Practical Ideas for How to Help and Not Hurt in Caring for the Poor
In a new Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE) booklet, Love Your Neighbor: Restoring Dignity, Breaking the Cycle of Poverty, Kathryn Feliciano equips small groups, churches, and students with practical steps and sound biblical and economic principles for more effectively serving the poor.
Feliciano said she wrote the booklet to help Christians who are wrestling with how to help the poor without doing more harm than good. “We are compelled by compassion, but are often unsure if we are helping at all,” she writes in Love Your Neighbor. “We donate to charities and volunteer for organizations devoted to alleviating poverty, but is our time and money actually helping or hurting the poor?”
According to Feliciano, there is a growing consensus in poverty relief literature that it is time to re-evaluate how we help the poor. Her booklet builds upon that conversation by highlighting organizations that are doing a good job and providing practical steps to assess and address the needs in communities.
Feliciano also writes that poverty is more than just a financial issue as individuals are made in God’s image, with social, emotional, and spiritual needs. Poverty relief efforts should also recognize that each person is equipped with God-given gifts and talents. With a background in economics, Feliciano shares how economic principles can lead to more sustainable change and true flourishing.
Sample Interview Questions for Kathryn Feliciano:
• What are some of the key biblical truths that inform how we help the poor?
• What are the three “flourishing principles” to keep in mind in poverty relief efforts?
• What should people look for before supporting organizations that serve the poor?
• What would you say to someone who feels overwhelmed with the task of caring for the poor?
The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE) is a Christian organization committed to advancing biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
