Toxic charity
Subtitle: how churches and charities hurt those they help (and how to reverse it)
By: Robert D. Lupton
Edition: 1st HarperCollins pbk. ed.
Publisher: HarperOne
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 191
ISBN-13: 9780062076212
Copyright date: 2011
Subjects: Poor; Charities
Description: Public service is a way of life for Americans; giving is a part of our national character. But compassionate instincts and generous spirits aren't enough, says veteran urban activist Robert D. Lupton. In this groundbreaking guide, he reveals the disturbing truth about charity: all too much of it has become toxic, devastating to the very people it's meant to help. In his four decades of urban ministry, Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. Our free food and clothing distribution encourages ever-growing handout lines, diminishing the dignity of the poor while increasing their dependency. We converge on inner-city neighborhoods to plant flowers and pick up trash, battering the pride of residents who have the capacity (and responsibility) to beautify their own environment. We fly off on mission trips to poverty-stricken villages, hearts full of pity and suitcases bulging with giveaways--trips that one Nicaraguan leader describes as effective only in "turning my people into beggars."
Table of contents: title: The scandal; title: The problem with good intentions; title: The anatomy of giving; title: Needs vs. relationships; title: Beyond us-based giving; title: No quick fixes; title: Wise giving; title: Take the oath; title: Service with dignity; title: Getting started.