Are we effectively helping the poor? Or are we hurting them? Will our efforts have long-term benefits? Or are we only making the problem worse?
Isaiah 58:10 “…spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry…”
“Spending yourselves often involves more than giving a handout to a poor person, a handout that may very well do more harm than good.” (When Helping Hurts, Corbett and Fikkert)
These are questions plaguing me, issues I’m wrestling with. I’m only a few chapters into the book, but already I sense that God is challenging us to move to the next level. The combination of a “god complex” in the materially rich and an “inferior complex” in the materially poor is a combination that does more long-term harm than good. It’s complicated, but I hope to unpackage more of it in future blogs.
Stay tuned….