you to write out how you’re going to carry them out.  I read them before I read the rest of the book, and I thought, “Ehh, those are good, but I’ve heard all that before.”  But when I read the book and then got to that section?

You bet I was praying, asking God’s forgiveness for neglecting these simple things and praying through how I was going to re-implement them in my life.

This book was the perspective change that I needed.  This book is the perspective change that the American church needs.

If you want to know more about what Radical is about, check out the video on the bottom of the homepage of the book’s website.  You can even sign up to read the first chapter for free.  But really, you need to read chapters 6 (“How Much is Enough?: American Wealth in a World of Poverty”) and 7 (“There is No Plan B: Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional”).

Chapter 6 hits on the very topic God has been working on in me: that I’m abundantly wealthy (yes, in a worldly sense) and I squander that wealth on myself (more on this in an upcoming blog post).

In chapter 7, David Platt walks simply through 7 Biblical truths that makes participation in missions mandatory for all Christians (going, praying, sending, and/or supporting).  Nothing new for me, but this was the simplest and most logical presentation I’ve seen.  Kind of a “duh” thing.

While I’ve been blessed to have heard a lot of this before from the ministries I have participated in and my church that I love, I needed to hear it again.  The American Dream is so easy to get caught up in.  It’s easier to join in the pursuit of a better living, fun gadgets, and being well-dressed than it is to live sacrificially and simply so that I can bless others with the blessings He’s blessed me.  After all, I don’t want to be weird, do I?

But indeed, the Christian faith as laid out in the Bible is radical.  When we try to soften it’s commands and examples, we’re wrong.

I don’t know what else to say to convince you to read this book.

All Worth Reading

Posted on by
1

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve shared quotes with you, so I have a bunch! I agree with some, disagree with others. At least one made me laugh, if you directly apply it to modern life. Others were just too beautifully written NOT to quote.

“He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
         Will also cry himself and not be answered.” – Proverbs 21:13, NASU

“I’m after a man whom I want to destroy.  He died many centuries ago, but until the last trace of him is wiped out of men’s minds, we will not have a decent world to live in.”
“What man?”
“Robin Hood….He was the man who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Well, I’m the man who robs the poor and gives to the rich–or, to be exact, the man who robs the thieving poor and gives back to the productive rich.” – Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, p. 532

“In his Petersburg world all people were divided into utterly opposed classes. One, the lower class, vulgar, stupid, and, above all, ridiculous people, who believe that one husband ought to live with the one wife whom he has lawfully married; that a girl should be innocent, a woman modest, and a man manly, self-controlled, and strong; that one ought to bring up one’s children, earn one’s bread, and pay one’s debts; and various similar absurdities. This was the class of old-fashioned and ridiculous people. But there was another class of people, the real people. To this class they all belonged, and in it the great thing was to be elegant, generous, plucky, gay, to abandon oneself without a blush to every passion, and to laugh at everything else.” – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, p. 269

“It is an American tradition to attribute the problem with our politics to the quality of our politicians.” – The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, p. 123

“Just as laymen leave medicine to doctors and electronics to engineers, so people who are not qualified to think should leave all thinking to the experts and have faith in the experts’ higher authority.” – Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, p. 859

“No sensible man ever engages, unprepared, in a fencing match of words with a woman.” – The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

“And you’re free to change your course, but so long as you follow it, you’re not free to escape its logic.” – Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, p. 880

“A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.” – Ecclesiastes 10:2, NASU

“It takes a trip overseas to fully appreciate just how good Americans have it; even our poor take for granted goods and services–electricity, clean water, indoor plumbing, telephones, televisions, and household appliances–that are still unattainable in much of the world.” – The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, p. 177

“The self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely upon itself. It never can be sufficient. We are but images of God, not the real thing. We are shadows and echoes.” – Future Grace by John Piper

“Drop by drop, I poured the profaning bitterness of this world’s wisdom into the pure heart and that innocent mind, while every higher and better feeling within me recoiled from my miserable task.” – The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

“To chose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.” – Life of Pi by Yann Martel

“Being, however, nothing but a woman, condemned to patience, propriety, and petticoats for life…” – The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins