charity

July 29, 2014

Phantom Needs: Projecting Poverty Where It Doesn’t Exist

As we continue to encounter the adverse effects of certain forms of foreign aid and other misaligned efforts to alleviate poverty, it becomes increasingly clear that those in need require a level of care, concern, and discipleship not well suited to detached top-down “solutions.” Continue Reading...

April 29, 2014

Tornadoes, Disaster Relief, and the Power of the Christian Community

At the bottom of this storm and tornado roundup from The Weather Channel, there is a powerful slideshow on the devastation in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The death count in the region stands at 31. Continue Reading...

April 18, 2014

Ignatius Press Now Carrying PovertyCure

Ignatius Press is now carrying Acton’s PovertyCure DVD Series here: This widely acclaimed series focuses on the key question, How do people create prosperity for their families and their communities? The purpose of this series is to encounter our brothers and sisters in the developing world not merely as people in need, not as aid recipients, not as charity projects, but as human beings created in the image of God and endowed with His divine creative spark. Continue Reading...

April 16, 2014

King David on the Heart of Christian Stewardship

We live amid unprecedented economic prosperity, and with the promise of globalization and the continued expansion of opportunity and exchange, such prosperity is bound to grow. Yet if we’re to retain and share these blessings, such gifts need to be received and responded to with a heart of service, sacrifice, and obedience to God. Continue Reading...

April 15, 2014

It’s Tax Day: How Generous Do You Feel?

It’s tax day, and though I’m sure you’ve already begun your revelry, I suggest take a moment of silence to relish that warm, fuzzy feeling we get when pressured to pay up or head to the Big House. Continue Reading...

February 12, 2014

Beyond Humanitarianism: Staying ‘Mission True’ in a Culture of Drift

Peter Greer recently wrote a book about the spiritual danger of doing good, encouraging Christians to deal closely with matters of the heart before putting their hands to work. “Our service is downstream from the Gospel message,” he said in an interview here on the blog. Continue Reading...

February 11, 2014

Fr. Sirico on ‘How Charity Can Be Selfish’

Forbes contributor Jerry Bowyer recently interviewed Fr. Robert Sirico about PovertyCure and charity. Bower has split his interview into several parts and you can read the previous post here. In this section, their discussion focuses on “Bad Almsgiving:” Jerry: “Charity can be selfish, can’t it?” Continue Reading...

January 29, 2014

Birmingham Good Samaritans Show Up in Force During Snow Storm

It doesn’t take much snow to wreak havoc in the Deep South. I remember one time being immediately sent home from high school on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for the lightest dusting of snow. Continue Reading...

December 18, 2013

Robert Reich at the Nativity: ‘Try Something Useful!’

In 2012, nearly $39 billion was spared to American givers via the charitable tax deduction, $33 billion of which went to the richest 20 percent of Americans. If that sounds like a lot, consider that it’s associated with roughly $316 billion in charitable donations. Continue Reading...

November 20, 2013

WaPo Praises Conservative Paul Ryan, Trashes Conservatism

A recent piece in The Washington Post by Lori Montgomery reports that conservative U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan has been working on solutions to poverty with Robert Woodson, solutions rooted in face-to-face compassion, spiritual transformation and neighborhood enterprise. Continue Reading...

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