Is Our Westernised “Help” Actually Hurting Poor People?

I saw this book “When Helping Hurts; How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself” and just had to read it. With a dramatic title like this the book is bound to draw attention. It is screaming; “You are all doing things seriously wrong and need to change immediately or suffer serious consequences.”

My first thoughts were that the authors were very brave to write this book effectively criticising the way Christians have been operating for decades. They also must have been very confident in the “new” methods introduced as the book attempts to change not only the way Christians operate but also the way they think about giving. I would hesitate to write a book like this myself in case my efforts resulted in people giving up completely as “helping the poor” suddenly becomes too complicated! After all, people are always looking for excuses not to give and this could be the perfect reason with no guilt attached; A beggar asks you for food or money and instead of giving him the change in your hand or buying him a snack and drink whilst giving him a Gospel tract and offering a word or two from Scripture, you pause to consider chapter 11 paragraph 2 of “the book” which states that you should establish the background of and try to form a relationship with this person before giving him anything as it may make his situation worse…you walk away.....Becoming afraid of doing more harm than good and ending up paralysed in indecision was sadly the response of some readers when the book was initially published, although the newest edition addresses that and begs people to continue helping the poor.

After just a few years in the mission field, I agree with the basic principles in the book which are;

*The true hope of the Gospel is what people really need and this should always come first. (There is a good emphasis on the Gospel for transforming lives within the book)

*Money is not always the solution and in some cases can make situations worse. We should ask the people what they need before giving material gifts rather than assuming.

*Love, time, care, compassion and relationship building are foundational to helping people and must always be central whether or not material help is given

*Where possible we want to be conducting ministries that allow people to support themselves financially in the longer term so that they do not become
dependent on us removing the motivation to work

*Local church ministry to the poor is always better than foreigners sweeping in and taking over. Foreigners should work under the direction and supervision of existing local Christian ministries rather than taking the lead

Although I agreed with the basic principles I found myself irritated as I was reading the book as it reminded me of a rather lengthy police diversity textbook full of procedures, methods, charts and diagrams with this and that “experts” opinion and theories about the human mind and behaviour and how people in various different cultures view the world. There was an emphasis on building people’s self-esteem/self-confidence and talk about reconciling relationships with God, others, ourselves and the rest of creation. We are told that there is “goodness” to discover and celebrate even in a fallen world and that we are not “as bad” as we could be. The language used seems to me to be far beyond the abilities of the average Christian reader and the things described remarkably complex. I’m sure there were some good ideas and practical suggestions in there somewhere but a lot of it was lost in “management speak” and politically correct jargon about what is and isn’t “appropriate.”

When describing things we “should not do,” the examples given where things had gone wrong were often extreme e.g a group of farmers worshipping a foreign god who, when helped financially by Christians increased their giving to their god to demonstrate thankfulness, and another group who didn’t understand the order of creation that God had placed man over animals and so were allowing rats to over-run their farm destroying everything year after year even after receiving material help. I think the point the authors were making here was that when giving we also need to teach Scripture/educate people so that resources are not wasted.

Naturally when reading something like this we tend to think of our own experiences and wonder whether we have “helped” or “hurt” people in the past. I realised that the reason I could agree with the basic principles of the book is because I learned them through experience (and many mistakes) in just a few years of mission work. There were many occasions when I tried to help the solvent addicted children in small material ways but all they really wanted was my time, attention and love.  Maybe others need to learn these things in the same way through experience and mistakes.

One of the main areas of the book concerns Short Term Missions (STM’s.) This was an area where I strongly agreed with the authors especially after some of my experiences on Logos Hope. When we were sent on teams to help people practically, we were often asked for money to solve problems that should have been dealt with by local churches. If we helped, we might have been undermining the local church and also causing the attention to be focused on us and not on God where it belongs. On the other hand, I would not discourage someone from helping a fellow believer with whom they have an established relationship although it is important to ensure that the money is used for the intended purpose.

