NEW BOOK

THE CRISIS OF DEPENDENCY

HOW OUR EFFORTS TO SOLVE POVERTY ARE TRAPPING PEOPLE IN IT AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO FOSTER FREEDOM INSTEAD.

by James Whitford

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WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

Pastors & Church Leaders

seeking to align their outreach with biblical principles that empower rather than enable.

Nonprofit Directors

looking to foster long-term transformation over temporary fixes.

Policy Makers

exploring effective alternatives to government dependency.

Community Advocates

striving to uplift their communities through dignity-focused charity.

Concerned Citizens

eager to better understand poverty and support sustainable solutions.

BOOK OVERVIEW

Millions in the U.S. are trapped in cycles of poverty due to well-meaning but misguided charitable models. In The Crisis of Dependency, James Whitford, Co-founder of Watered Gardens Ministries, shares how our compassion often perpetuates the very problems we aim to solve. Through personal stories, firsthand experience, and research, he reveals that handouts may offer temporary relief but deepen dependency.

James has worked for decades with those struggling with homelessness and poverty and after a brief stint of living on the streets, he recognized that what most people in poverty need isn’t material aid alone, but a path to self-sufficiency. Inspired by thought leaders like Marvin Olasky and Robert D. Lupton, and drawing from his own ministry, Whitford reimagined charity as one that restores dignity through relationship and accountability. His work has transformed lives by helping individuals build the skills and mindset needed for long-term success.

This book offers a blueprint for those who want to move beyond transactional charity. James invites readers to embrace approaches that challenge the status quo and cultivate meaningful, sustainable change in communities.

ENDORSEMENTS

James Whitford’s “The Crisis of Dependency” is a groundbreaking book that finally gives us a road map on how we can solve poverty while expanding purpose and dignity. Poverty has been a confounding issue in America for decades, but it no longer has to be. Whitford has spent his life walking alongside people and teaching them to regain their agency and purpose. This book shares his secrets and insights. In a combination of heart-felt storytelling, first-hand experience and, most importantly, solutions that work, “The Crisis of Dependency” will reframe our decades of poverty failures. It gives us practical advice we can use to expand freedom for everyone. “The Crisis of Dependency” is an essential read for policymakers, philanthropists and anyone who cares about ending financial poverty, once and for all.

In our supposedly enlightened age, most people think they know the meanings of such common terms as charity, justice, compassion, independence, and freedom. Whitford’s real-life stories ensure that a reader will never again think of those things in the same way. This is powerful stuff! —Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus, Foundation for Economic Education James Whitford is a man on a mission—actually, two missions. One is to help people who need and deserve assistance. The other, every bit as important, is to teach his fellow Americans there are both right ways and wrong ways to go about it. This is the book every true humanitarian has been waiting for.

My dear friend James Whitford has provided a spiritual alarm clock for the way we compassionately engage the poor and homeless in our world. In The Crisis of Dependency, James underscores a well-informed and thoughtful approach to inspiring freedom and not just charity. Since I know James personally and was there when he started his journey in founding Watered Gardens, I can attest to his all-out pursuit of engaging WITH people rather than doing something FOR people. The quick-hitting antidotes and personal stories in this book “connect the dots” for real-time, real-life change. In a sedulous moment of divine tension in our world, we must journey toward inspiring people to choose freedom and not the status quo. I believe that reading The Crisis of Dependency will certainly move you toward the former more than the latter.

James Whitford is a man on a mission—actually, two missions. One is to help people who need and deserve assistance. The other, every bit as important, is to teach his fellow Americans there are both right ways and wrong ways to go about it. This is the book every true humanitarian has been waiting for.

Whitford’s new book both inspires and challenges us: If we don’t get the nature of the person right, even our most generous and well-intended actions will fail to lift the poor out of poverty. By contrast, The Crisis of Dependency shows how everyone can claim their birthright of dignity, hope, and freedom in our world today.

Whitford’s wealth of personal experience empowering downtrodden neighbors to emerge from poverty paints a stark picture: our current public programs are imprisoning people in dependency. In contrast, a warm conversation with someone who sees me as a unique and valuable person – as someone with so much to offer – can set me free. You will meet Jerry, Seth, Jocelyn, Josh, Charles, Greg, and others who discovered the dignity of independence. They each had unique circumstances that no one-size-fits-all system could have addressed. I want stacks of this book to hand out to every faith-based charity and government bureaucrat I meet.

James Whitford is one of the most strategic, compassionate, and instructive leaders I have ever met. Rather than just quantifying the problem of homelessness and poverty, he offers a roadmap with a role and responsibilities for every one of us. James shows how to truly help those downtrodden by leveraging the power of freedom and accountability, which make us all better. This book will change your life and make you become a better person and a powerful asset to your community.

The Crisis of Dependency is a well-written clarion call emphasizing that many current efforts to solve poverty, such as government aid programs, often create dependency rather than fostering independence. According to Whitford, the way forward is a reformational effective charity that empowers individuals by encouraging self-reliance and personal responsibility. It is a gospel that challenges the socially acceptable notion of “…charitable transactions that offer short-lived satisfaction but fail to deliver people from life-long poverty. “

Can poverty be eradicated in our world today? James Whitford believes it can and The Crisis of Dependency provides a forged and tested playbook to realize this meaningful and purposeful vision. With a heart of compassion that gets to the heart of the matter, he brings together faith and philanthropy, responsibility and relationship in order to overcome the arguments and actions that keep people in bondage. If you care for the poor and desire to make an impact, this book will give you breakthrough thinking – changing your efforts that maintain the cycle of dependency in discovering true charity that provides the opportunity for real freedom.

James Whitford is a profoundly positive voice in the field of serving those in need. In this excellent book, he presents a vision of human flourishing that will serve well those who want to help the poor in more authentic and effective ways. Read this book, learn from it, and more importantly, move toward its recommendations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JAMES WHITFORD

James Whitford earned his doctorate from the University of Kansas Medical Center and practiced physical therapy and wound care before he and his wife, Marsha, founded Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, Missouri, in 2000. Their desire to fight poverty also led to the creation of True Charity, a national training organization advocating for civil society and dignity in charity work rather than perpetuating dependency.

As Founder and Executive Director of both Watered Gardens and True Charity, James brings over 20 years of experience working with those in need and developing community-based solutions. His insights have been featured in The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Culture and Opportunity, The Christian Post, The Hill, WORLD, and more. He has testified before both the US Senate and the US House on issues of poverty and welfare reform, championing a shift from harmful government handouts to relational, long-term impact.

James and Marsha were honored with the WORLD News Group Hope Award in 2019. They live in southwest Missouri, where they enjoy fishing on the James River with their five children and seven grandchildren.

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