Toxic Charity, by Robert D. Lupton
This was an eye-opening and convicting book. All my life I have known and been taught that we should help others in need. As a youth and adult I went on many a mission trip and participated in many organized acts of service. I always assumed that everything we were doing was completely helpful to the people we were pausing our schedule to help. But perhaps what we were doing and giving wasn’t the most helpful. Perhaps, maybe sometimes, we might have been doing some harm unknowingly. That’s why this book is so helpful. Its subtitle is “How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It).” It provides real information about what we do and the effects we have. Even though it makes you say uh-oh at times, when you read that something you’ve done that wasn’t helpful, it is a much-needed guide for how we can truly love our neighbors and follow Jesus’ teachings. Convicting, yes, but in the end inspiring. And the changes it encourages will bless us in return.
The church staff are pulling some books from our Church Library and putting them on a table in the Fellowship Hall. Please come by (8-3:30 Mon-Fri), choose a book(s) you would like, write your name on the card along with the date, and return it within 3 weeks. It’s a great time to READ!