By Ken Herfst

It was a bright Guatemalan morning near the stunningly beautiful Lake Atitlán. A group of deacons were gathered around and we were discussing poverty. In some ways, the discussion seemed totally out of place. The poor don’t belong in such a pristine setting. And yet, poverty is just as much part of our reality as the impressive volcanoes that surround this famous lake.

Two basic questions set the tone for the discussion: “Who are the poor? And, why are they poor?” Without too much reflection the standard answers came hard and fast: The poor are people who don’t want to work. People who drink. People who are irresponsible and can’t hold down a job. Other descriptions were equally telling: they are dirty, lazy, smelly, etc., Then I asked, “How many poor people that meet that description do you know?” There was silence. It is a journey I have made myself. All too often our perceptions and preconceived ideas about the poor tell us more about our own prejudices than about the poor themselves.

What is poverty?

Poverty is a complex, many sided issue. People working in the developing world are confronted with poverty in a way that forces one to rethink some of these issues. Of the many books I have read on the subject, Bryant Meyer’s book entitled, Walking with the Poor, is perhaps one of the more thorough ones. He presents a number of analogies that help give us a better understanding of the complexity of poverty.

Once one reflects somewhat more seriously about poverty, it is usually described as “a lack of something.” A lack of resources, skills, nutrition, health, purpose, etc. The problem is that understanding poverty like that results in the “Santa Claus” approach where the missionary trying to help the poor becomes someone who tries to supply what is lacking. If nutrition is the problem, we’ll give them food. If they lack skills, we’ll start a trade school, etc. No doubt there is some validity to this approach. However, in the long run it can be harmful. Despite our good intentions, the poor are seen as helpless receptors of our projects and if we can only get them to accept what we offer, they will no longer be poor. In effect, we dehumanize the poor. They often adopt our perception of them and simply wait for someone to come along and supply their needs, without seeing themselves as part of the solution. Furthermore, a “Messiah-complex” is far from a healthy self assessment and as soon as we take that position, we not only generate a dependency on the part of the poor, we believe ourselves to be indispensable.

A more helpful analogy comes from Robert Chambers. He sees poverty as a web or a net that traps the poor in the position they are in. Chambers sees five areas of life that influence the poor family:

1) They are materially poor. Usually, they have very little or no land, animals or wealth.

2) Because of poor nutrition, the family tends to lack physical strength. Regular sickness can result in layoffs. Malnutrition results in difficulty in applying one’s self to studies.

3) The poor family is often isolated or at least has limited access to water, electricity, and programs offering credit or information about social programs.

4) Because of their limited resources, poor families are vulnerable to emergencies and disasters. It is easy to imagine a family that suddenly is forced to spend what little money they have saved in times of sickness. More often than not, crops are planted with borrowed money. Drought can be devastating: the family harvests little food, and yet needs to pay creditors. In some countries, cultural practices can demand more than the family can afford. Bride dowries, funerals, religious festivals and other rituals often place financial strain on a poor family. At times like these, the only equity they might have needs to be sold. Selling land or cattle only makes the family more vulnerable to future emergencies.

5) The poor are usually on the outside of the spheres of power and influence. Decisions are made for them. Furthermore, factory owners, landlords and others tend to exploit the poor and yet the poor have no access to an appeal process. Women in sweat shops around Latin America are especially vulnerable here. In many instances, they are required to take pregnancy tests prior to being hired. Should the test prove positive, the company refuses to hire them in an effort to avoid maternity leave. Those who dare complain will never find work.

6) Myers adds a sixth aspect: spiritual poverty. In fact, the spiritual dimension of poverty can be seen in each of the five areas already mentioned. We live in a fallen world and abuses of power, exploitation of the poor, the effort to ward off sickness through shamanism, general ignorance and a misuse of God’s provision (either by the poor themselves or by those who exploit them) can be traced to the disharmony that sin has brought into the world. Unfortunately, the poor may look for help in the wrong places, and while alcoholism certainly cannot be limited to the poor, it is a sad reality that the inability to cope with the financial strains of life leads to alcohol abuse. That in turn leads to family abuse and the vicious circle continues.

How do we address poverty?

When seen in this light, the response to poverty becomes multi-faceted as well. Conscientious development agencies continue to address these issues. And yet, it is only an integrated approach that includes the gospel as well as social sciences and education that can bring about the transformation necessary to deal with poverty.

Last August, Samuel España, a promising young leader from our church, and I visited CDA (Corporacion Dios es Amor, or Corporation God is Love), Word & Deed’s partner in Colombia. It was most encouraging to see an organization dealing with these various aspects of poverty and making a difference. As CDA understands the spiritual side of development, I was asked to speak about the role of the church in this kind of mission. We rooted the church’s mission in God’s mission and looked at how Scripture outlines the Creation–Re-creation model as the basis for what we are called to do. Just as the scope of sin touches every corner of creation, so the redeeming power of Christ transforms it. That means that the gospel is key in bringing about the integral transformation that honours Christ; yet more than the gospel is needed.

** Samuel with some girls from the home for abused girls in Tenjo, Colombia

In addition to speaking and preaching, CDA personnel took us to various projects so that we could see how they responded to their pressing social needs. It was an encouraging visit and we left with a vision to foster that kind of response in Guatemala. This kind of interchange is mutually beneficial. I was encouraged when a young teacher commented, “As someone who works with the poor the temptation is always there to look to Marxism for the answer. However, you brought us back to the Scripture. This is the only real solution.”

We spent hours talking with personnel and people in the various programs, and saw how a combined approach that respects people for who they are enables them to work with CDA in the process of restoration.

The poor have names; they have their own family histories. A simplistic approach of “just preaching the gospel” doesn’t deal with all the issues that poverty presents. A professional team of psychologists, sociologists, educators, chaplains, vocational training educators, and health care personnel – all committed to the gospel – work closely together to untangle the web of poverty. It was our privilege to see changed lives.

Stereotypes are not helpful. A compassionate approach rooted in reality, coupled with biblical expectations and a firm dependence on God is what is needed to bring about real transformation that embraces both “rich” and “poor” and enables us to work together with mutual respect. Seeing a transformed life not only is a cause of heartfelt gratitude, it honours Christ whose Lordship includes the restoration of broken lives, broken homes and broken communities.

Pastor Ken Herfst teaches missiology at the Presbyterian Seminary in San Felipe, Guatemala. He is also involved in the reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan.