Ending Hunger Now [Paperback]

George McGovern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

Veteran statesmen George McGovern and Robert Dole here find common cause with theologian and activist Donald Messer in this powerful testimony and appeal to people of faith. They are each convinced we can overcome global hunger now, and their informed, strategic, impassioned thoughts encourage and equip. This book brings together their disparate yet powerful voices behind a shared conviction: that helping the millions who lack basic provision for food has become a religious imperative and human priority.Writing for congregations and individuals of faith, McGovern, Dole, and Messer appeal to the biblical, theological, and ethical foundations of action against hunger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Designed to foster discussion and action within congregations, this short series of essays presents the scope of the world hunger problem and the best way to fight it in an urgent but nonpartisan manner. Messer introduces the book by laying out the problem—800 million people in the world are hungry—and then calls Jews and Christians to solve it. McGovern and Dole contribute essays that explain their joint efforts in the U.S. Senate to provide school lunches to the world's 300 million hungry children. While Messer and McGovern emphasize the moral imperative for the world's wealthiest nation to spearhead hunger elimination, Dole argues that it is in America's best interest to help as many nations as possible achieve food security and become net exporters of crops. Messer, Dole and McGovern contribute a trialogue in which they congenially share ideas about hunger work, and Messer concludes with some challenging observations about how his wealthy readers can make a difference. While the book tends to repeat some ideas and figures too often and features rather disappointing discussion questions, it also offers mind-bending facts and illustrations that will motivate congregants of all persuasions to engage this heartbreaking problem. (Oct.)
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About the Author

George S.McGovern is a former U.S. senator from South Dakota, 1972 presidential candidate, and now UN ambassador on issues of hunger.

Bob Dole is former U.S. senator from Kansas and 1988 presidential candidate. He has worked with Senator McGovern on food-related initiatives, both national and international.

Donald E.Messer is Henry White Warren Professor of Practical Theology and director of the Center for Global Pastoral Ministries at Iliff School of Theology, Denver. His latest book is Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis, from Fortress Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800637828
• ISBN-13: 978-0800637828
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

George McGovern served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years and was the 1972 Democratic candidate for president. He directed the first Food for Peace Program under former president John F. Kennedy. A decorated World War II bomber pilot (Distinguished Flying Cross), he holds a PhD in history from Northwestern University and is a former professor at Dakota Wesleyan University. He was named by former president Bill Clinton in 1997 as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization. In 2000, he was awarded by Clinton the nation's highest honor, the Medal of Freedom. He divides his time among South Dakota, Montana, and Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Fortress Press, May 22, 2007

By 

S. McDonald "Library World" (Independence, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ending Hunger Now (Paperback)

This book brings together three powerful voices behind a shared conviction: that helping the millions who lack basic provision for food has become a religious imperative and human priority. Writing for congregations and individuals of faith, McGovern, Dole, and Messer appeal to the religious ethical foundations for action against hunger. Informative, inspiring, and filled with practical personal involvement and political commitment to the cause. [..]

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real kick-in-the-church-pew book!, November 8, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ending Hunger Now (Paperback)

In his Foreword, former President Bill Clinton states: Hunger affects 300 million children and really one billion people worldwide, mostly in Asia and Africa. Women and children suffer the most.

Mahatma Gandi said: "To a hungry person God can appear only as a piece of bread." Thus feeding the hungry has been at the heart of the Christian faith as well as other major religions and ethical systems.

The authors work across partisan political lines on what they believe is most important: combating malnutrition and hunger.

McGovern and Dole's interest is feeding children through school lunch programs. A New York Times article said, "If you feed children, they come to school and stay in school and they learn better."

Bread for the World organization reports that 36 million U.S. citizens--over 13 million children--live in homes without enough to eat. How do millions of people go hungry in this 21st Century that produces enough food for every man, woman and child?

Stop Hunger Now organization states: Every day 30,000 people die of starvation worldwide; that is 1 person every 3 seconds.

Within Jewish and Christian traditions, 8 overlapping themes exist:

1. The reminder that God has created a world rich in abundance and meant for all people (1 Corinthians 10:26).
2. Hunger theme appears often as a reminder of the precariousness of life and of God's gift of food. (Genesis 12:1k 37-50)
3. Feeding the hungry is both a moral obligation and a religious requirement. (Isiah 58.7)
4. Sharing is the essence of the spiritual life. (Matthew 14:13-21)
5. Failure to feed the hungry is deemed a sin. (Job 22:7)
6. Both Jewish and Christian rituals emphasize the importance of sharing food. (1 Corinthians 11:28-32)
7. Abolishing hunger on earth has always been a religious imperative. (Revelations 7:16-17)
8. Christians of all theological persuasions believe that the cry of the hungry is actually the voice of God. (Matthew 25:40)

Each chapter ends with very search-the-soul questions that get up and personal--and may hurt or embarrass us. The book gives research and the congregational usage guides and important links.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a real kick-in-the-church-pew book.