Tony Campolo wrote an excellent article last week that ties together several things that I’ve written about on this blog. He points out the harm that Christian relief has done in Haiti, not only now, but over the last few decades. He also reminds us that the hot trends in mission trips (building houses, etc.) aren’t helping the people we intend to help.
Really dealing with poverty takes long-term planning and carefully thought-out strategies. It’s not simple.
Maybe I’m just playing the role of Chicken Little, crying that the sky is falling when everyone knows that it’s not. Or maybe I’m able to see that the emperor has no clothes. Whichever it is, at least Tony Campolo agrees with me. Misery loves company.
Edit: (3/8/10, 9:45 a.m. CST) — Jay Guin’s blog reminded me that I could well include a couple of resources here:
- When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Dr. Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development and the Department of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College
- Tending to Eden by Scott Sabin
No, I think you are correct! I think that without long-term, prayerful and wise planning and strategy, we are merely giving people food for a day.
That’s why I’m so thrilled that Holly Hill is involved with Mission Lazarus in Honduras. They feed and house orphans and indigent adults, but also give vocational training and teach virtue and responsibility as well as typical school subjects.
I hope I can find the door that will let me go and work with them next year.
I was impressed with what I heard about what Mission Lazarus is doing.
Tim,
Colson’s “The Worldview Church” had a brief article on this book.
http://tinyurl.com/ycz7tg2
Looks like it’s an idea that several have been thinking about.
Bob
Hey check out more of what Tony Campolo has to say in the documentary The Ordinary Radicals:
http://www.theordinaryradicals.com/
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