I have never really understood STM’s, especially where a lot of money is spent to send a person/team as it seems that it is often more about the experience for the person/team taking part in the “mission” rather than the people they are going to help. These “missions” often cost a lot of money and cannot really accomplish anything due to the short duration. It is not possible to establish meaningful relationships in order to share the Gospel in a few weeks especially in a foreign culture. Literature may break the barrier here as it can be left, studied and read long after the mission is complete, but is it really necessary to send people halfway round the world to do this or could we just use local churches/believers and send them the literature for distribution? Money often seems to be wasted in the area of STM’s and I agree with the authors that they can do more harm than good. I would suggest that people wanting a “mission experience” (unless they feel called to a particular country where they could go for a longer trip to begin with) should join a team in their own country at first to avoid the huge costs associated with unnecessary foreign travel.

The main problem I had with the book is that it reminded me of the “Purpose Driven” material; where one method is used for every situation and where people began studying the “Purpose Driven” books instead of Scripture. At the end of each chapter is a study guide for small groups with questions for reflection that the authors stated was a mandatory part of the “course.” (I skipped it) They do say that they are not teaching a one size fits all approach and that there will be exceptions to every rule but that is not how the book comes across. One of the subtle messages is that you shouldn’t even attempt to help the poor unless you know exactly what you are doing and/or are an expert in the field. I would agree that if you are heading into long term work in this area you should conduct proper research in advance, but I would suggest that the authors should not have included the average person dealing with an individual on the street/in their community in their blanket ban on helping people. Although praying for discernment and being led by the Spirit (through the Word) are mentioned, in my view, they are not referenced enough. I believe a better way forward is to deal with people on a case-by-case basis as individuals as no person’s situation is exactly the same as someone else’s.

Of course, we can all do things in a more efficient and productive way, and we shouldn’t waste resources but is that really what God is concerned about? All of our resources/money belong to God anyway and I have to believe that when a person makes a decision to give for the right reasons (cheerfully and not under duress) that God will use that for His glory regardless of the circumstances. There is always a risk that some people will exploit generosity, but I don’t think the methods described by the authors will necessarily combat that.  They say that material/financial giving should always be “seldom, immediate and temporary” but where is this in Scripture? What the authors are really saying is that we need to check whether the people that are presenting themselves as “poor” are really poor or just lazy, but is that really our role or is it God's on Judgement Day?

The Bible uses all-encompassing words to encourage generosity in all situations without hesitation and with no qualifications or conditions. I have included some of these below, although I recognise that the authors are really seeking to address our methods of giving/help rather than the issue of whether or not we should give. There is no doubt that we should seek to be wise in our mission “giving, sending and going” for God’s glory but I would suggest that it is better to give and get it wrong than not to give at all.  This book is worth reading as it will make you think.

Relevant Bible verses

1. Luke 3:10-11 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

2. Ephesians 4:27-28 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

3. Matthew 5:42 Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don’t turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you.

4. Proverbs 19:17 The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will repay him for his good deed.

5. Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap, because you’ll be evaluated by the same standard with which you evaluate others.”

6. Psalm 112:5-7 Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

7. Psalm 37:26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

8. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.

9. Deuteronomy 15:10 Be sure to give to them without any hesitation. When you do this, the LORD your God will bless you in everything you work for and set out to do.

10. Romans 12:20-21 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

11. Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him some food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him some water to drink.

 12. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 If there should be a poor man among your relatives in one of the cities of the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don’t be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative. Instead, be sure to open your hand to him and lend him enough to lessen his need.

13. Acts 2:44-26 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

Why I Don't Support Heavenly Tourism

Maybe this seems like an obscure topic but I hope you will see the reason this is important by the end of this post. I began hearing about the books published by various authors claiming that they had “been to heaven and back” a number of years ago. I immediately dismissed them from my mind believing that it was obviously a load of rubbish and that any sincere Christians would surely do the same.  I was shocked when I began hearing Christians talking about these experiences as if they might be genuine and when I saw people buying and reading the books. The interest in people’s stories about their personal experiences in “heaven”, whether real or not, seemed to be so intense that these books began hitting and remaining on best-seller lists worldwide. 

Did I develop a sudden personal interest and think that maybe I had been too hasty in my earlier judgement? Did I rush out and buy a copy of, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, or, 90 Minutes In Heaven, to fill in the gaps that God had apparently left when He inspired the Bible? Um….no, actually I just forgot about all of this and assumed it was a fad that would die a quick death. I occasionally noticed the books in Christian book shops and on the internet, usually proudly displaying their best seller status on the front cover along with their high rankings, but that was the extent of it.

