Peter Greer

September 30, 2015

How ‘Buy-One, Give-One’ Models Can Dilute Charity and Hurt Local Economies

The highly popular “buy-one, give-one” models — as epitomized by the popular TOMS Shoes brand — have long held the attention of Western do-gooders. It’s quick, it’s easy, and hey, people like the shoes. Continue Reading...

December 12, 2014

3 Reasons to Stop Referring to ‘The Poor’

“Every single person on the face of the planet is created in God’s image. Everybody has the same heavenly Father. Everybody has capacity, talent, and ability. Everybody has responsibility. Everybody has stewardship responsibility. Continue Reading...

July 16, 2014

Entrepreneurship: An Engine of Human Flourishing

As leaders of HOPE International, an organization that empowers men and women across the globe through business training, savings services, and small loans, Peter Greer and Chris Horst have witnessed the transformative impact entrepreneurship can have on individuals and communities, particularly when paired with the power of the Gospel. 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...

October 16, 2013

Q&A: Peter Greer on Heroism, ‘Christian Karma,’ and the Dark Side of Charity

Peter Greer has spent his life doing good, from serving refugees in the Congo to leading HOPE International, a Christian-based network of microfinance institutions operating in 16 countries around the world. Continue Reading...

September 10, 2013

Peter Greer on the ‘Spiritual Danger’ of Service and Charity

July 31, 2013

How Church Foreign Aid Programs Make Things Worse

In an interview with Forbes‘ Jerry Bower, Peter Greer, president and CEO of the the Hope International, explains why church foreign aid programs often hurts those its meant to help: Greer: There’s an entrepreneur named Jeff Rutt, and after the fall of the Soviet Union he had a desire to go over with his church and help. Continue Reading...

June 28, 2013

Making ‘Good Intentions’ Good

I recently wrote on the implications of “pathological altruism,” a term coined by Oakland University’s Barbara Oakley to categorize altruism in which “attempts to promote the welfare of others instead result in unanticipated harm.” Continue Reading...