THE CHURCH HAS THE ANSWER TO POVERTY

Jayakumar Christian, an Asian Indian theologian, surveyed documents issued by various Evangelical conferences and congresses throughout the last half of 20^th century.

According to his summary, poverty:

·       Is the marring of the image of God in the poor;

·       Is perpetuated by flawed structures in society and societal institutions;

·       Distorts the truth about God and man, and instead advances falsehood about both;

·       Results from a of lack of compassion and love toward the poor;

·       Has both micro (local) and macro (worldwide) dimensions;

·       Is rooted in the fallen-ness of cultures, and is perpetuated through human cultures;

·       Is actively maintained and spread by principalities and powers;

·       Has political ramifications that cannot be ignored;

·       Is an issue of power and relationships among the poor and between the poor and non-poor;

·       Is a result of humanity’s fall as recorded in Scripture; this is reflected and implied in all aspects of poverty.

This being the case, poverty can best be addressed thru the local church & its ministries. A local congregation that is healthy & physically located in the community has the resources to deal directly with many of the aspects of poverty that Jakakumar Christian mentioned.

The local church, functioning in its God-given role, works to restore the image of God in man by proclaiming and living out the truth about God and man. The Great Commission mandates this proclamation, in addition to making disciples who fully follow Christ’s teaching. As a redemptive community living in obedience to the Great Commandments, the local church brings the grace of God into man’s and culture’s fallen condition. Through prayer, worship, mutual submission, and the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit it confronts the principalities and powers that are at work in and through poverty. The local congregation is God’s chosen instrument to bring healing to broken and dysfunctional relationships among individuals, families, and communities.