However, the subject came up again this week when I overheard a conversation amongst some Christians in an American book warehouse. Whilst sorting books, one of them asked whether they should dispose of a vast quantity of paperback copies of one such “heavenly tourism” book and remove the title from sale. (I forget which exact title they referred to as there are so many of them now.) Before the person could reply I spoke without thinking (it happens sometimes,) and commented that I couldn’t understand why any Christian would believe the stories anyway and that I was glad they were removing it from sale as it was clearly unbiblical. Then followed a period of weighty silence where no one seemed inclined to agree with my comments (at least not out loud.) Then, the person to whom the question was addressed eventually stated that actually it was  a different title (and therefore a different person’s trip to heaven) that was no longer going to be sold but that the original title would still be available for sale. 

Later, and more privately, I asked the manager about this and was informed that the reason the title, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, was being removed was because the author’s son, who had claimed he had been to heaven, had now recanted his tale stating that he had fabricated the entire story as he knew it would gain him attention. To his credit he then sought to explain clearly and biblically why his earlier experiences could not have been true…

The conversation bothered me for a while but I knew from past experience that there was no point in taking the matter any further as it is not within my sphere of influence. Then today whilst sorting books in the same warehouse I stumbled upon a book that I had never seen before, the title of which immediately caught my attention, Visits to Heaven and Back; Are They Real?” by Mark Hitchcock. After reading the cover I borrowed the book and read it in one sitting. I read this book, not really to confirm what I already knew, that these claims could not possibly be true, but more to gain a biblical basis for my instinctive response. I thought, not for the first time, how confusing it must be for non-believers when they see Christian book shops selling one group of books with Christians' personal experiences in heaven, and hell now, as it turns out, and then other books, including the Bible, probably occupying the same shelf space, stating how these experiences cannot be true! What a mess we get into when we don’t take the Bible seriously.

Hitchcock’s book is well-researched and, I believe, timely. He lists forty of the most popular of these books by title. He then examines some of the very well-known titles in light of the Word of God. He documents error in each account proving from Scripture that these experiences cannot be valid. He gives a balanced review and highlights positive features where they exist, e.g. if a particular author has shared the Gospel correctly despite their erroneous claims. He further explains why these books are dangerous and why as Christians we should avoid and reject them, I have picked out some of the points he makes; 

a) They encourage people to search beyond the Bible for information that they are not at liberty to gain suggesting that the Bible/God are not sufficient. 

b) Many of the books indicate that everyone will go to heaven regardless their spiritual state.

c) Removing the fear of the unknown about death may also remove the necessary fear of judgement and create a false assurance in non-believers.

d) They encourage Christians to base their beliefs on personal experience and not on what Scripture says about that experience.

e) Many of the experiences are self-centred and trivialise the serious issue of eternal destinations.

f) The books and authors contradict each other in relation to what heaven/God/Jesus are like. 

g) Their descriptions of heaven do not compare with the glory of heaven described in Scripture.

I am not going to go into detail about the biblical errors in each book as there are too many and, sadly, too many authors, making these, and similar, claims.  I suggest you buy and read this book if you want specifics or preferably read your Bible before rushing to celebrate the latest crazy claim. The idea that a professing Christian can somehow end up on a “guided tour of hell” isn’t really worthy of further comment….but many people obviously thought that it was, judging by the sales.

Hitchcock writes, “God is sovereign, but that’s no excuse for promoting error. Professing Christians who write books- even books about very personal experiences- are responsible to make every effort to interpret Scripture accurately and at least not to directly contradict it…..the prevailing notion today is that it’s unloving and uncharitable to question someone else’s experience or private revelation from God….but we are all subject to God’s Word…it’s incumbent on believers to discern the truth of the claims being made and to think biblically about heaven and the afterlife” (Pg 11)

So, the real reason for my post, other than drawing attention to this phenomenon and giving those who are uncomfortable with it some moral support, is a call for Christians to have greater discernment before blindly, hastily and often foolishly accepting anything and everything that crosses their path in the name of Christ. It’s time to examine Scripture in context to see if our experiences are biblical and not the other way around.

