Good Reads

Who doesn’t love a good book recommendation?  Here are a few from our staff, all having to do with serving the poor.

God of the Empty Handed: Poverty, Power and the Kingdom of God
by Jayakumar Christian
Offers great insight into the plight of the poor from a NON-Western perspective with solutions on how we should approach those living in poverty. Jayakumar is from India and brings a unique view of the powerless poor and the kingdom of God. Fantastic book!





The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Life the World Out of Poverty
by Peter Greer & Phil Smith
A compelling call to carry God’s mercy and compassion to the hurting people of the world and end the cycle of dependency the poor have come to expect. There is also a strong community development message. 



When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Suffering without Hurting the Poor
by Steve Corbett
Confronting some faulty assumptions Christians have about the causes of poverty and how they can do considerable harm.  Good principles for short-term mission programs to heed.




 
Serving With Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence 
by David A. Livermore
Really great book to shape short-term missions to be sensitive and smart in their interactions with people of other cultures.




 
 
The Great Omission
by Steve Saint
Steve Saint, son of missionary martyr Nate Saint, shares dramatic stories from his experiences with the tribe who killed his father. This excellent book talks about bringing Christ to the unreached and leaving your culture at home. Steve is a great storyteller. This is a parallel book to Missions Dilemma which is the video series Adoption Ministry uses for mission team training. It highlights Steve’s experiences of what he did right and what he did wrong and what was learned from it.



Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development
by John Perkins
A powerful call to action to bring reconciliation and restoration to broken communities.







Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity (Revised & Updated)
by Ronald J. Sider
Pertinent today as when it was written. This is not a judgmental book. It highlights the needs of the poor and gives ways individuals and churches can help. A refreshing read!




 
The Hole in Our Gospel
by Richard Stearns
A great read! This book is about Richard Stearn’s personal journey and how he came to lead World Vision. It also gives insights into poverty worldwide and ways to help.




 
 
Walking With the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development
by Bryant Myers
A good book for churches who are contemplating or are already partnering with churches and ministries abroad.



 

 
Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Justby Timothy Keller
Keller challenges many preconceived beliefs about doing justice and presents the Bible as a fundamental source for promoting justice and compassion for those in need.








Now, leave a comment with your own book recommendations on this topic!