Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America [Paperback]

Ronald J. Sider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

In this new edition of Just Generosity, Ron Sider calls believers to care as much about the poor as Jesus did. Here he updates his comprehensive agenda to reduce poverty in the United States. Using poignant stories and well-documented facts, Sider presents a nonpartisan corrective to poverty in the United States. These concrete suggestions will be an invaluable help to those who wish to understand and join political debates over poverty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Evangelical theologian and activist Sider gets down to specifics in this book about American social programs, which at points reads like a policy wonk's textbook. But it is not written so much for policy insiders as for the constituency of Evangelicals for Social Action, the organization Sider founded and for which he serves as president. Unlike other social theorists, Sider freely bathes his antipoverty program in biblical language and prophetic imperatives, but unlike many of his fellow evangelicals, he sees the government's role in addressing American poverty as inescapable. Sider's prescriptions do not fit into familiar left-right categories: while he argues for a "living wage," guaranteed government-funded jobs and universal health care, he also urges a national experiment for school vouchers, commends faith-based community service organizations and speaks urgently of personal responsibility and the breakdown of the family. One of the few evangelicals to have sat at table with both the conservative Christian Coalition and the left-leaning Call to Renewal, Sider seems to have learned from, and to genuinely appreciate, the policy goals of both sides. Notably missing from the book is the hard-headed strategy that has made the Christian Coalition so potent. Sider is more prophet than politician but by basing his policy arguments on something more than political expediency, he makes the somewhat tired idea of Christian politics seem plausible, even exciting, again.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Nationally known as the president of the Philadelphia-based Evangelicals for Social Action, Sider grapples with the socioeconomic data available on the extent and impact of poverty in America from both a liberal and a conservative perspective. Believing that, faithfully interpreted and lived, the Scriptures can provide the vision and motivation needed to reduce poverty dramatically, he spells out a set of proposals for a social policy that works toward that goal. Sider offers broad policy proposals regarding welfare and crime reduction and suggests that societal problems would be best handled by partnerships between governments and philanthropic organizations. Many readers will find his discussion insightful and his proposals for change resonant. The footnotes accompanying each chapter allow for further research, and a list of organizations provides practical resources. An essential purchase whose wide-based discussion reaches many segments of readers.ALeroy Hommerding, Citrus Cty. Lib. System, Inverness, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books; 2 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801066131
• ISBN-13: 978-0801066139
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Beyond Charity - A Critique of Sider's 'Just Generosity'", May 1, 2000

By 

Jean-Luc Krieg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America (Paperback)

At the end of the introduction to his new book "JustGenerosity", Sider sets forth the agenda of this book. He writes: "This book seeks to define the problem, sketch a biblical framework, outline a comprehensive holistic vision and then develop ...................." (p. 23) Accordingly, I will structure my critique and reflection of his book in reference to this phrase.

Definition of the Problem: Who the poor are is well described by Sider, including age groups, family-types, education-level of poor and the relation between poverty and race. He sketches well the major factors that cause poverty. I fully agree with him, that structural reasons, as well as behavioral ones, as well as sudden catastrophes all contribute to widespread poverty. Even though structural reasons play a major influence in facilitating wrong moral choices, the latter should yet be ascertained as a cause for poverty. All negation of this point of view tends to take away responsibility from poor people and thus disqualifies them as whole persons. I also appreciated Sider's good assessment that it is basically the wealthy who contribute to political campaigns, which as a result brings people into positions who represent the interests of those few wealthy, rather than the masses'.

Biblical Framework: I fully agree with Sider's analysis and presentation of the biblical material and believe it is compelling in its call to do justice. Love without justice is simply unbiblical, because the Bible is clear that those who follow God are called to live justly and love mercy.

Comprehensive holistic vision: Sider is consistent with the biblical material and with sociology when he brings the role of civic society into the discussion. It confirms the "biblical anthropology" that humans are not mere autonomous individuals, but are interrelated beings. In the same way it acknowledges a holistic view of people, who are neither solely directed by bureaucratic decisions, nor by individual moral choices. Hence, civic society plays a detrimental role in solving the pressing problems, because it is in civic society that people learn the values that make this very society function in a healthy way. Inner moral and spiritual renewal cannot be mandated but is nevertheless crucial if family renewal, for instance, is to come about. Sider displays a balanced view with regards to the role of government and civic institutions and their interaction as well as contribution to each other, which I deem to be the only way in which long-term solutions can be reached. However, Sider presents too few concrete examples of realistic ways, in which civic societies (like inner city churches) can be strengthened, who in turn would raise local leadership and thus strengthen the political power of the poor from within.