Revelation 21 vs 1-4

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The Danger of Labelling a Christian a "Legalist."

There is no doubt that Christian standards of holiness are lowering across the globe. We shouldn’t be surprised by this as the Bible tells us that there will be a progressive decline into worldliness. As individuals we can probably see that our “willingness to compromise” in some areas has grown stronger as we succumb to cultural influences and pressures over time. We eventually give in because we are fed up with standing alone on a particular issue or because we forget why we took a stand on that issue in the first place or because we wonder whether taking a stand is really that important. We become distracted and, like the Church at Ephesus, forget our “first love.”

But what will happen if Christians continue to “blend in” with those around them? When there is no visible difference between us and our non-believing neighbours, friends and colleagues, what happens to our message of HOPE in Jesus? It is nullified and becomes void and irrelevant. Unless our lives are visibly different, people will simply not be interested in hearing our message. How can we proclaim the life transforming power of God if our lives have not been transformed and if we are the same as our worldly counterparts?

I’m not speaking here of pretending to be people that we are not; pretending everything is fine when we are facing trials and struggles to create the illusion of happiness so that people won’t lose confidence in God. This is spiritual pride and a reason for a lot of loneliness in some churches where people feel they have to pretend they are okay as everyone else seems to be okay. So we all walk around telling each other we are okay when actually we are not. That is not biblical Christianity. Being real and honest about our problems and showing vulnerability at difficult times shows humanity that makes our message more authentic to non-believers. It also helps them to trust and confide in us as they realise, we can empathise with them when they are struggling. The point is that even in the midst of our trials we should be seeking to trust God as we know that He is faithful and will not leave or forsake us even when we fall into sin or other difficulties. Our hope is always in Him even when we face hardship or have a tough time understanding our circumstances. We believe that God is teaching us something through any and all troubles, so they are not in vain. We are looking for the spiritual life lessons that we can learn.

Every day as Christians we make decisions that impact those around us, those who are still walking in darkness, whose spiritual eyes have not yet been opened to the truth of the Gospel. The reality is that these people are on a broad road to an eternity in Hell. Do we really believe this? Do we have any care or concern for those people? Do we constantly remind ourselves “there but for the grace of God go I?” or do we sit in judgement over them and leave that conversation for another day?

Why are we allowing ourselves to compromise in areas that in the past would have been unthinkable? There is a danger that in trying to be more “relevant” and “progressive” we are wandering into sin and taking others with us. Have God’s standards of holiness changed? The obvious answer is “no” because God Himself does not change. Non-believers are closely watching us and our lifestyles to see whether our message is genuine. Subconsciously they are looking for an excuse to reject God and Christians who are not seeking to live holy lives can easily be used as that excuse. You may not even be aware that your conduct has resulted in a life-changing decision for another person, but God is aware as He cares for every soul. We are His representatives here on earth.

In a recent discussion a fellow believer commented that it would be good if we could have a “24-hour break” from being Christians. This person was struggling with the constant pressures of the Christian life; attempting to be different and to not conform to worldly standards. His comment will resonate with true believers as if we are striving for holiness in our Christian walk our lives will always be hard. The Christian life is a constant battle and “we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.” (Ephesians 6.) But the reality is that there is no break, certainly there are times of rest and reflection, but even during those we are still Christians and should still be seeking to trust and follow God.

Sometimes it seems that new believers have an advantage here as they see things with greater clarity than those who have become weary of the battle. Some relatively new Christians said to me recently that they didn’t understand why Christians were arguing about a certain topic in the Bible as God’s instructions on this topic were clear. Their faith has not yet been corrupted by worldliness so in their minds there was no debate, they accepted the Bible as the inspired and 100% accurate Word of God. How different would our churches be if we all did that? If we stopped listening to the enemy asking us “Did God really say?” to justify our sin and returned to a simple belief in God’s Word.

Maybe as Christians we should examine our current standards and see whether we have lapsed into worldliness or conformed to our various cultural standards over time. What we eat, drink, listen to, watch, say, wear, read, write, think, and how and where we spend our time and who with, is important to God and does impact those around us often unintentionally. Sometimes not doing or saying something when we should is just as damaging and stops others being bold and speaking out.

