The causes of poverty

What is it about?

Why does poverty happen? For centuries, Christians have used the Bible to help them understand this phenomenon, but more recently social scientists and economists have entered the conversation in very powerful ways. Is there a way to create a mutually beneficial conversation between biblical understandings and contemporary thought? We think so. In this piece, we examine a biblical model for understanding the causes of poverty (which is, for the modern skeptic, surprisingly robust) and compare it to the perceptions of people living in poverty today (using data taken from a World Bank study in Brazil, 1999). In our conclusion, we contend that the biblical model is largely compatible with contemporary understandings, especially when the intricacies of ancient and modern economies are understood.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This is a hugely important topic, as churches and Christian development organizations around the world wrestle with issues of poverty both within their community (in 2014 there were 46 million Americans in poverty) and around the world (US giving to international charities stood at $15 billion in 2015). The practical endpoint of this study is to present an understanding of the causes of poverty that accurately reflects modern empirical data, while remaining faithful to the biblical narrative - thus equipping such Christian organizations as they operate intelligently, faithfully and compassionately with those affected by poverty.