Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Charity Detox

What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

The veteran urban activist and author of the revolutionary Toxic Charity returns with a headline-making book that offers proven, results-oriented ideas for transforming our system of giving.

In Toxic Charity, Robert D. Lupton revealed the truth about modern charity programs meant to help the poor and disenfranchised. While charity makes donors feel better, he argued, it often hurts those it seeks to help. At the forefront of this burgeoning yet ineffective compassion industry are American churches, which spend billions on dependency-producing programs, including food pantries. But what would charity look like if we, instead, measured it by its ability to alleviate poverty and needs?

That is the question at the heart of Charity Detox. Drawing on his many decades of experience, Lupton outlines how to structure programs that actually improve the quality of life of the poor and disenfranchised. He introduces many strategies that are revolutionizing what we do with our charity dollars, and offers numerous examples of organizations that have successfully adopted these groundbreaking new models. Only by redirecting our strategies and becoming committed to results, he argues, can charity enterprises truly become as transformative as our ideals.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2015

      Charity has a central place in many religions; churches contribute to food banks, assist at homeless shelters, and organize mission trips to various regions. Yet Lupton (Toxic Charity) has observed, in his 40 years as a community organizer, that such efforts, while necessary in a crisis, do little to improve people's socioeconomic status. Lupton uses this well-worn critique of churches' charitable activities as a springboard for positive action. He argues that mission trips in which goods are simply distributed lead to dependence by local residents and may depress the community's ability to generate wealth. Lest one see this as simply social entrepreneurship for troubled regions, the author advocates that churches need to be more involved in communities by living and investing in them--ideas that have more in common with Sojourners than the National Review. VERDICT While Lupton aims to challenge his own evangelical community, all readers will find in this book a useful way to reexamine outreach programs. Yet one has to wonder whether the problem is that churches have always operated in response to crises, and that the decline of the welfare state in the United States simply shifted the burden on institutions that were not designed to fight poverty in the first place.--James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading