In Review When Helping Hurts
When you think of the word ‘poverty’ where does your mind go? Do you think of people who are lacking material things? That is often where my mind goes.
WHEN HELPING HURTS
This summer, during weekly team meetings, our staff and interns discussed and were challenged by the concepts in When Helping Hurts written by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. God continues to use this book to transform people’s views of poverty. When Helping Hurts helps readers develop a biblical view of poverty, giving practical steps and ideas to engage in helping others without hurting themselves or the poor.
WHAT IS POVERTY
Poverty is a multifaceted issue with complex solutions. Throughout the Bible, there are a number of different Hebrew and Greek words used to capture the complexity of poverty. One of the main thrusts of the book helps us realize that poverty is a problem all of us face. The authors describe poverty as a breakdown of the 4 foundational relationships: God, creation, others, and self.
“Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all of its meanings.”
In other words, we all experience poverty in some form or another because we live in a broken world. Through this lens, the book defines poverty alleviation as the work of reconciling relationships back to God’s original design.
WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE TO POVERTY
However, there is no doubt that there are verses in the Bible that refer to caring for the materially poor, specifically.
“The fact that all of humanity has some things in common with the materially poor does not negate their unique and overwhelming suffering nor the special place they have in God’s heart, as emphasized throughout the Old and New Testaments.”
The authors argue that the quick fix of simply giving resources to people in need is not always the answer. The entirety of this book offers insight into what sustainable development is and how we can practically apply it to our organizations, our work, and our lives. Sustainable development gets to the root of poverty issues that people are facing and offers solutions to bring both parties (those offering help, and those needing help) into relationships that are closer to what God originally intended. Sustainable development is poverty alleviation in its truest form.
This book emphasizes working alongside the materially poor, rather than doing things for them. This involves the inclusion of the materially poor in all stages of poverty alleviation, from dreaming and planning to the work of development. By doing this, sustainable and lasting change can happen because the heart of the issue is addressed; the poor are empowered to care for themselves and others. This is the kind of work that World Hope International does. World Hope works with the poor to see their goals, dreams, and aspirations come to fruition.
“Poverty alleviation occurs when the power of Christ’s resurrection reconciles our key relationships through the transformation of both individual lives and local, national, and international systems.”
MORE TO LEARN
This is a small snippet of the rich content found in the book. When Helping Hurts is an essential read for those in poverty alleviation work, teams going on short-term missions, and Christians everywhere who are searching for ways to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
A World Hope International we work in the way of Jesus through 3 pillars of development, Clean Water & Energy, Global Health, and Protection & Education.
Read more reflections on the book When Helping Hurts.
Haven’t read When Helping Hurts? Get a copy.
