Description
Trade ReviewIf you ever thought that theologians should stay in their ivory towers, safely out of harm’s way, and that those who want to change our world for the good should be left to get on with the job at hand…. think again! Justin Thacker combines a deep theological understanding with a strong knowledge of economic theories of poverty relief, and a clear compassion for our struggling planet and its people, to provide a brilliant theological analysis that will inform and challenge all of us who long to bring about a better world. He shows that some of the best efforts to alleviate poverty are being done precisely by those who are grounding their work most closely in a well thought-out theological understanding of what they’re doing. This is a superb book and I encourage you to read it -- Ruth Valerio
At last - a thorough, graceful, nuanced and compelling theological engagement with capitalism and development. Avoiding easy stereotypes, false certainties, and cheap point-scoring, Thacker's book looks at global poverty through the lenses of Creation, Fall, Israel, Redemption and Consummation, to produce what he terms a 'symphonic account' of the theology of poverty. While Christians all over the world have intuitively been responding to poverty in many of the ways Thacker suggests, now we will be able to do so with renewed focus and strength, armed with this robust primer on why it is a theological imperative that we do so with urgency. -- Eve Poole
Dr Justin Thacker has produced a resolutely theological, rather than pragmatic, analysis of global poverty. Justin's writing is steeped in theological and biblical study, but he is also at home in the currents of contemporary political and economic discussion, and the interaction between these things means the book is also full of practical insights as to what we can - and should - do." -- Sean Doherty
Thacker is not only a very capable theologian, he also has extensive practical experience of aid work. 'Global Poverty' contributes to practical debates about aid, and includes some cutting critiques of the approaches adopted by major Christian development agencies. This is a must-read for anyone involved in aid work and for those who contribute to it. -- RC * Christianity magazine, July 2017 *
This book is readable, resolute and profoundly relevant to the concerns and pains of a divided world. It could help most of us to think more deeply, care more persistently, and look at the needs of God's world with fuller insight and humility. I commend it with conviction. -- John Proctor * Reform Magazine, June 2017 *
Thacker's excellent book is a challenge to rethink poverty and to better understand its causes so that our response can be more effective. I highly recommend it- it puts overseas aid into its proper context and invites us to respond in ways that could make a real difference. -- Marion Gray * The Reader, Winter 2017 *
Table of ContentsPart 1: Creation 1. The image of God and the dignity of humanity 2. The problem of paternalism 3. The nature of poverty Part 2: Fall 4. The nature, depth and breadth of sin 5. Sin, taxes and debt - who owes whom? 6. Structural sin - are we really guilty? Part 3: Israel 7. Israel's mission 8. Exodus 9. Jubilee 10. Laws 11. Prophets Part 4: Redemption 12. The gospel and salvation 13. Secular theories of development 14. Theologies of development Part 5: Consummation 15. New heavens and new earth 16. The poor always with you 17. The problem of aid utopianism 18. So why should we bother? 19. Conclusion: the question of equality Epilogue - What does this mean in practice?
