Good News to the Poor
Spirit-Empowered Responses To Poverty
What is a Christian response to the immense and crushing demands of poverty? How may the poor be empowered within their own context? What answers can be found in Liberation Theology and the Prosperity Gospel? Scholars and practitioners gathered in Bogota, Colombia, at the 2019 Scholars Consultation of Empowered21 to discuss these questions from a Spirit-empowered perspective. This book is the combination of these deep and engaging conversations at the Consultation and the subsequently commissioned studies.
The book is divided into two sections. The first is “Foundational,” addressing biblical, theological, and historical considerations of wealth and poverty, as well as a definition and overview of the current state of global poverty. The second section is “Cases in Context,” which provides reflections on real-life experiences from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Through this marriage of foundational and contextual sections, the book presents robust engagement with some of the most pervasive issues faced in the majority world today. Civil unrest, policy issues, indigenous identity, urban slums, migration, globalization, education, and other concerns are considered in light of the Spiritʼs empowerment of individuals, churches, and communities.
Contents
- Other Empowered21 Titles
- Introduction by Opoku Onyinah and Wonsuk Ma
- I. Foundational
- 1. Anointing by the Spirit and Ministry to the Poor by William L. Lyons
- 2. Exploring Issues of Wealth and Poverty in the Gospels: A Ghanaian Pentecostal-Charismatic Reading of Luke 16 by Justice A. Arthur
- 3. Spirit Empowerment and Service to the Poor in Acts by Trevor Grizzle
- 4. Pentecostalism and the Prosperity Gospel by Opoku Onyinah
- 5. A Church with a Heart: Spirit and Praxis in Pentecostal Social Engagement by Ivan Satyavrata
- 6. A Pentecostal Engagement of Economy from the Margins by David D. Daniels III
- 7. Global Poverty and the Poor by Sylvia Owusu-Ansah
- II. Cases in Context
- 8. Beyond Liberation and Prosperity Gospel: A Third Way by César Garcia
- 9. The Aimara Identity of Poor Neo-Pentecostals in Urban La Paz, Bolivia by Marcelo Vargas
- 10. Building Our Home: Balu Wala, the Sabbatical and Jubilee Year by Jocabed R. Solano Miselis
- 11. Pentecostalism and the Spirit of Local Development by Alfred Cooper
- 12. Todo lo Puedo: The Empowerment of Children Born into Poverty through ChildHope by Mary Kathleen Mahon
- 13. Religious Conflict in Nigeria and Poverty Dynamics by Babatunde Adedibu
- 14. Civil Unrest and Poverty in Congo Brazzaville: A Personal Story by Médine Moussunga Keener
- 15. "Bread for Today"—Can Microfinance Respond to the Lord’s Prayer in Reducing Poverty? by Irene Banda Mutalima
- 16. Empowering Christian Low-Fee Independent Schools: Edify’s Response to Poverty by Makonen Getu
- 17. Responding to Human Needs: A Case Study of Yoido Full Gospel Church by Younghoon Lee
- 18. Pentecostal Civic Engagement in the Squatter Area by Joel A. Tejedo
- 19. The War on Drugs in the Philippines and the Image of Healing and Restoration in Mark 5:1-20 by Doreen Benavidez and Edwardneil Benavidez
- 20. Global Poverty and Transnational Pentecostalism in the Middle East by Eric N. Newberg
- 21. Spirit-Empowered Apostolic Ministry to the Poor: Through the Lens of Three Ministries by John Thompson
- 22. "I Tried Poverty": Exploring the Psychological Impact of Poverty and Prosperity in the Life of Oral Roberts by Daniel D. Isgrigg
- 23. A DREAMer’s Journey and the Holy Spirit’s Comfort: A Personal Reflection by Lemuel J. Godinez and Yasmine A. Godinez
- Postscript: The Kingdom Comes by Annamarie Hamilton
- Contributors
- Select Bibliography
- Name and Subject Index
- Scripture Index
“Africa has always grappled with the tension of the potency of the gospel to transform lives and the debilitating poverty of the many that believe and receive its liberating truths. _ is book is a veritable and even-handed overview of this often controversial tension. I recommend it to those searching for a balanced and holistic approach. ”
— Goodwill Shana, President, Association of Evangelicals in Africa Co-chair; Empowered 21 Africa Cabinet
“Although there has been a steady rise in justice-consciousness among Pentecostals, scholarly reflections that combine Pentecostal spirituality and justice for the poor are still scarce. This book will help fill this gap, as it gathers seasoned, global voices that both celebrate the Spirit and strive to be good news among the poor. ”
— Al Tizon, Executive Minister of Serve Globally Evangelical Covenant Church
“The case studies in this book provide ample evidence of what missiologists call “redemptive lift.” Spirit-led witness always leads to caring for those within and beyond reach of churches (from the Foreword). ”
— Melba Padilla Maggay, Ph.D., Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (ISACC) President, Micah Global
Available now
International & translation rights available
- Price:
- $29.99
- ISBN:
- 978-1-950971-11-4 (softcover)
- 978-1-950971-12-1 (ebook)
- Published:
- 2022
- Copyright:
- 2022
- Pages:
- 501
- Size:
- 6 x 9 in.