"Where does poverty come from? What am I supposed to do about it?" These questions are driving a new generation of Christians to take action on behalf of the poor through social and political action, global partnerships, and financial generosity, as they desire to become the generation that ends poverty forever. But in pursuit of this goal, they risk losing sight of a fundamental reality: the root cause of poverty isn’t found in material or external circumstances. The root cause of poverty is sin—and sin is not a problem we can solve. But Jesus can. In Awaiting a Savior, Aaron Armstrong reminds readers that even as we are responsible for pursuing biblical solutions to poverty, our hope for truly resolving it comes not from the good we do, but from the return of Christ, who will once and for all put an end to sin, suffering and death as he brings about the new creation.
Awaiting a Savior
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About the Author
Aaron Armstrong is a writer for an international Christian ministry focused on caring for the needs of the poor, blogger and itinerate preacher. He blogs daily at www.BloggingTheologically.com and his work has appeared on The Gospel Coalition’s “Voices” blog and RelevantMagazine.com’s “Deeper Walk” column. Aaron, his wife, Emily, and their children worship and serve at Harvest Bible Chapel in London, Ontario.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the October 2011 release from Cruciform Press Aaron Armstrong delivers a quick and concise biblical theology of poverty. A quote taken from the back cover summarizes the main message of the book;
Christians are called to serve the poor...generously, joyfully, by grace, to the Glory of God. But elimination poverty is a misguided and dangerous goal. Poverty is rooted in the fall of man and there is only one savoir.
The books starts by unpacking for us the root cause of poverty. We are not dealing with lack of financial resources, lack of proper education or lack of family support. Poverty is rooted in sin, and as long as sin reigns in our mortal bodies poverty will persist. For me, this was very helpful. To see poverty fundamentally as a spiritual issue and not a material issue helps me focus how I serve the poor in my community. Aaron says: Ultimately, poverty can only be addressed at the heart level, one person at a time, as salvation through the shed blood of Christ pushes back against the fall of man (46-47). And looking back to the end of Chapter 2 he explains that our motives must be nothing other than making God's name great.
A statement that is brought to light in chapter 3 really made me stop and think. Aarons writes, Sin thus not only causes poverty, but also poisons our attitude towards those suffering within it in (46) How often have I been walking downtown and had a homeless person asks me for change and I walk by and ignore them. Sometimes we don't give people in need the time of day, or how often do make a demeaning remark about them to our friends or say nothing when they do. Every person, even the homeless man who takes our money to buy drugs or alcohol needs to Jesus Christ through the Gospel, and our ministry to them must lead them to the Gospel. We need to remember our state apart from Christ. We were enemies of God, but it was while we were enemies of God that Jesus Christ died for to reconcile us to himself.
In chapter 4 Aaron shares with us what Jesus taught is the greatest commandment--Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. If we separate those two commandments, we fail to obey either one. Loving out neighbour in real tangible ways is a much a proof of our salvations as anything else. How we relate to God directly affects how we relate to others. Unfaithfulness to the Lord will lead to lack of concern for our neighbour--but the opposite should also be true. I really appreciate this point, I have heard this taught many times and I have studied these words many times, but I have never made the connection serving the poor.
We cannot separate what we believe from what we do. Aarons backs this point with an outstanding quote from William Wilberforce, the famous abolitionist, Christianity calls on us, not merely in general to be religious and moral, but especially to believe the doctrines, and imbibe the principles, and practice the precepts of Christ." It is not enough for Christians to just be good moral people. We are called to believe the doctrines, drink deeply of the principles, and practice fully the precepts of Christ. Again and again Aarons brings us back to the greater goal of our helping the poor--the glory of God.
Awaiting a Saviour is definitely a homerun! It is insightful, biblically grounded and has really helped me develop a Gospel-centered understanding of poverty and my role in alleviating it(not resolving it) until the Return of Christ when he will put an end to sin, suffering and death as he brings about the new creation. Even as I am writing I am tempted to continue interacting with the ideas from the book and share them with you. But, it is probably better to read the book for yourself. Finally, Kudos to Cruciform press. Firstly, for finding great authors and secondly, for packaging the books in such as accessible format.
Christians are called to serve the poor...generously, joyfully, by grace, to the Glory of God. But elimination poverty is a misguided and dangerous goal. Poverty is rooted in the fall of man and there is only one savoir.
