Poverty

Christians can understand more deeply why they should help the poor when they see themselves spiritually in those that lack materially, said Pastor Tim Keller in a new video interview.

Often people look at a poor person and ask, “Why didn’t you pull yourself up by your bootstraps?” But if God asks that same question to humans then everyone would be spiritually dead, said Keller in an interview with Desiring God ministry.

And if Christians question whether the poor person will abuse their charity and grace, then they should remember that they have also “trampled” on God’s charity and grace by not living the life they should. more >>

Young Christian artists have partnered up with Food for the Hungry to benefit the needy around the world.

The Food for the Hungry Winter Blast 2011 kicked off this week in Bowling Green, Ky., and Bristol, Tenn., and will hit eight more cities over the next month. Leading the tour is Building 429 and other featured artists include 33Miles, Jason Gray, and Kerrie Roberts. The like-minded artists are excited to participate in the tour for international food relief effort.

The 10-city tour sprung out of Building 429's ongoing partnership with the Christian relief organization as well as personal encounters with scarcity in some of the poorest nations. more >>

There will be many challenges ahead for the Christian-dominated South Sudan as the region concludes seven days of voting for a divided or united country, a World Vision adviser said.

World Vision Policy Adviser Jesse Eaves returned from the southern region of Sudan Wednesday. He reported having caught the "hope bug" after observing the elections and making preparations for the future.

"One I thing I found was that [everyone was] overwhelmingly hopeful; no matter what the result of the referendum everyone was very excited to get the chance to choose their future," he shared. more >>

Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll spoke Wednesday to over 50,000 people during an outside church service commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.

The event, which took place outside the collapsed capitol building in Port-au-Prince, was hosted by Churches Helping Churches, a global church partnership co-founded by Driscoll to help rebuild churches devastated in the wake of a natural disaster.

Addressing a sea of Haitians that crowded the five-way intersection to attend the rally, the Seattle-based pastor shared the Gospel based on Galatians 4:4-7 on the difference between a son and a slave. more >>

One year after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck close to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, people are still searching for answers, said a long-time Haiti missionary.

David Carwell, program manager of Mission Aviation Fellowship in Haiti, acknowledged that the number of Haitians responding to the Gospel has declined since the days immediately following the quake, but he believes there will be another “surge” of people accepting Christ.

“The widespread openness to the Gospel really peaked about a month after the earthquake,” Carwell said. “People were turning to the Lord everywhere. Even Mardi Gras parties were curtailed in 2010. But after that initial surge of relief aid tapered off, things slowly went back to the way they were. I believe we’re going to see another surge of people turning to the Lord again this January.” more >>

If Southern Sudan were to form its own country as a result of the ongoing referendum, it would only be the start of a long journey to overcoming the poverty and underdevelopment it has suffered since Sudan gained independence from Britain and Egypt more than 50 years ago.

But in the midst of a rural community where villagers are mostly living in mud huts, Akot Medical Mission center, founded by evangelical Christian organization Mustard Seed International, has been operating for over four years.

Since the facility opened its doors to patients on October 1, 2006, the impact on the community where the sick would have had to walk two to three days to see a doctor in the past, has been significant. more >>