Carpe Diem: Claiming Every Day for God - John Perkins
Channel: Faith@Work Summit
Date: 2022-01-20

John M. Perkins was born into Mississippi poverty, the son of a sharecropper. He fled to California when he was 17 after his older brother was killed. Although Dr. Perkins vowed never to return, in 1960, after he accepted Christ, he returned to his boyhood home to share the gospel of Christ with those still living in the region. He summarizes his philosophy of Christian ministry in the “three Rs”—Relocation, Redistribution and Reconciliation. Perkins’ Christian witness includes economic development, healthcare, voter registration, and so many other things from the early days of his faith journey. Dr. Perkins believes that “the best welfare program is a job.” He is one of the leading evangelical voices in grassroots economic development in at-risk communities and is the Co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association. Despite dropping out of school in the third grade, Dr. Perkins is an author, international speaker, and teacher on issues of racial reconciliation, leadership, and community development. For his tireless work, he received honorary doctorates from thirteen universities.