The books starts by unpacking for us the root cause of poverty. We are not dealing with lack of financial resources, lack of proper education or lack of family support. Poverty is rooted in sin, and as long as sin reigns in our mortal bodies poverty will persist. For me, this was very helpful. To see poverty fundamentally as a spiritual issue and not a material issue helps me focus how I serve the poor in my community. Aaron says: Ultimately, poverty can only be addressed at the heart level, one person at a time, as salvation through the shed blood of Christ pushes back against the fall of man (46-47). And looking back to the end of Chapter 2 he explains that our motives must be nothing other than making God's name great.
A statement that is brought to light in chapter 3 really made me stop and think. Aarons writes, Sin thus not only causes poverty, but also poisons our attitude towards those suffering within it in (46) How often have I been walking downtown and had a homeless person asks me for change and I walk by and ignore them. Sometimes we don't give people in need the time of day, or how often do make a demeaning remark about them to our friends or say nothing when they do. Every person, even the homeless man who takes our money to buy drugs or alcohol needs to Jesus Christ through the Gospel, and our ministry to them must lead them to the Gospel. We need to remember our state apart from Christ. We were enemies of God, but it was while we were enemies of God that Jesus Christ died for to reconcile us to himself.
In chapter 4 Aaron shares with us what Jesus taught is the greatest commandment--Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. If we separate those two commandments, we fail to obey either one. Loving out neighbour in real tangible ways is a much a proof of our salvations as anything else. How we relate to God directly affects how we relate to others. Unfaithfulness to the Lord will lead to lack of concern for our neighbour--but the opposite should also be true. I really appreciate this point, I have heard this taught many times and I have studied these words many times, but I have never made the connection serving the poor.
We cannot separate what we believe from what we do. Aarons backs this point with an outstanding quote from William Wilberforce, the famous abolitionist, Christianity calls on us, not merely in general to be religious and moral, but especially to believe the doctrines, and imbibe the principles, and practice the precepts of Christ." It is not enough for Christians to just be good moral people. We are called to believe the doctrines, drink deeply of the principles, and practice fully the precepts of Christ. Again and again Aarons brings us back to the greater goal of our helping the poor--the glory of God.
Awaiting a Saviour is definitely a homerun! It is insightful, biblically grounded and has really helped me develop a Gospel-centered understanding of poverty and my role in alleviating it(not resolving it) until the Return of Christ when he will put an end to sin, suffering and death as he brings about the new creation. Even as I am writing I am tempted to continue interacting with the ideas from the book and share them with you. But, it is probably better to read the book for yourself. Finally, Kudos to Cruciform press. Firstly, for finding great authors and secondly, for packaging the books in such as accessible format.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whenever someone brings up the issue of social justice or poverty in a room full of Christians, the room usually splits into one of two camps. One side of the room would support what has become known as a social gospel. They would say our only purpose is to feed someone who is starving, to clothe someone who is freezing, or to provide for someone who is less fortunate. After all, isn't this what Jesus did? I would argue that this is futile living.
The other side of the room would be shaking their heads in disagreement (if not disgust). And because they are so scared of being labeled part of the social gospel, they swing the pendulum so far that they never consider the implications of social ministry upon the Christian. I doubt they would actually say that taking care of the poor has nothing to do with Christianity, they just live like they believe that. I would argue this is Christ-less Christianity.
I have often longed for a balanced voice in the middle of this issue. I think we now have one. Awaiting A Savior by Aaron Armstrong is a new book published by Cruciform Press that deals with the real issues of poverty, but doesn't shy away from calling Christians to do their part. He doesn't waste any time dealing with real issues when he says "the root cause of poverty is sin" (9). That might sound shocking, but he does a great job of explaining what he means by that.
