No matter where you go in the world there are poor people. There have been plenty of studies made and strategies implemented to fight poverty over the years but the sad truth is, poverty is still a painful sore of global society.
In this series of blogs titled “World Poverty,” I will write about things I have learned concerning the poor and poverty from both an academic and experiential perspective. The core of my doctoral thesis focused on world poverty and how we can help those trapped in it. I have invested 30 years working with the poor and impoverished―including those living on the streets of Baltimore and Washington D.C., inmates in Pennsylvania state prisons and their families, friends, and for the past 15 years, children and adults in third world countries.
I am a Christian and write from a Christian worldview. Therefore, my first few blogs will give a Biblical perspective on poverty. The Bible has much to say about poverty, treatment of the poor, and even the responsibilities of the poor. Then I will share with you what prominent sociologists and development workers are saying about world poverty and what various government organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs) are doing to fight poverty. Along the way I’ll share with you sources and leads should you want to dig deeper. So, let’s begin with the Bible.
The Bible states, “For the poor will never cease to be in the land…” (Deuteronomy 15:11). Jesus reaffirmed this in the New Testament declaring, “…you always have the poor with you…” (Mark 14:7).
People can be poor both materially and spiritually. Jesus warned, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew
Bryant Myers, a Christian development thinker, says mankind was created in the image of God as a relational being. Before the fall of humanity, God established four foundational relationships for each person: a relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation. Human wholeness of life was experienced when these relationships functioned as intended.[i]
But, with the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, sin broke humanity’s necessary communion with God and ruptured people’s relationships with self, others, and the rest of creation.[ii] Mankind’s original parents passed on to their progeny a fallen nature that is evident in contemporary society by wars, murder, robbery, hatred, abuse, exploitation and more.
The Bible reveals there are two separate and distinct kingdoms operating in the universe: the
The Kingdom of the World is ruled by Satan and is populated by those who follow him—whether they know it or not. Jesus said Satan’s rules of engagement are to, “…steal, kill, and to destroy” (John
God’s Kingdom has a Champion who has brought hope and healing to a lost and fallen world. God’s Word predicted his provision of salvation from the very beginning of creation. The Bible has told the eternal story of God and his love for all people, rich or poor. In truth, because of sin, everyone is spiritually poor before God. Spiritual wealth comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Champion of love and life. Money does not factor into obtaining this wealth.
The Bible tells this story in a way that people can understand it and presents a perspective on God and humanity that is unique to all other religious and secular ideas. It presents a worldview that helps people understand three basic truths: 1) Where he or she came from and who he or she is (creation); 2) Why the world is in the condition it is (the fall); and 3) What can be done to fix it (redemption).[iii]
Apart from this Biblical worldview (and even with it) people have not done well in understanding and dealing with the world’s problems. God has intervened in our fallen world through Jesus Christ, his gospel, and the Holy Spirit. With God there is hope, restoration and healing. Apart from God mankind is doomed to selfish nonsense and ideas that lead to injustice and destruction.
[i] Bryant L. Myers, Walking With the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999), 27.
[ii] Genesis 3:15.
[iii] Charles Colson states, “These categories provide the means to compare and contrast the various ideas and philosophies competing for allegiance in today’s world, for they cover the central questions that any world view must answer….” Charles Colson and Nancy Pearson, How Now Shall We Live? (
