Join the conversation on Poverty and Wealth

A variety of interrelated themes are woven into the conversation on Poverty and Wealth.

The first thread is a biblical understanding of the terms “poverty” and “wealth.” The causes of poverty are both complex and multiple, affecting the social, economic, political, spiritual, and physical realms of peoples’ lives and societies with resulting humiliation, injustice, oppression, and physical want. Poverty strips people of dignity and worth. Biblically, all people are poor due to the Fall and all are wealthy by virtue of being made in the image of God. Abraham, blessed economically, was “blessed to be a blessing” (Genesis 2). However, those persons, nations, and churches blessed with material wealth commonly lack both a vision for and understanding of blessing others, except through mechanisms of charity. Those with wealth are, in fact, often more vulnerable to being lead away from God. In this thread the interrelationship of poverty and wealth are explored.

A second thread relates to the “hole in our gospel” and how living out the “whole gospel” can be both personally and socially revolutionary as believers commit to love, repentance, and living out the Lordship of Christ in every area of life. Mission from this perspective is “integral mission” and this conversation explores the link between faith in God and the outworking of that faith as seen in concern that justice be accorded to those who are oppressed and poor. This includes a consideration of forces that create and sustain injustice.

Finally this conversation turns to responses that address the gap between poverty and wealth—through savings movements such as microfinance programs, through theological education that both explicitly and implicitly prepares pastors for service in contexts of poverty, and for tools such as participatory learning that move communities forward in vital areas such as food security. The conversation also includes areas of need addressed in the Millennium Development Goals, assessment and care centers for young women who have been the victims of sexual trafficking, and curricula that enable churches to both understand and respond to these crucial problems.