The following is a recap of a session from the TCI Event From Comfort Zone to True Charity Zones. The session was called What is True Charity?, with speaker Travis Hurley, of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO. The evet took place on November 21, 2014.
The idea of “True” Charity suggests a “False” Charity exists. This false charity can also be called Blind Compassion or Blind Charity. Both may have good intentions, but they provide very different results.
[row]
[one_half]
True Charity is healthy, and results in Dignity and Empowerment for those being served.
[/one_half]
[one_half]
False, or Blind Charity is dangerous and perpetuates dependency in those coming for help.
[/one_half]
[/row]
The Cycle of Dependency *
[row][one_sixth]Give once, it elicits APPRECIATION[/one_sixth][one_sixth]Give twice, it creates ANTICIPATION[/one_sixth][one_sixth]Give three times, it creates EXPECTATION[/one_sixth][one_sixth]Give four times, it becomes ENTITLEMENT[/one_sixth][one_third]Give five times, it
establishes DEPENDENCY[/one_third][/row]
7 Marks of Effective Compassion **
- Affiliation
Begin by asking who is bound to help in the present circumstances? “Relief given without reference to friends and neighbors is accompanied by moral loss.” – Mary Richmond, the Baltimore Charity Organizing Society (1893). See 1 Tim 5:3-4, 8, & 16. - Bonding
For those truly alone, the charitable worker becomes “family.” This requires a personal willingness on the part of the worker to become deeply involved. Relational proximity improves efficiency and Effectiveness. Subsidiarity: The needs of people are best met at their most Local level. See Isaiah 58:7. - Categorization
Not everyone is, or should be, treated equally (private charities can do this). Those providing charity services must determine who is “worthy of relief”, including those who are poor through no fault of their own. Jobless adults who are able but choose not to work may be categorize as “not entitled to relief”. A common form of categorization is the “Work test”. - Discernment
Again, deeper involvement is required, not only to prevent waste but to preserve morale among those truly trying. TCI provides tools to empower people in this deeper involvement and to effectively discern where true charity can be applied effectively and efficiently. These tools include ongoing SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis, www.joplin.charitytracker.net, and www.joplinresources.net. - Employment
Work is less to gain and more to Serve. See 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 and 2 Thessalonians 3:7-8. - Freedom
Not as an opportunity to do anything with anyone at any time, but as the opportunity to work and worship without governmental restrictions. Development requires we accommodate the truth of Reward and Repercussion. - God
True charity must take into account Spiritual as well as physical needs.
8 Keys for Christian Community Development ***
[row]
[one_fourth]
- Relocation
- Reconciliation
- Redistribution
[/one_fourth]
[one_fourth]
- Leadership Development
- Listening to the Community
- Church-Based
[/one_fourth]
[one_fourth]
- Holistic in Approach
- Empowerment as the Goal
[/one_fourth]
[/row]
* from Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity
** from Marvin Olasky’s The Tragedy of American Compassion
*** from Dr. John Perkins, CCDA
