To fully address Poverty - begin with God's original Creation

In Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert's book "When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself", they analyze the issue of poverty. It may surprise you that the authors rely on the Creation account in Genesis!

Selections from  Jean Lightner's book review of When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

(These selections, edited by Marko Malyj, are of the book review published in Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal, Volume 47, Number 4, Spring 2011)

The Genesis account provides an understanding of reality on which a useful understanding of poverty and its alleviation can be built. Creation is important to all areas of life. In missiology, for example, New Tribes Mission begins with Genesis when they bring the gospel to tribal people who have no background in Christianity. While poverty alleviation overlaps with missions, I was still impressed by how important the first few chapters of Genesis are to developing an understanding of poverty.

Thus man, who is created in the image of God, is inherently relational also. Four fundamental human relationships are identified: with God, with other people, with self, and with the rest of creation.

While all relationships were harmonious at Creation, things did not stay that way for long. The authors do a nice job of examining the effects of the Fall on each of the relationships. While most Christians are very well acquainted with the effects of sin on man’s relationship with God, some of the observations made on the other relationships are quite interesting.

The authors describe two extremes that are common when the brokenness from sin is evident in our relationship with ourselves. They term this as "poverty of being". The first is low self-esteem, which is common among the poor. In their marred identity, they feel worthless and powerless. They do not recognize that they were created in God’s image and have an inherent value and dignity. They do not realize that God cares for them and has given them talents and abilities to use to bless others and provide for themselves.

A second manifestation of a poverty of being is found in the god-complexes of the rich, “a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which they believe” they have all the answers and can fix the problem for others. They often help in the way they feel is best and leave with a sense that they have successfully solved the problem. Unfortunately, there are times when they have actually made the problem worse. The book provides some excellent examples that illustrate this point clearly.

When we suffer from god-complexes, we seem to forget that it is God who has all the answers and everyone is dependant on Him. We also fail to realize that God has gifted others too, and, if we are willing to listen, we might learn something. Scripture certainly encourages us to have a teachable attitude (Proverbs 1:5, 7; 9:8–9; 12:15).

Christ sustains things, even in this fallen world. They bring out the point that wherever we go, God has been there first and is already at work (cf. John 5:17). I know this realization has been very important for missionaries who minister in some of the most challenging and seemingly God forsaken places on earth. Perhaps we need to recognize that this is also true in the secular universities where it sometimes appears that the atheists rule.

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2009, 230 pages, $15.00.

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You do not need both peace AND understanding

A sufferer once came to a pastor and asked him many questions. The pastor answered, "Kneel here in church and ask Jesus for the answers."



The man replied, "Do you really think I will hear a voice from heaven?" "No," said the pastor, "but by keeping quiet in prayer for several hours before God, you will realize that you can go along without answers to all your problems. This would have been Jesus' answer, and it will quiet you."

You do not need more than His peace, which passes all understanding.

You do not need both peace and understanding, for understanding presupposes qualifications that most of us do not have.

Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, excerpted and edited from 100 Prison Meditations, pp. 16-17.

(from Voice of the Martyrs newsletter, September 2011)

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Standing before Murderers for the Truth of the Gospel

A 22-year-old former guerrilla and new Christian named "Fernado" was one of those murdered in Columbia. The main pastor was afraid to preach at Fernado's funeral. So young Lily volunteered. "I was very scared, but I went to do this.' Lily had led Fernado to the Lord, and she and her husband had discipled him. "I did the funeral because ... God called me to do this,' she said.

During Colombia's guerrilla insurgency, which has lasted more than four decades, Christians have hindered the FARC guerrillas' ability to recruit new soldiers. Christian love is ultimately more powerful than Marxist hatred, so the guerrillas frequently murder Christians. Fernado had been shot eight times in front of the village church by guerillas on a Sunday afternoon. Most of the congregation would not attend the funeral, but Lily did.

Lily reopens churches that have been closed by the guerrillas, an act for which other believers have been killed. She has reopened four, by pushing or breaking the door open, cleaning the building and forming small, courageous groups of believers. One congregation has grown to 40 believers and another to 100, half of whom do not have Bibles.

"I am scared and I know I am in danger, but the One who is with me is stronger!" Lily said. "Also, my husband's family hates me. I have been married 15 years. We have three children. One of the things that worry us in our personal life is that we do not have a house that stays dry. When it rains, we all get wet, and we have to move the beds to keep them dry."

By sharing the gospel at great risk, she gives us a gift of equal value - a portrait of the aggressive love that Jesus and his disciples embodied in the face of their enemies.

(from Tom White, Voice of the Martyrs newsletter, September 2011)
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Spiritual Capital: How the Church Is Uniquely Equipped to Break the Poverty Cycle

At the beginning of the twentieth century, one of the founders of sociology examined the origins of successful capitalism. Why, asked Max Weber, did capitalism thrive in certain parts of Europe and especially in the United States? His conclusion was simple and powerful. He noted that predominantly Protestant nations had adopted values of vocation, hard work, and personal piety that led to greater economic success. Neighboring countries with similar resources and people groups didn’t fare as well. Weber noted that in Catholic societies, the pious served in the Church; in Protestant cultures, the spirit of personal piety permeated into the marketplace and built spiritual capital. Applying internalized biblical values to business resulted in successful capitalism. Almost a century apart, Max Weber and Douglass North reached very similar conclusions—that a society’s beliefs and values are strong determinants of its economic success.

What Is Spiritual Capital?

