Myths of Global Poverty - Part 2

I posted about an editorial in the Christian Science Monitor by Mark Lange asking the question is it possible to end extreme poverty.  He outlined six myths about global poverty that must be overcome if we are going to make a significant difference.

I found myself asking how Compassion is addressing the six myths.  Here are the myths that Lange laid out with some of my thoughts about Compassion’s impact:

1. It’s an intractable problem - Well, we obviously think that’s a myth or we wouldn’t do what we do.  However it is an extremely complicated problem that mocks any easy answers.  Compassion’s solution is holistic development.  If you don’t address the whole person and every aspect of their lives then there is no way to release that person from poverty.  Relief is important to relieve suffering and community development is an important part of an overall objective, but it is holistic development that ends poverty.

2. There are too many impoverished people to help - We repeat it so often that it almost has become a cliche in Compassion circles, but you can’t change the world but you can change the world for one child.  By reaching out one at a time we can make a difference.  Compassion has now passed one million children in our program and while that’s small compared to the total number in abject poverty when you begin to combine the cumulative effect of changed lives you make a difference.

3. Moral obligation is enough - Moral obligation, rooted in Scripture and the commands of God, is important and should be enough.  But it is not enough.  Lange uses this point to emphasize the global instability that poverty creates as a reason to be involved and that’s important.  However another aspect that is even more important is the threat to lives, culture and civilization that wealth brings.  Scripture is full of warnings of the dangers of wealth and our society is full of examples of those dangers.  The antidote for the poverty of wealth is involvement with the poor.  If we aren’t going to get involved just because we should then do it because it will save us.

4. If aid is good, more aid is better - Creating dependence does not eliminate poverty.  It reinforces it.  Interdependence, or partnership where each party offers and receives as much as the other, should instead be the goal.  What do the poor give to us?  An example of community, of living in grace, of prayer, of faith, and many, many other things.  Involvement with the poor changes us and that’s a gift they give.  You can’t out give the poor.

5. Globalization is hurting the poor - Lange makes this statement, “For anyone on the edge of survival, the real risk isn’t globalization. It’s isolation.”  There is a hopelessness among those who live in poverty that isolation reinforces.  Compassion works through local churches bringing not only communities of faith but of hope into their lives.  By concentrating resources from around the world on a local community we are giving what they don’t have, but by doing it through the local church we are empowering the local people to take care of themselves.  That’s the beginning of the end of poverty.

6. Wealthy nations must work to reduce poverty everywhere - The question is what does it mean to no longer be in poverty?  For Compassion the opposite of poverty is not wealth but enough.  Our goal should not be to bring wealth to everyone.  In fact, we’ve discussed that wealth is a danger in itself.  Instead our goal is to help those who don’t have enough to have enough.  By concentrating on the poorest of the poor and by focusing on children who are most impacted by poverty we can make the biggest impact.

What do you think?  How does your church take account of these myths when addressing the needs of the poor? 

Manipulation or Worship?

I’m really struggling at my church.  The worship team is really great.  The Lord speaks to me often through their creative and very relevant leading.  But far too often it seems to me that they are attempting to create an emotional high rather than letting the Holy Spirit work.  I don’t want to hear any more “commands” to worship in a certain way and I don’t want 10 minute improvised choruses.  Sometimes this is what I feel like is going on (thanks to The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus): 

 

 

Myths of Global Poverty - Part 1

Mark Lange, a former speechwriter for President Bush, has an interesting editorial in the Christian Science Monitor.  Claiming it is possible to eradicate extreme poverty he says the first step is to shatter six myths.  According to Lange the myths are:

1. It’s an intractable problem - Not so.  The number of people living in abject poverty has declined by 27% in the last 16 years.

2. There are too many impoverished people to help - An excuse.  The extreme poor are concentrated in a relatively small area.

3. Moral obligation is enough - The call to alleviate suffering has not mobilized the world to action.

4. If aid is good more aid is better - According to a recent study by the Center for Global Development: When aid rises to 8 percent of a recipient nation’s gross domestic product, it has zero effect on economic growth. Above that, it has a negative effect.

5. Globalization is hurting the poor - For anyone on the edge of survival, the real risk isn’t globalization. It’s isolation.

6. Wealthy nations must work to reduce poverty everywhere - Why? This well-intended ethic is driven by a natural – but in this case dangerous – human tendency to focus on relative standing, independent of absolute well-being.

Whether you agree with the claim that all these are myths or not it is tremendously important to struggle with the question if we are going to bring relief and development to the least of these.  What do you think?

Philippines Photos

I had a great trip to the Philippines with a group of pastors from Hawaii at the end of February.  Here are a few photos and you can see them all at my Flickr site.

Sex Challenge

Did you catch this one from The Relevant Church in Tampa?  The last line is my favorite.

The Great Omission

The President of Compassion Wess Stafford has a single biggest compliment he can pay someone.  When someone really understands God’s heart for children he’ll say, “He gets it.”

I had the opportunity to sit down with with Dr. Ed Young Sr. of Second Baptist Church in Houston for a conversation and to hear him speak tonight at the Synergize Conference.  To quote Wess, he gets it.

