Another Weighs in About "Helping the Poor May Hurt Them"

For the past few months I've been writing about the obsession of the American evangelcials, especially younger ones, with helping the poor. I've made two basic observations about this. First, the "helping the poor obsession" is replacing the heart of the gospel; the atonement of Jesus Christ. Second, those helping the poor may not be helping them that much. In fact, they might be making things worse. I had reported on one book I found that backed up my assertions and now I've found another one.

Christianity Today magazine, in the November 2011 issue, has a review of a new book entitled, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (and How to Reverse It) by Robert Lupton. The reviewer tells us that the Rev. Lupton (he's a minister) points out that we are creating a dependent group to satisfy Christians' need to feel good about themselves. You bet I am definitely going to get a hold of this book (hopefully through interlibrary loan). When I do, I will give a more detailed report on it. I am espeically interested in the part where he tels how to really help the poor, as I have not found this information in any Christian book (or non-Christian book, for that matter) that I've read or researched. There are certainly books written offering solutions, but they don't work. So, we shall see what the Reverend Lupton suggests.