When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert is a book I set my sites on some time ago but thinking it may be a load
of tosh I put off reading it. That is, until I received a verbal recommendation
from a trusted relative I then decided it was time to dig in. As it turns out
it is not a load of rubbish but rather a well thought out analysis of how we as
individual Christians, churches, and parachurch organizations have failed,
often miserably, at assisting the poor and alleviating poverty and how to
address these issues.
From the back cover we learn what we can expect from the
book
- Foundation Concepts – Who are the poor?
- Principles – Should we do relief, rehabilitation or development?
- Strategies – How can we help people here and abroad?
And that is the thrust of the work. These three points are fleshed out by the
authors.
The book begins with a short history of how we, primarily
North American Christians, got to where we are now. What happened between 1900
and 1930 that changed how we address poverty alleviation and why we are failing
miserably at addressing it? Why is a Biblical world view important to the
methodology of helping the poor?
Next we find out what the poor think of our efforts to help
them. Its entirely possible we fail as we have no clue how other cultures, even
sub-cultures within our own culture, think emotionally and politically of their
plight. Failure to recognize these distinctions cause our failures in assisting
the poor and therefore our evangelism. From our North American point of view
are we really helping the poor or just making ourselves feel better by thinking
we have? Poverty is rooted in broken relationships, with God and each other,
not in financial or material wealth. Only Jesus can fix that.
In chapter 4 we begin to get into the real meat of the work.
Help comes in three forms according to the authors: Relief, rehabilitation, and
development. Failure to recognize these three and implement them as needed or
in correct order can do more harm than good. Many churches and organizations,
for example, start and stop with relief. That is, providing immediate help for
a need. Though necessary it falls short of providing for the long term needs of
the person or persons in need. The authors flesh this out clearly and define
what steps, relief, rehabilitation, and development, to take at appropriate
times.
Of chapter 7 I took special note. Short term mission trips (STM)
have always left me wondering how effective they can be. How can a group of
people who blow into town for only a week or two expect to provide any long
lasting good? Indeed, they can be helpful as the authors explain however they
are often not for several reasons the authors lay out. If only relief is
provided the STM is doomed to failure. Development is often what is needed and
that can’t be done in a two week STM. In helping the poor we must be in it for
the long haul by helping the local churches and organizations in the area as
necessary.
The authors continue and conclude with concrete strategies
to help the poor in numerous ways and especially spiritually. The issue is
often, "Finding armies of people to volunteer one Saturday to paint dilapidated houses is easy. Finding people to love the people who live in those houses is extremely difficult" (pg. 210). We must take the time to walk and love these folks for the long term. Are you ready? Am I ready?
This is a justifiable read. The authors are intelligent and
experienced. Expert analysis, true life accounts, and clear strategies are
provided. I wholeheartedly commend When Helping Hurts .