"The basic premise of this book is that our good faith efforts to address legitimate questions of poverty and injustice must never lose sight of the fact that poverty will persist as long as the heart of man is ruled by sin . . . I hope to show that the best way to help the poor is to minister to them as the Church, in both word and deed, to the glory of God" (9-10)
I think he does adequately address these issues in the book. He does it by taking us back to the beginning before sin when Adam and Eve lived perfectly without any thought of poverty. It was only after the fall into sin that poverty even became a possibility. He says,
"Everything about Adam and Eve's fall makes economic prosperity difficult and elusive. In fact, the fall has made poverty the default setting, an ever-present gravitational pull intent on dragging us down. This is true not only because it is now harder to produce material wealth but also because the fall triggered an ongoing cascade of relational challenges characterized by blame-shifting and excuses about our sin, as well as an ongoing desire in each of us to play God over one another. Hardly a recipe for success." (20)
Tracing the flow of the Scriptures from creation to fall to tower of Babel to the prophets--Armstrong does a wonderful job of showing how God's heart has always been to take care of those that cannot take care of themselves. The only problem is that our heart of sin tends to make the poverty issue worse. Even when people do seek to help those in impoverished situations, many attempt to build their own kingdom, not God's. And we know that God will not share His glory with anyone. The solution of course is the gospel in our lives. It is fully understanding the truth of God invading and changing us. He says,
"Those whose hearts are inclined to the Lord will seek true justice on earth as it is in heaven. Covenant faithfulness always leads to ethical faithfulness . . . We dare not turn a blind eye. We dare not think, 'They're somebody else's problem.' If we really mean that, our hearts are as dead as those of the unfaithful Israelites of Isaiah's day." (56-7).
In the end, I would highly recommend this book to all Christians. Specifically if God has placed on your heart a burden for the impoverished. One particularly helpful aspect of this book is the study guide questions at the end of each chapter. This would make this book very easy to be read in a group of people as they seek to learn a balanced view of poverty together.
The other side of the room would be shaking their heads in disagreement (if not disgust). And because they are so scared of being labeled part of the social gospel, they swing the pendulum so far that they never consider the implications of social ministry upon the Christian. I doubt they would actually say that taking care of the poor has nothing to do with Christianity, they just live like they believe that. I would argue this is Christ-less Christianity.
I have often longed for a balanced voice in the middle of this issue. I think we now have one. Awaiting A Savior by Aaron Armstrong is a new book published by Cruciform Press that deals with the real issues of poverty, but doesn't shy away from calling Christians to do their part. He doesn't waste any time dealing with real issues when he says "the root cause of poverty is sin" (9). That might sound shocking, but he does a great job of explaining what he means by that.
"The basic premise of this book is that our good faith efforts to address legitimate questions of poverty and injustice must never lose sight of the fact that poverty will persist as long as the heart of man is ruled by sin . . . I hope to show that the best way to help the poor is to minister to them as the Church, in both word and deed, to the glory of God" (9-10)
I think he does adequately address these issues in the book. He does it by taking us back to the beginning before sin when Adam and Eve lived perfectly without any thought of poverty. It was only after the fall into sin that poverty even became a possibility. He says,
"Everything about Adam and Eve's fall makes economic prosperity difficult and elusive. In fact, the fall has made poverty the default setting, an ever-present gravitational pull intent on dragging us down. This is true not only because it is now harder to produce material wealth but also because the fall triggered an ongoing cascade of relational challenges characterized by blame-shifting and excuses about our sin, as well as an ongoing desire in each of us to play God over one another. Hardly a recipe for success." (20)
Tracing the flow of the Scriptures from creation to fall to tower of Babel to the prophets--Armstrong does a wonderful job of showing how God's heart has always been to take care of those that cannot take care of themselves. The only problem is that our heart of sin tends to make the poverty issue worse. Even when people do seek to help those in impoverished situations, many attempt to build their own kingdom, not God's. And we know that God will not share His glory with anyone. The solution of course is the gospel in our lives. It is fully understanding the truth of God invading and changing us. He says,
"Those whose hearts are inclined to the Lord will seek true justice on earth as it is in heaven. Covenant faithfulness always leads to ethical faithfulness . . . We dare not turn a blind eye. We dare not think, 'They're somebody else's problem.' If we really mean that, our hearts are as dead as those of the unfaithful Israelites of Isaiah's day." (56-7).
In the end, I would highly recommend this book to all Christians. Specifically if God has placed on your heart a burden for the impoverished. One particularly helpful aspect of this book is the study guide questions at the end of each chapter. This would make this book very easy to be read in a group of people as they seek to learn a balanced view of poverty together.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Angie C
Format:Paperback
This is a book that I truly believe will sharpen and encourage both individual believers and the church at large as the body of Christ seeks to better grasp the gospel and how to live out its implications.
"Awaiting a Savior" gives a well-balanced, biblical explanation for the existence of poverty as well as a call to action. Armstrong provides a theological framework for social action, warning readers against divorcing deed from doctrine as well as doctrine from deed. There is a lot to be said about this book, but I'm just going to highlight a few areas that really challenged, sharpened, and encouraged me:
Adam's Curse: Armstrong discusses how the root of poverty is sin. To clarify, poverty is not necessarily the result of the specific sins of the impoverished, but of Adam. Adam's curse (the ground being cursed) specifically relates to inevitable economic challenges. Armstrong makes clear that poverty has a very spiritual component to it, and thus cannot be eradicated simply by human effort. However, human effort is very much required.