We should then ask the question whether the changes in our behaviour/lifestyles are acceptable in light of God’s Word or whether we need to re-evaluate our standards.  This may involve swimming against the tide and standing alone for a time, but this is what God calls us to do. Think of Paul, Daniel, Joseph and Job and the many other Scriptural examples of those who took a stand, or the more modern examples of the McArthur family in the Asher’s Bakery case and those individuals who have stood against Sunday trading. If more of us supported these individuals instead of hiding away or distancing ourselves then none of us would be forced to take the stand alone.

I will end with a word of caution as per my post title. Sadly, it is often opposition from within our own ranks that does the most damage to a Christian seeking to live for God. How careful we must be before labelling a fellow believer as a “legalist.” Surely, we should seek to encourage that believer and should not be doing something that might harm their conscience (Romans 14 vs 13-23.) In any case we should first make sure that whatever it is they are doing that has so offended us is not just our own sinful conscience seeking an excuse for our own sinful behaviour.

Let us pray that God will help us to humbly examine our behaviour in light of Scripture and seek ever increasing standards of holiness for His glory.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

There are those who will freely admit that this sentence concludes with a material item or items; a new book, item of clothing, CD or game or for some with bigger aspirations (and incomes); a new music system, item of furniture or even a car or house!

Then there are those who congratulate themselves by finishing the sentence with non-material things believing they are somehow better people for escaping the trappings of materialism; good health, success in business, and of course the ever elusive happiness.

There are even those (usually with some form of faith or moral conscience) who would answer with the less selfish desire for the health, wealth, success or happiness of someone else that is important to them.

But how many of us would answer that our only true desire this Christmas is for the salvation of a sister, brother, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, colleague, neighbour, friend or stranger that we pass every day on the street? And if we were to answer that this was our only true desire, how many of us would be answering honestly? To take it one step further, how many of us have been actively preparing for the opportunity since September when the Christmas shopping usually begins? How many of us have been sincerely praying and seeking God for an individual that is important to us in some way or another? How many couldn’t wait for Christmas to come in order to take the opportunity to send that person an evangelistic card or book, to invite that person to Church or to Christmas lunch or even just to have that conversation about the meaning of Christmas for a Christian? How many of us are excited about this opportunity even if we know it will be inconvenient in some way for us?

Mostly at Christmas, as Christians, we behave in the same way as non-believers with ever increasing budgets and excessive celebrations. We forget what we are doing and miss the opportunities for evangelism. We don’t take our calling seriously. We feel good if we go to Church, avoid drinking too much or spending too much and we believe that somehow this is a witness to non-believers. Maybe they will respect us more or think that we are morally more upright than they are for our stance but what does that really achieve if we don’t communicate the reason for our different behaviour. If we don’t tell them that Jesus is the only true hope this Christmas and if we don’t remind them who and what we are celebrating.

Bizarrely at Christmas we tend to focus on ourselves and our families (personal or Church) and forget those outside our circles who are likely more unhappy at Christmas time, and just after, than at any other time of the year. There is much disappointment, sadness, loneliness and tragically suicide at Christmas and yet as Christians we remain silent or take a “well deserved” break and withdraw from the hopeless and helpless souls that need us most.

We have the only message of HOPE for those still living in darkness but

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10 vs 14

With just ONE WEEK to go there is still time to reach out to that person(s) that God has laid on your heart OR you can let another year slip by and hope that God is patient with you and with the person whose heart He has already prepared.

Let’s be bold and reach out to those with whom we have contact as it may be our last opportunity to do so.

Have a blessed and fruitful Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

The Fog

Have you ever found yourself wandering around in fog for such a long time that you end up forgetting what life was like before the fog? And then finally you emerge after days, weeks or even months and wonder why you didn’t make more of an effort to find your way out of the fog before…like perhaps when you first entered it! Suddenly everything is back in focus and things are crystal clear. You feel a sense of freedom and great relief….

The enemy often seems to work like this but the fog appears so gradually that we don’t notice it at first. Things do get harder but we attribute it to the trials of life and concentrate on navigating through the fog rather than trying to find the escape route. We pray that God will help us to endure rather than considering that God may not want us to remain in the circumstances. We think the “spiritual” thing to do is to persevere. We don’t consider what will happen if the fog begins to overwhelm us and we start to lose track of ourselves in the midst of it.  When this happens we foolishly believe that we have come so far already and persevered for so long that any attempt to exit now would make the journey so far a waste. We forget that we are learning all of the time and that God has a purpose in everything we experience, even seemingly meaningless times of floundering in fog.