Pastor Young said the church in America has forgotten their children.  ”We’re not even winning our own children to Christ.” 

Then he shared the experience of his church Second Baptist Church in Houston, TX.  He said that last Sunday he had between 11 and 12,000 children in his church.  “Am I saying that to impress you?  Yes!”  He told how most Christians become Christians as children and that most people in the world today are children.  If you want to reap the harvest, if you want to win the souls of the world you must take children seriously.

How does Pastor Young draw so many people to his church?  He introduced one of the deacons of his church and said he is one of the best Bible teachers he has ever met.  Then he asked the deacon where he worked in the church.  “Children’s church” was the response. “I assign the best people, provide the best facilities and tools, and give the most money to the children.  And, if you show you love my children, even if I don’t like you, I’m still going to be willing to listen to what you say.”

One of Pastor Young’s son’s in Ed Young Jr., of Fellowship Church in Dallas and another, Cliff, is one of the founders of Caedmon’s Call.  I asked Pastor Young of his secret to raising such great kids. He said, “We simply raised them in a Christian home.”  He then paused, thought for a moment and said, “We consider Christianity as a joyful, happy thing.  So, we raised them in a joyful, happy Christian home.  We laughed a lot.”

This is a man who gets it.  Does your church?

I Will Make You Fishers of Men

Chip Buhler spoke at my church on Sunday and he was terrific.  He gave a message that was exactly what both the church and I needed to hear.

In a nutshell Chip shared the call we all have.  As Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.”  What that will look like for each individual will be different, but the call is the same.

“I Will” — It is Jesus who does it.  Not us.

“Make You” — It’s not about us changing others.  It’s about Jesus changing us.

“Fishers of Men” — Servant leadership to others is the end result.

One example Chip gave really stuck with me.  He talked about how he and his wife had gone to child birth preparation classes before their baby was born.  Still when the delivery actually happened the classes hadn’t made it any easier.  Instead, what the classes did what take some of the fear away because they knew what to expect.

It’s the same with being a Christian.  It’s not about making life any easier.  In fact in many ways it is more difficult.  But, being a Christian gives us a better understanding that helps us get through the challenges in a way to encourage us to tranform to be more like Him.

Children’s Pastors’ Conference

I’m sitting in the airport in Orlando on my way home from a terrific conference put on by the great people of International Network of Children’s Ministry.  The conference continues until Saturday and its aimed at children’s church workers.  Here are some random thoughts:

 –Children’s church workers are amazing people with lots of joy in their hearts.

–Children’s church conferences are REALLY loud.

–Wess Staffordgave the keynote address on Wednesday and was AMAZING.  He has such a great way of talking about God’s heart for children.  The audience wouldn’t stop clapping at the end until the emcee finally said, “I don’t think he’s coming back.”  If you haven’t heard Wess speak about kids you’re missing out.

–Danny Oertli did the worship and he was also amazing as always.  If you don’t know Danny’s music you’re also missing out.

–It was really nice to see how many men were at the conference.

–It was really nice to be in Florida and be warm again for once.

–I spoke at a workshop titled, Beyond Guilt to Gratitude: Teaching Children about Poverty and Social Justice. It was really fun for me, and based on the feedback I think the audience enjoyed it as well.

–There were lots of great packaged products available and most of them talked about the “very little prep time.”  I understand the appeal, but at the same time we are presenting the most important message we can give to the most receptive audience.  Should the appeal be the short prep time?

–Half the people in the world are children and 80% of the people who come to the Lord do so as a child.  That makes children the largest and most receptive unreached people group in the world.  How much of your church resources are going towards children?

–It would be really cool to spend a week at Disney World if you have a lot of money.   No surprise, it’s really expensive.

–I come away convinced once again that the children’s ministry is the most important in the church.

Kenya Update

The violence in Kenya has now impacted 34 Compassion projects.  Click here for more information and please be in prayer.

Child Survival

  

Did you catch the BBC article on Unicef’s State of the World’s Children that says while child mortality is falling there are 62 countries making no or insufficient progress towards a key 2015 child mortality target.  The attainment of the goal - called the fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which requires a two-thirds reduction in the 1990 under-five mortality rate - “is still possible, but the challenge is formidable”, the report says.

In East Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, mortality rates almost halved to 27 deaths per 1,000 live births - leaving those regions on track to meet the goal.   But Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia have not made sufficient progress.

The top five worst performers were:
Sierra Leone: 270 deaths per thousand births
Angola: 260 deaths per thousand births
Afghanistan: 257 deaths per thousand births
Niger: 253 deaths per thousand births
Liberia: 235 deaths per thousand births

While many of these deaths can be attributed to war they mostly die from preventable causes such as diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, unsafe water, poor hygiene and neonatal problems.  The solutions to child deaths are well-known, says the report - “simple, reliable and affordable interventions with the potential to save two-thirds of the children currently at risk are readily available”.

The top industrialized countries average three deaths per thousand births.

Thirty-thousand children will die today because they are poor.  How is your church addressing this problem?

Compassion’s Child Survival Program is a great way to get involved.  It’s a program literally saving lives as well as preparing children to thrive throughout their lives.  Let me know if you’d like to know more about it.