Spiritual capital is the collective societal faith, trust and commitment to do what is right—not only what is right in our own eyes or what benefits us the most, but what is right in the eyes of God. Showing integrity, being accountable and honest, offering hope, being loyal and trustworthy, loving and encouraging others, exhibiting good stewardship, being fair, creating order and serving others—these are not, for the most part, covered by the laws of the land. We have no legal compulsion to love others, exhibit good stewardship, create order or serve each other. There is no legal compulsion to encourage one another to pursue new ventures in hope and faith, trusting that God will go before us. But where these biblical values are exhibited, spiritual capital is built.

Spiritual Capital: The Missing Leg in Economic Development

Indeed, it is interesting to observe that with very few exceptions, every nation at the top of the GDP-per-capita list has a long Judeo-Christian tradition. That’s no coincidence. There’s a relationship between economic prosperity and the pervasiveness of biblical values in the culture. When biblical principles are practiced in business, spiritual capital grows, and economic success follows. Thus, spiritual capital provides the link between biblical principles and business success.

Depleting the Trust Fund

Most developing nations are trying to build their economies with very little spiritual capital, and they lack the business practices and institutions necessary to grow that capital. In these situations, people who draw on the nation’s spiritual capital account can bankrupt it. After the fall of communism, Western corporations rushed into the former Soviet Union, attracted to cheap labor, an educated workforce, and a large market. However, many were stung by corruption and lost millions of dollars in the process. Russia is not an isolated case. Companies have encountered similar situations in China and other emerging economies.

Misguided Development Efforts and the Failure to Recognize Spiritual Capital

The lack of recognition of spiritual capital’s importance has led to disastrous outcomes. For example, it has been thought for decades that the world’s financial community holds the keys to success for developing nations. What’s holding back certain regions of the world, the argument goes, is a lack of access to economic capital. Bangladesh has been the focus of the largest microenterprise development programs. More than 10 million people have received business loans over the past thirty years, yet poverty is still pervasive, and the economy hasn’t developed much. Why? Bangladesh also suffers from the highest perceived corruption in the world. Development efforts provided economic capital but not the tools to build the nation’s spiritual capital.

Building Spiritual Capital: The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Spiritual capital is the foundation for successful commerce, and the Church is uniquely equipped to develop and produce Kingdom business professionals who will equip the nations with the life-changing means of growing their spiritual capital account. We shortchange a nation if we introduce laws that facilitate commerce and teach principles of accounting and yet fail to equip the nation with the means to establish a spiritual capital base on which to build its economy. Without the integrity, morality and love that comes from the Spirit of God transforming the hearts of men and women, nations will fall short of God’s ultimate blessing.

Jesus’ parable about the wise and foolish builders (see Matt. 7:24-27) is particularly instructive here. The wise man builds his house on the rock. The foolish man builds his house on sand. Business principles, technical training and start-up funding are just the walls, doors and roof of business. The transforming gospel of Jesus and the ultimate authority of God are the rock foundation. The businessperson must be committed to pleasing Jesus and doing what is right, or his business will be built on sand. If these rock principles are not in place, they will not support the business structure in times of trouble. When the economic storms of life come, the uncommitted businessperson will revert back to what he fundamentally believes.

The gospel is an important component of developing an economy and blessing the nation through Kingdom business. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to transform the hearts of men and women. Only the gospel can work at the core level and alter the collective DNA of a society. Only the gospel can ingrain the biblical values that lead to spiritual capital accumulation and successful business.

Transformed hearts lead to renewed minds. Fundamental beliefs, values and attitudes are radically changed. Spiritual capital is built, laying the foundation for economic development. And that’s why the church is uniquely equipped to break the poverty cycle.

(for more, see Ken Eldred, Spiritual Capital: How the Church Is Uniquely Equipped to Break the Poverty Cycle, Mission Frontiers, July-August 2011)

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Ramadan is Finally Over

The month of Ramadan finished on August 18th this year. Thoughout the Muslim world, Ramadan brings a dark, evil spirit over the entire region. It's a month that brings oppression, fear, anger, and even death.

One missionary wrote to explain how in a dream, the Lord showed him that when the call to prayer goes off, it releases demons across the region who draw heavy nets over the minds and hearts of the people, keeping them bound in darkness. He writes...

Historically and in our experience, it is truly a time when minds are dulled to truth, hope, or faith. New and national believers in Jesus very often come under very strong attacks and setbacks. Every local knows that the spirit of argument is waiting to explode on every street corner. There are times of day when it's best to not be traveling, as drivers and road rage are so ridiculous it would almost be funny if it wasn't so tragic or potentially dangerous

With every call to morning prayer, people in many Muslims countries start their day facing the summer heat, hunger and irritation. They do this to please "Allah," whom they do not know personally, nor believe they CAN know personally. He demands meritorious work to gain his favor, but offers virtually no assurance of salvation.

But they do know the consequence they will face if they break the fast and eat during the day. Some people are socially ostracized and hassled; others are beaten for insulting Islam!

This is a huge contrast to the message of Christ who said "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." What the Muslim heart needs is rest from dead religious works and the free gift of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ!

Please, we ask you for urgent, intensive intercessory prayer!

Please pray that the light of Jesus Christ will pierce the darkness. Many Muslims are opening their hearts to Christ, as they hear the gospel. They recognize the hopelessness of their own religion and are deeply seeking other ways to know God. Christ is the only solution for the Muslim heart who cannot find rest or peace in Islam.

(from a Christian prayer letter, August 2011)

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