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Foreword by Dr. John Perkins
Founder and President Emeritus of the
Christian Community Development Association
Have you ever done anything to help poor people? It was not too many years ago that most North American evangelicals would have answered no to this question. Let me explain.
I grew up as the son of a sharecropper in rural Mississippi, where I experienced violent racism and grinding poverty from the day I was born. I left Mississippi looking for a better life. But Jesus Christ took hold of me, and in 1960 He called me to go back to Mississippi to help my people. Soon thereafter I started Voice of Calvary Ministries to address the spiritual, physical, and social needs of the poor. Many evangelical Christians were leery of me in those days. My concern for the poor and for social justice made many evangelicals suspect that I was theologically liberal. I never did understand those folks. I never questioned that the Bible was totally true. In fact, I really believed such passages as Matthew 25:31-46 and 1 John 3:17-18.
Evangelicals have come a long way since those days. Many now agree that as followers of Jesus Christ we must show compassion for the poor. Indeed, there is a good chance that you have volunteered at a soup kitchen, donated to a food pantry, or gone on a short-term mission trip to a poor country. At the very least you have put money in the offering plate, money that was then used to support the local homeless shelter or a missionary working in an AIDS clinic in Africa. While we are not doing nearly enough, many of us evangelicals are now doing something. This is good news, but it leads to my second question.
Have you ever done anything to hurt poor people? Most of you would probably answer no to this question, but the reality is that you may have done considerable harm to poor people in the very process of trying to help them. The federal government made this mistake for decades. Well-intentioned welfare programs penalized work, undermined families, and created dependence. The government hurt the very people it was trying to help. Unfortunately, the same is true for many Christian ministries today. By focusing on symptoms rather than on the underlying disease, we are often hurting the very people we are trying to help. Surprisingly, we are also hurting ourselves in the process. As followers of Jesus Christ, we simply must do better.
I have devoted most of my life to helping Christians minister effectively to poor people. The [When Helping Hurts] book builds on that tradition in a profound way. The authors combine sound theology, solid research, foundational principles, and proven strategies to prepare you for transformational ministry amongst "the least of these" both at home and around the world. But it would be a mistake to think that the power of this book lies in the tools and techniques it presents. Rather, the central message of this book is that we need the person of Jesus Christ to transform not just the poor but also ourselves.
Hence, I urge you to approach this book not just with your mind but also with your heart. Meditate on the Bible passages. Reflect on the questions and exercises. Pray for the Holy Spirit to break you and to change you. And then do not be just a hearer of the Word but a doer. Ask God what you and your church can do to truly engage in helping the poor without hurting them . . . and yourselves.
Dr. John Perkins
Founder and President Emeritus of the Christian Community Development Association
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