Notes

Slide Show

Outline

1	Christian Community Development Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University
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3	Per capita gross national product
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6	Population density
7	Per capita food production
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9	Percent of underweight children under 5
10	Six plagues of our mis-developed world Poverty Illiteracy: The curse of not knowing Dispossession: The hungry travelers The calamities of nature Urbanization: The fatal lure of the city “The System”: Hunger amidst plenty
11	How do we react to such huge, complex problems? “If they would just . . .” “It’s not my business” “There’s nothing I can do about it” “I want to think about it in the light of the gospel”
12	Should we be involved? Shouldn’t we be pouring all our resources into saving souls for eternity? Is there any mandate beyond that of announcing the Good News?
13	Biblical basis Old Testament Examples? New Testament Examples? http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/poor.htm
14	“Are you the Messiah?” Tell John what you see Blind receive sight, lame walk, lepers are cleansed, dead are raised and Gospel is being preached to the poor
15	How can we be the “light” of a mis-developed world? Motivation “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God” -- Bob Pierce, World Vision “How” Inappropriate Appropriate
16	Christian Community Development What is it? What it is not.
17	What community development is not . . . 1. Redistribution of wealth “Eat your broccoli!” 2. A multitude of “projects” Enthusiasm and goodwill are not enough
18	What community development is not . . . 3. Simply an increase in the gross national product Haiti’s economic problem: “Too much capital” to absorb
19	Community development aims 1. Meeting minimum standards Food / nutrition Health Preventable diseases Every 8 seconds, child dies from water-related disease Pollution Education
20	Community development aims 2. Empowerment 3. Giving dignity and respect 4. Promoting peace and harmony (the shalom of God)
21	The most successful development efforts are directed at single communities Successful ones I’ve been involved in: Vegetable gardening Well drilling Pigs Roads Tree planting
22	7 pitfalls and detours 1. Demagoguery based on myths Food production and population growth Some say: “There simply isn’t enough food.”
23	Myth: Global overpopulation is the main cause of famine
24	Myth: The amount of “X” is finite and fixed. Myth: We’re in a zero-sum game. What one person gets/uses of “x” means there is less for every other person Result: brief guilt trips for developed nations Example: Boycotts of Haitian industries
25	Myth: We have to solve people’s material needs before spiritual needs can be addressed
26	Pitfalls and detours 2. Ethnocentric attitudes of aid-givers themselves We can solve your problem. We have the answers. Railroad car of corn Authoritarianism Whoever pays the bills calls the shots Village relocation after flood Rainwater catchment systems
27	Pitfalls and detours 3. Expectations of easy answers and immediate results “Crash” programs tend to crash Relief and development are different strategies
28	Pitfalls and detours 4. Temptation to bulldoze through local opposition 5. Inflexible administrative systems
29	Pitfalls and detours 6. “Rice Christians” How serious a problem? 7. “Compassion fatigue”
30	Pontius’ Puddle – The Preacher’s Magazine
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