Christianity Social Work

Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy - and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself.

In his four decades of urban ministry, Robert D. Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. 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." In Toxic Charity, Lupton urges individuals, churches, and organizations to step away from these spontaneous, often destructive acts of compassion and toward thoughtful paths to community development.

Despite the human race's extraordinary capacity for invention and progress, we clearly have a millennia-old blind spot in one all-important area: We don't understand evil -- what it is, how it works, and why it so routinely and effortlessly ruins our lives. Put another way, we don't understand ourselves.

The least of these have the most to give. In Wherever the River Runs, Kelly Minter invites us on a journey down a river teeming with piranhas and caimans, as well as machete-wielding mothers, heroic jungle pastors, faith-filled children, and miracles too seldom experienced in our part of the world. Kelly's honest and engaging narrative pulls back the curtain on one of the most captivating places on earth as well as on parts of the gospel we may be able to recite but have never fully believed.

Woven from Joseph Campbell’s previously unpublished work, this volume explores Judeo-Christian symbols and metaphors - and their misinterpretations - with the famed mythologist’s characteristic conversational warmth and accessible scholarship. Campbell’s insights highlight centuries of confusion between literal and metaphorical interpretations of Western religious symbols that are, he argues, perennially relevant keys to spiritual understanding and mystical revelation.

Is the stage being set for the tyrannical rule of the Antichrist? Volume One unveils the Luciferian Conspiracy. Satan and his earthly co-conspirators are deceiving the world as they roll out the New World Order. His accomplices are exposed as they pull the strings of world affairs and build an empire cloaked in deception. Realities you never knew existed are revealed in this riveting book. Sometimes lies are hidden in plain sight.

Addressing mission, evangelism, and social justice, two pastors draw listeners to the Bible's teaching on some contentious matters. Listeners in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the Church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus' call to preach the Word and make disciples.

In this audiobook, Douglas Wilson both considers the theology behind technology, work, and mission and advice on how to be productive - and to think about productivity - in the digital age. We should not rush to buy each and every new iPhone or fancy new gadget, but neither neither should we reject the new technology out of nostalgia for the good ol' days when people worked with their hands or starved.

This illuminating and insightful audiobook analyzes problems with the culture's underlying worldviews and suggests how Christians can offer solutions to current problems as a way to rebuild culture and faith.

How to Be a Christian Influencer is a practical and inspiring guide for believers who want to shine brightly in a world that desperately needs light. Horbrook believes you can use social media to share your faith, connect with others, and make an impact—if you do it with intention, authenticity, and faith at the center. This isn't about chasing followers or trends; it's about using today's tools to build meaningful relationships, share your faith, and genuinely help others succeed.

The world is on the verge of a great Satanic reset that will bring with it full spectrum planetary surveillance and control. Transhumanism, perversion, paranormal activity, Christian persecution, and more are on the rise as the powerful globalists get closer and closer to their end game.

Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father's murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds.

The workplace needs the Good News, yet the church has done little to equip professionals on how to be salt and light in the workplace. Much of this disconnect is based on a misinterpretation of Scripture. Patrick brings us back to the original Hebrew and Greek languages to gain a fuller understanding of God’s view of work and worship. With this understanding, he offers numerous ideas on how we may recalibrate our practices both in the workplace and in the church.

The Psalms speak power today as they always have. They have spoken across generations. They have bridged cultural divides and social contexts with their emotional rawness, urge towards justice, and blunt candor about the coarse edges of walking with God. Psalms for Black Lives includes thirty devotions, each containing a psalm, a reflection, and an invitation for the listener to develop a justice imagination through further engagement with the text.

There exists a certain breed of churchgoers who possess a peculiar set of personal traits and fixed beliefs that disguise themselves as Christian values. They love the word "Jesus", but are almost indifferent to the words of Jesus. Christianity for them is little more than a merry-go-round going nowhere. They are the ones who give religion a bad name, misrepresenting the greatest moral example the world has ever known.

Today's political and cultural polarization has led to suspicion and animosity in our churches, our workplaces, and even our families. It has also led to a false sense that our options are limited to choosing a side. But there is a better way. Shirley Mullen invites listeners to claim the powerful, redemptive potential of the courageous middle. This book offers a Christian theological framework for the work of "middle space" drawn from the Old and New Testaments.

Many people today talk about justice, but are they living justly? They want to change the world, but are they being changed themselves? Eugene Cho has a confession: "I like to talk about changing the world but I don't really like to do what it takes." If this is true of the man who founded the One Day's Wages global antipoverty movement, then what must it take to act on one's ideals? Cho does not doubt the sincerity of those who want to change the world.

I Am N reminds us that we are each “n”, or ن ― the Arabic letter radical Muslims use to identify followers of Jesus the Nazarene. Wherever we live, we have fellowship with those persecuted for their Christian witness — just like the individuals found in this book. So come meet their families. Hear their stories. And deepen your faith in a God who calls us to follow Christ's example of enduring suffering in order to fulfill God's redemptive mission.

Does Jesus’ call to love our enemies mean that we should remain silent in the face of injustice? Jesus called us to love our enemies. But to befriend an enemy, we first have to acknowledge their existence, understand who they are, and recognize the ways they are acting in opposition to God’s good news. In How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace, Melissa Florer-Bixler looks closely at what the Bible says about enemies - who they are, what they do, and how Jesus and his followers responded to them.

Human trafficking is not just something that happens in other countries. Nor is it something that just happens to "other people," such as runaways or the disenfranchised. Even kids in your own neighborhood can fall victim. But they don't have to.