When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and 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 .
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If I were a rich woman, I would buy this for everyone!
I hope you can tell by the picture how much I have enjoyed this book. It has been marked up one side and down the other as I continue to make notes and highlight things I want to reread. This past summer, I spent a little time in Curtis Bay, Maryland. I was talking to a friend about their ministry in an area which filled with poverty, violence, hopelessness and drugs. I could see the love that this community had for this pastor’s family and the gospel reaching those in darkness as the loved on what many would consider unlovable. She recommended that I read When Helping Hurts. I immediately ordered it and haven’t put it down since! If I were a rich woman, I would buy this book for anyone willing to read it! I live and serve in a community that is also plagued with poverty, drugs, and hopelessness and often “bright futures” for these young people seem hidden behind dark curtains. This is where my heart is and the Lord has used this book to take my passion for investing in these lives to a whole new level. I understand better their true needs and feel more equipped to serve after reading this book. I would recommend this as a top read for anyone!
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- Traveller1200Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2012
Essential reading for anyone involved in Christian ministry to the poor
