Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice

Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice

b) Every disciple, every authentic Christian, must be on the road: not

yet arrived or perfect, but moving, striving, falling and restarting

in hope, and this ethos applies to the tackling of Third World poverty

and injustice. Over one billion people are living in poverty today.The

gap between rich and poor is getting wider. All over the world,

disparities between rich and poor, even in the wealthiest of nations

is rising sharply. Fewer people are becoming increasingly 'successful'

and wealthy while a disproportionately larger population are also

becoming even poorer. The developed nations, by systematic spoliation

of the non-renewable resources of the world, are also destroying the

ecosystem.

Around the world, inequality is increasing, while the rest of the

world is further globalising. In many cases, political interests have

led to a diversion of available resources from domestic needs to

western markets. Historically, politics and power play by the elite

leaders and rulers has meant that people and their land can be

controlled, which has further increased poverty and dependency. These

have often manifested themselves in wars, hot and cold, which are

mainly trade and resource-related. Those mercantile practices still

happen today. Even the wealthiest nation has the largest gap between

rich and poor compared to other developed nations. Poverty is

therefore not just an economic issue, it is an issue of political

economics.

In the Gospel according to St Matthew, Jesus spoke,"You cannot be the

slave both of God and of money" [Matthew 6:24] True, intelligent

Christians wi...

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...e; for instance depending on their economic

situation, or amount of free time and number of family commitments.

Whether it be giving a few pounds a month to various charities, or

getting directly involved in groups such as Chrisitian aid, God will

honour all those who dedicate a fraction of their lives to the poverty

stricken. God does not expect a million mother Teresa's, but what he

does desire is that every Christian makes some sort of contribution.

These actions can either be active or passive, direct or subtle, for

example designing posters supporting the Third World, or purchasing

Fair Trade items. Perhaps a Christian could spend a part of life

working in Africa, helping the poor and deprived, or rally supporters

in local neighbourhoods. Whatever it is, everything revolves around

the phrase, "every little helps".