The Rich and the Poor Review

Connor Powell

The Rich and the Poor Review

        I will review Chapter 8, “What Can I Do?” of the book The Rich and the Poor, which summarizes the points of the book and gives guidance into how we as Christians can make a difference in the lives of others in need. By giving support to emergency aid, not wasting our food, boycotting unethical companies, and encouraging political changes we can make a difference in the corrupt and disproportioned economic system. Visiting areas that are suffering, such as third world countries or American cities with high poverty rates, can give us a first person perspective on the type of lives some people have to suffer through.

        The author clearly states the imbalance of the economies between first world and third world countries and how us as Christians should not be content with leaving those behind because they live in impoverished countries. This book was written when there was big political debates between American capitalism and the threat of communism in the eastern hemisphere. There was great fear that communism was a threat to the economy of the United States. The author states that even with all the faults in capitalism, there should be no fear and instead of fighting to maintain it, they should be motivated fix the weaknesses in the capitalist economy. In a way I believe America did start on that path to fix it with many political decisions to help such as welfare, national health insurance, etc. But there is still cracks in the system and still much political debate about not only the economic imbalance in America but all around the world.

        There is no real expectation that it is the United States responsibility to pull third world countries out of their economic slump because of the problems they still have within a nation. The key starts with us and our own financial situations and putting forth an effort where we can. As Christians we are called to give an offering to the church, and hopefully the church is putting that to good use. There are missionaries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters that all put an effort to give back to those in need. It won’t drive the economy, but it makes a difference in the lives of many. I had a recent speaker in my strategic management class where the man had been a successful manager at a company for 20 years before he started to wonder if it really was about the money. He then started working for a non profit organization that works to feed those in need across America. There are people and organizations in this world that have a desire to help those in need. Our government also provides an incentive for companies that are non for profit and work to make a positive difference. There will always be economic imbalance in this world but we as individuals can still work to make a difference no matter the size of the impact.