When emerging from the fog we have two choices. We can either waste more time regretting the experience/wishing we had done things differently or exited before or we can PRESS ON, re-join the Christian race and continue pursuing the things we had on our hearts before we encountered the fog. Re-joining the race will often mean leaving others behind and it can be a lonely path. But it is the ONLY option for the Christian who has his heart set on the ultimate goal; eternity with Christ in heaven.

Consider the words of Spurgeon as an encouragement to leave the fog behind and to reach out to those who are not just temporarily incapacitated (by fog) but who are permanently blind and living in darkness without hope in this life

“Even if I were utterly selfish, and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose, if I might, under God, to be a soul winner, for never did I know perfect, overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order, till I first heard of one who had sought and found a Saviour through my means.”

Why it's Not Okay for a Christian Author to Swear

I recently started a Goodreads group for Christian books only. I had the idea after I joined another Goodreads group that required me to review books in order to generate reviews for my own book. Although the category I joined was labelled “clean”, I found that I was uninspired by the books I was assigned to read and, as a Christian, also felt uncomfortable with some of the content. I was also concerned that my own book was being reviewed by non-believers who would be unlikely to respond positively to the Christian content, (although in some cases they did.)

Having been running for a few months, our group now has nearly one hundred members. There has been some lively discussion in the group surrounding certain topics. One of these is worthy of further consideration, the issue of Christian authors using profanity in Christian books. Those that have been reading my blog for a while, or that know me, will guess that I have strong views on this subject. I tend to be more flexible as the moderator of the group as I know not everyone shares my opinion. 

For myself, in the past I developed a “three strikes and you’re out rule” in relation to secular books, music, and movies, and would switch off the TV show or dispose of the book on the third swear word. I found myself becoming more tolerant to certain less offensive words and not “counting” them. This was necessary, or I would never have been able to watch or read anything! My rule also meant that I couldn’t watch anything above a 12 certificate in the UK as standards were lowered across the board. More violence, sex, swearing, drug taking…you name it.

But that’s the secular world and is to be expected, to a certain extent. Christians can’t hold the world to their standards of holiness as the world makes no claim to be holy. Christians can and should, however, hold themselves to different standards, standards set by God in His Word.

 

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12 vs 36-37

I first discovered profanity in a “Christian” book; The Shack, about ten years ago. I threw the book away after a few chapters due to the other content but mainly stopped reading due to the swearing. At the time, I couldn’t believe the book went on to be a best-seller and that little comment was made about the language used by the author.

Since then I have discovered profanity, and more worryingly blasphemy, in many “Christian” books and also on Christian blogs, including one very popular female missionary blogger who seems to want to make a name for herself by shocking people with her bad language and making herself as un-stereotypically “missionary” as possible.  On reading the comments on her various blog posts, I was disappointed to see that not a single person commented on her language. Instead they heaped praise on her and her blog has reached the “most read” lists. I was disappointed, but not surprised.

I think we need to ask why Christians feel the need to express themselves in this way especially when not relaying actual events. In a book of fiction, why would a Christian author choose to use words that may offend their readers, or more importantly might offend God. Do authors really believe that readers will buy books because they contain profanity? Or that they will lose sales if they don’t include it? Or that using profanity creates a more realistic and lifelike scene and builds characters? To those that think this is legalism, I would ask whether you would use that language in a conversation with God in prayer. If there is a word that you are not sure about, why risk using it and potentially causing a brother, or sister, to stumble. Find another word, there are plenty of them.

In a non-fiction book it is more understandable, but still not acceptable. In my own books, when someone swore in reality, I either chose not to include it, or where necessary, wrote, “insert two four letter words,” rather than shocking the audience with the words that were actually used which definitely shouldn’t be repeated by a Christian author. 

