Part Two: We Can Eliminate Extreme Poverty (We Already Are)
In part two of a three-part interview on extreme poverty,award-winning microbiologist Dr. Scott Todd of Compassion International, author of thenew book, Hope Rising, shares how weare already putting an end to extreme poverty, and how we can do more.
In Hope Rising you make reference tothe recent influx of devastating, apocalyptic stories, movies, and books in popculture. How do you feel this trend is affecting twenty-first-centuryChristians?
Our minds arefilled with images and ideas of the world getting worse. Yet in many ways thatsimply isn’t true. These ideas both run against truth and against efforts tomake the world a better place. They have a demotivating effect on folks whoroll up their sleeves and participate in Jesus’s own prayer—thy will on earthbe done on earth as it is in heaven.
What is “the shift” and how is itaffecting the fight against poverty?
During the lastcentury the gospel was split. We wrongly split the “spiritual” from the “social,”the faith from the works, the proclamation from the demonstration. In the firstdecade of this century we are healing of that split. We are witnessing are-integration and finding a whole gospel that is far closer to what Jesuslived and proclaimed. It is an approach to our faith that requires that ourvertical relationship with God must translate into genuine love for others. Ourkindness, compassion, peace, patience, goodness are a natural outflow of arelationship with God.
The shift isbeing driven generationally. Younger people are 50% more likely to havetravelled abroad for the purpose of ministry with the poor [than those who areolder]. These experiences have changed them. To them global poverty is not an“issue,” it is people whom they have met. This blend of younger people seekinga more authentic faith, relational connection with the poor through globaltravel experience, a hunger for relevance, and new communication technologiesconverges to form a fuller understanding of Christian faith—one that demandsword and deed.
The message within Hope Rising is centered on Isaiah 58. Briefly explain why thisparticular passage is so important.
Isaiah 58 says it all. This chapter begins with brokenness,with a painful cry of a prophet. He cries out against religious performancesand hypocrisy. But he then turns to point the way toward a true and sincereexpression of the faith, one with actions of compassion and justice. This sumsup the message of Hope Rising:
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosethe chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressedfree
and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and toprovide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them,and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will breakforth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then yourrighteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rearguard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry forhelp, and he will say: Here am I.”
What kind of people will end globalpoverty?
People just likeyou. We are not waiting for the billionaires to save us. The ending of globalpoverty is already underway through a million small acts of faithfulness. Manypeople underestimate their action; “It’s just a drop in the bucket,” they say.But God’s redemptive power is in that drop. When you recognize that it isactually God that works through you in each small act of faithfulness, you willnever underestimate the power of the simple things.
What do you think is the main thing keepingus from believing we can play a role in ending extreme poverty?
Low expectationsare the main barrier. We won’t say it, but we expect there to be poor people—alwayshave been and always will be. Our low expectations are so entrenched that evenwhen rock solid data shows us otherwise—extreme poverty has been cut in half,the number of children dying from poverty-related causes has dropped from40,000 per day to less than 20,000 per day—we don’t quite believe it. Ouractions flow from our expectations.