Living in a staggeringly poor country is a hard thing. You never, ever forget that you are among the richest in the world, existing among those who have next-to-nothing. You want to help, to do something, all the time--to stop the bleeding and make things better. And sometimes you do something that actually makes a small difference and then something washes over you and you feel genuinely happy for a moment or two.
I haven't read David Platt's by-now-famous book "Radical." I know many people love it, are challenged by it, shaken up and made crazy by it. And from what I know, I agree with Platt's stance that the western church needs to be totally different from what she is now,and that we all need to be turned on our heads. We need to be ridiculously generous and give of our wealth until it makes other people nervous.
But I read an excerpt of a review of "Radical" today, by Kevin DeYoung and I think he makes a very important point. It's a point that rings true all the more for me since I live in a land marked by government corruption, graft, backroom deals, and a belief that upward mobility is not the right of every kind of person, only some kinds.
He states:
"The Christian needs to be generous, but generous charity is not the answer to the world’s most pressing problems of hunger, inadequate medical care, and grinding poverty. Wealth is created in places where the rule of law is upheld, property rights are secured, people are free to be entrepreneurs, and there is sufficient social capital to encourage risk-taking. We can and should do good with our giving. But we must not lead people to believe that most of human suffering would be alleviated if we simply gave more."
So today, when I go to McDonald's and I save some of my food to give to the little professional beggars waiting outside, I'll do it because that's what Jesus would have done, and I'll tell them why I'm doing it, and that he loves them. I'll rest in that and I'll feel his smile. But I won't believe that I'm saving the world.
Because only he can do that.
Have you read "Half the Sky?" Very enlightening book. Not done from a Christian perspective but gives one a better understanding of how just giving money isn't the answer. One caveat, it can be disturbing but not nearly as much so as the book you suggested. :)
ReplyDelete"Wealth is created in places where the rule of law is upheld, property rights are secured, people are free to be entrepreneurs, and there is sufficient social capital to encourage risk-taking." is such a vital truth that the western Church needs to take into account when it comes to giving.