It beggars belief, that some Christian authors are even using blasphemy (using God or Jesus’ name as a swear word,) and sometimes frequently throughout their books. This is a direct violation of a biblical commandment and it’s now in print, copyrighted and for all the world to see.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20 vs 7

What kind of message does this give; that Christians don’t value their faith, their God, their standards of holiness? At times, Christians are even shocking non-believers with their language/ blasphemy; the world expects Christians to adhere to the values they claim to represent. When Christians don’t adhere to these values it gives non-believers a reason to doubt the sincerity of the Christian, and their message. In their minds (and with the enemy’s input,) they may even use this hypocrisy as a reason to dismiss Christianity altogether.

When Christian authors use profanity, especially blasphemy, they are undermining the message in their books and seeking to identify themselves with, and blend in with, the world. This is the complete opposite of what God tells us to do in His Word.

“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.” – 2 Corinthians 6 vs 17

We should not be seeking to shock people, or to entertain them by using curse words or by walking danger lines to get attention for ourselves, our blogs or our books. Instead we should seek to inspire each other, as Christian authors, to greater standards of holiness so that our message of HOPE in Jesus remains authentic.

 “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4)

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” (Colossians 3:8)

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:10)

Help Without Hope; The Ultimate Tragedy

A few months ago, I purchased a book cheaply in a second-hand bookshop, Vietnam Doctor; The Story of Project Concern, by Dr James Turpin, published in the 1960’s. It had a Baptist church library (USA) stamp in it, I believed it was a Christian book about a Christian medical doctor operating in Vietnam. Every so often I read a book that profoundly impacts me; this was one of those books, but for all the wrong reasons. I decided to write about this for Christian readers in an attempt to pass on what I have learned in reading this book. Also, to encourage Christians (myself included) to be wise in our missionary giving.

I realise that what follows will not be a popular view. I should start by saying that the book was extremely engaging, and I read it through in a few hours. I was also prompted to research the organisation, Project Concern, which is still currently active in some of the original areas, especially in Vietnam. I have no doubt about the sincerity of these people or of the good work they are doing from a humanitarian perspective.

Summary of Book Content

Dr James Turpin states that he was “converted” to Christianity at the age of 12 during a service in his local Methodist church. He describes his “fling” at preaching when he was just 14. Having failed to graduate from medical school, he became a Methodist preacher but constantly struggled with discontentedness and the desire to work in the medical field, perhaps as a missionary. He married Mollie, who had also had a conversion experience in her teens. As a married couple, it seems they struggled to find their “place” in life, and in faith. They began making plans to become missionaries more out of a sense of obligation than calling. Unable to fulfill his duties as a preacher, Dr Turpin returned to medical school and finally graduated. The family then lived a life of material luxury for several years, but Dr Turpin couldn’t shake off his restlessness. Finally, he began work in a slum area not far from their home in the States. He developed a heart for this work and the missionary “calling” which hadn’t been properly resolved reared its head again.

The couple (now with several children) applied to World Vision but were unable in good conscience to sign a statement stating that the Bible was 100% accurate/inspired by God. Not finding an organisation that suited them they founded PCI (Project Concern International.) PCI is a non-profit, humanitarian NGO based in San Diego, California, and is dedicated to preventing disease, improving community health, and promoting sustainable development. PCI reaches nearly 6 million people a year through programs in Asia, Africa, and the Americas (Wikipedia)

Dr Turpin and his wife started medical clinics in Hong Kong and later in Vietnam and other places, living amongst the people in the slums and working in the neediest areas. They worked with locals, handing over the work to them when they had been properly trained. They learned how to work with “sorcerers” to gain the trust of the people and allowed locals to give them “good luck charms” in the form of mirrors that they displayed in their residence.

After the initial struggles to find his place in life and his “dabbling” in Christian work, Dr Turpin makes no further mention of God or of his teenage conversion although he continues to attend church, preaching on occasion. Instead, he throws himself wholeheartedly into medical work making huge personal sacrifices and forcing his family to endure these with him. Although seemingly selfless in his efforts to help others, he acknowledges at times that his ultimate goal is his own personal contentment/fulfillment. He states several times that he believes that medical help can transform lives and communities and he even believed it could end the war in Vietnam!