Social Analysis: His explanation for the low work-effort of poor people, for instance, as well as his interpretation of how the inability of low-skilled men to earn enough to support a family, feeds into the disintegration of the family as an institution, are convincing. Moreover, he makes clear how family unfriendly government policy (tax-exemptions, etc...) encourages single-parent families. Sider's analysis with respect to the educational system is also compelling. He argues that a good educational system is absolutely necessary in the fight against poverty. In fact, high school dropouts produce high costs in the long run, which, in any case are carried by the taxpayer. Additionally he builds a strong case for the necessity of healthy two-parent families. Most of his bias toward this form of family-life derives, as he says, from Judeo-Christian roots, as well as the statistics who demonstrate, that children from two-parent families are less likely to experience poverty.

Concrete Agenda: In most of the chapters 4-8 Sider develops quite concrete and seemingly good proposals, which could help alleviate poverty. Even though I won't go into details at this point, this is the bulk of the book that needs to be discussed in student circles, among policymakers, in civic societies etc... Yet, throughout Sider's social analysis and enlisting of concrete ideas for implementation, one great question remains: How can partnerships between governmental and faith based programs be established? How could more clergy-government coalitions come to life? How are inner city churches helped to seek the holistic wellbeing of their neighbors, if they themselves lack personnel resources and struggle hard to survive? Sider offers little concrete steps in this respect. He gives some examples, but these seem to be the exception.

Sider makes clear that the political as well as the theological climate has changed, which makes it more favorable for Christians today to getting involved to fighting poverty. And this they must, if they call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. Overall I believe the book has the potential to reach a great number of people, because it presents, deals well with and offers, to some degree at least, practicable solutions to a highly problematic theme of our time. Will it accomplish what Sider has in mind, namely reaching millions of Christians, who in response, will get practically involved in addressing the issues at hand? We hope. We pray.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christians should read this, April 3, 2001

By 

Philip Fung "Always trying to read more" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America (Paperback)

I agree with the review by Jean-Luc for the most part, but I also wanted to add a few of my own thoughts.

As Sider says early in the book, he's not a policy wonk, so that is his weakest point. Trust him on that one. As a more policy oriented person, I agree that some of those things would be great, if implemented, but that's the hard part of all policy - getting it passed and implemented. Some of his suggestions are not politically feasible (yet).

Some of his other policy ideas are, IMHO, just questionable. Not just politically difficult, but I'm not convinced that all the ideas are that great.

His Biblical framework is wonderful. I enjoyed reading his perspective on that, as he exegetes quite well. I also was biased to begin with, in that I had already done some thinking on my own about this issue, and was finding myself just saying "Wow, that's kinda what I was thinking."

yeah. so good book. read it. don't take the policy stuff to seriously. but take the Biblical stuff seriously. He does a good job there. and the principles of the more holistic view of things, too. Those are good.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair and Balanced, June 22, 2007

By 

John R. Miller (Owosso, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America (Paperback)

The debate over how best to help the poor seems to be polarized around the logical conclusions of two seemingly opposed assumptions. The conservative assumption is that most people are poor because of the personal choices they make. The liberal assumption is that people are poor because of bad environments and injustice.

The conservative point of view leads to public policies that reward personal initiative while allowing families to suffer the consequences of their bad decisions as a means of discipline.

The liberal point of view initiates policies that redistribute the wealth through entitlements and public projects while attempting to change the environment through the force of law.

The weakness of the liberal position is that it tends to enable poverty rather than eradicate it. The weakness of the conservative position is that it tends to ignore injustices and do nothing to remove the very real barriers to the upward mobility of the poor.

Ronald Sider in his book Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America argues that these are not competing assumptions but complimentary ones. "I have lived and worshiped with he poor far too long to side either with the liberal who quickly dismisses the way personal choices contribute to poverty or with the conservative who ignores the way complicated structural barriers make it difficult for many hardworking people to escape poverty" (p. 35).

Sider's "Twelve Principles of a Just Society" is the foundation for his policy suggestions that make up over half of the book. While one may quibble with the details of the suggestions, on the whole they are a way out of the political rancor that characterizes the current debate.

I highly recommend this book to all. It educates. It makes reasonable suggestions to open the discussion on how best to address these problems. Most of all it is irenic and offered in the spirit of brotherly love as opposed to the power politics that have come to characterize our political discourse.