Motivation: Armstrong challenges readers to carefully examine their motives when considering their approach to caring for the poor. Our natural tenancy is to become more concerned with our own legacies, efforts, and kingdoms than Christ's. "Our desire for significance, twisted by sin, always drives us to rob God of his glory and make a name for ourselves instead." This is a great heart-check section. Are we in this for God's glory, to serve others, and to love others or do we want ourselves and/or our church to look good?
Goal: Armstrong recognizes that completely eradicating poverty is not realistic. He gives a refreshing perspective on Jesus' words: "The poor you will always have with you." While some may use these words to excuse their own complacency or to be crippled by discouragement, he argues that these words ought to encourage the church and lead to action. This whole section was a perspective shift for me. "My mission isn't to get rid of the poor or to get rid of all these problems. My mission is to minister to people who are suffering from these things while they are here and while I am here."
Action: He writes about how our entire life is an act of generosity--whether it's finances, resources, time, or talent. Readers will not be able to simply walk away from this book with more head knowledge and a better-articulated theology of poverty. Nor will they walk away with some theological excuse to sit around and do nothing. "Loving our neighbor in real, tangible ways is as much a `proof' of our salvation as anything else...unfaithfulness to the Lord will lead to a lack of concern for our neighbor--but the opposite should also be true." Armstrong spends a good deal of time discussing how grace and our love for Christ will motivate action, that our "covenant faithfulness" will result in ethical faithfulness.
Readers will find questions at the end of each chapter and specific recommendations for next steps in the appendix, making this ideal for group study and discussion.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free review copy of this book. I did not receive any monetary payment nor was I required to write a review. I hope my comments about the book will help you evaluate whether or not the book is worth purchasing and reading.
"Awaiting a Savior" gives a well-balanced, biblical explanation for the existence of poverty as well as a call to action. Armstrong provides a theological framework for social action, warning readers against divorcing deed from doctrine as well as doctrine from deed. There is a lot to be said about this book, but I'm just going to highlight a few areas that really challenged, sharpened, and encouraged me:
Adam's Curse: Armstrong discusses how the root of poverty is sin. To clarify, poverty is not necessarily the result of the specific sins of the impoverished, but of Adam. Adam's curse (the ground being cursed) specifically relates to inevitable economic challenges. Armstrong makes clear that poverty has a very spiritual component to it, and thus cannot be eradicated simply by human effort. However, human effort is very much required.
Motivation: Armstrong challenges readers to carefully examine their motives when considering their approach to caring for the poor. Our natural tenancy is to become more concerned with our own legacies, efforts, and kingdoms than Christ's. "Our desire for significance, twisted by sin, always drives us to rob God of his glory and make a name for ourselves instead." This is a great heart-check section. Are we in this for God's glory, to serve others, and to love others or do we want ourselves and/or our church to look good?
Goal: Armstrong recognizes that completely eradicating poverty is not realistic. He gives a refreshing perspective on Jesus' words: "The poor you will always have with you." While some may use these words to excuse their own complacency or to be crippled by discouragement, he argues that these words ought to encourage the church and lead to action. This whole section was a perspective shift for me. "My mission isn't to get rid of the poor or to get rid of all these problems. My mission is to minister to people who are suffering from these things while they are here and while I am here."
Action: He writes about how our entire life is an act of generosity--whether it's finances, resources, time, or talent. Readers will not be able to simply walk away from this book with more head knowledge and a better-articulated theology of poverty. Nor will they walk away with some theological excuse to sit around and do nothing. "Loving our neighbor in real, tangible ways is as much a `proof' of our salvation as anything else...unfaithfulness to the Lord will lead to a lack of concern for our neighbor--but the opposite should also be true." Armstrong spends a good deal of time discussing how grace and our love for Christ will motivate action, that our "covenant faithfulness" will result in ethical faithfulness.
Readers will find questions at the end of each chapter and specific recommendations for next steps in the appendix, making this ideal for group study and discussion.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free review copy of this book. I did not receive any monetary payment nor was I required to write a review. I hope my comments about the book will help you evaluate whether or not the book is worth purchasing and reading.
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