Help Without Hope

Maybe some of you are reading this and thinking that it sounds like a good cause and wondering what my problem is. Clearly, this couple had a huge heart of compassion and love for the people, this is evident in the book as they struggle to manage the constant demands of those in poverty. Many of those they “helped” died after a few weeks, days, or sometimes just hours, but the staff comforted themselves in the knowledge that they had made the last hours of many lives less painful and more positive. I particularly remember one old man who came to them lonely and emaciated and asked to stay with them as he was neglected by his own family, he died after several weeks, but at least they had seen him smile and he was now at peace...right?

This book was written in the 1960’s and life expectancy in these areas was a little over 40 years. The majority, if not all of the people “helped” by these kind-hearted people have now died and where have they gone? Most likely, to a lost eternity without God (unless they miraculously heard the saving message of Jesus via another source.) What benefit now of the treatment that sustained their life for a few days or hours? What of those that continue to be helped practically but who remain in their sin without spiritual hope. How can a former preacher who apparently still has an “active faith” devote his entire life to serving the physical needs of people but miss these kinds of opportunities to make a real difference spiritually?

Dr Turpin proudly states, “We call ourselves medical emissaries because we're not theological; we're not trying to convert people to a religion or a way of life other than healthy," He even mentions that several partners were pleased that they had no religious affiliations, and the implication is that they wouldn’t have been willing to partner with them otherwise.

Where is Dr Turpin now?

Sadly, Dr Turpin was later divorced from his wife Mollie, he remarried and finally converted to the Bahá'í Faith. (The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion which emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind. Three core principles establish a basis for Bahá'í teachings and doctrine: the unity of God, that there is only one God who is the source of all creation; the unity of religion, that all major religions have the same spiritual source and come from the same God; and the unity of humanity, that all humans have been created equal, and the unity in diversity, that diversity of race and culture are seen as worthy of appreciation and acceptance. According to the Bahá'í Faith's teachings, the human purpose is to learn to know and to love God through such methods as prayer, reflection and being of service to humanity.) (Wikipedia)

He began a lawsuit in the US after 2 of his children were born blind. The case was called “wrongful life.” Dr Turpin successfully argued that life should’ve been prevented as due to the genetic makeup of the parents the disability could have been predicted...

What Can We Learn

There is a lesson here for all of us as Christians. There are numerous organisations operating throughout the world with a similar set-up to Project Concern. They are staffed by well intentioned, self-sacrificial people with compassionate hearts. Many of these people are Christians. When we learn of the huge needs and humanitarian crises, of course our hearts go out to those involved and those in desperate need. We give generously to help practically but what of the spiritual need.  A healthy person with food and clothes will one day die and go to hell if they are not told of the hope they can find in Jesus, prolonging their life is not kind, it is cruel if we don’t also tell them of the ultimate cure, and of hope for eternal life in heaven.

This book had such a profound impact on me as I felt the hopelessness and meaningless of all of this activity without God. The loss of every precious soul that died in that medical clinic without knowing true hope when just a few words in the Holy Spirit’s power would have been sufficient. The frustration of knowing that this couple had professed Christ as teenagers and that Dr Turpin had once been a preacher and claims still to have an active faith. The many local volunteers and those from other countries that also worked with and continue to staff Project Concern without knowing true hope themselves and therefore being unable to offer it to their many patients.

One paragraph towards the end of the book sums up the situation. K’Moung (one of the regular staff) is speaking to Dr Turpin and others.

“I have suspected that there is something inside me that is special….And it would come to me that my mind, my heart, my life could mean something.” This started a discussion amongst the students, Koho and Vietnamese, about a life and what it meant. Each had an opinion to express, a story to tell, an incident to recall. These people swapped their ideas in soft voices and stopped only when the moon was high in the sky.” (Dr Turpin then narrates) I didn’t say another word, for I had nothing constructive to add…..” 

What a tragic waste…

As Christians we have a responsibility to steward our finances effectively and support only those organisations and people that share the Gospel as they help people. The Gospel must be the priority and practical help should also be offered where it is possible. The popular quotes “You can show God’s love with a smile” and “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words” are both fundamentally wrong. How can people know it is God’s love we are demonstrating by our smiles unless we tell them? And the second quote has been effectively changed to read “Preach the Gospel, always use words!” as this is the method that God has chosen by which people will be saved.

“Only one life twill soon be past, only what’s DONE FOR CHRIST will last.” – CT Studd