Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results

Description

The veteran urban activist and author of the revolutionary Toxic Charity returns with a headline-making book that offers proven, results-oriented ideas for transforming our system of giving. In Toxic Charity, Robert D. Lupton revealed the truth about modern charity programs meant to help the poor and disenfranchised. While charity makes donors feel better, he argued, it often hurts those it seeks to help. At the forefront of this burgeoning yet ineffective compassion industry are American churches, which spend billions on dependency-producing programs, including food pantries. But what would charity look like if we, instead, measured it by its ability to alleviate poverty and needs That is the question at the heart of Charity Detox. Drawing on his many decades of experience, Lupton outlines how to structure programs that actually improve the quality of life of the poor and disenfranchised. He introduces many strategies that are revolutionizing what we do with our charity dollars, and offers numerous examples of organizations that have successfully adopted these groundbreaking new models. Only by redirecting our strategies and becoming committed to results, he argues, can charity enterprises truly become as transformative as our ideals.

Robert D. Lupton is founder and president of FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies) and the author of Theirs Is the Kingdom; Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life; and the widely circulated "Urban Perspectives."

"Lupton is one of the sharpest, freshest, sassiest community developers out there. He is helping us all become wiser so that we don't settle for charity when we could have justice." -- Shane Claiborne, author of Irresistible Revolution "When Bob Lupton speaks of the inner city, the rest of us ought to sit up and take notice... [His work is] deeply disturbing-in the best sense of the word." -- Philip Yancey, author of What Good Is God? "Throughout reading Charity Detox the lyrics "How can it be wrong when it feels so right?" were buzzing in my head. That is the tension Lupton describes so deftly with practical illustrations of how we can change the dependency creating relationships formed by well-intentioned servers." -- Fred Smith, The Gathering "His enthusiasm for this method is evident throughout the text and brings hope to readers that if more organizations adopted these practices, there really could be a better future ahead for all of us, not just the poor." -- Kirkus Reviews "In Toxic Charity, Bob identified a weakness with charity as a tool for poverty reduction. In Charity Detox, Bob addresses the more complicated question of what might work better. Bob reaches the conclusion that wealth creation must replace wealth redistribution if poverty reduction is the goal." -- John Coors, Former CEO of CoorsTek "[Charity] efforts, while necessary in a crisis, do little to improve people's socioeconomic status. Lupton uses this well-worn critique of churches' charitable activities as a springboard for positive action... all readers will find in this book a useful way to reexamine outreach programs." -- James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC "Lupton uses [his] critique of churches' charitable activities as a springboard for positive action...the author advocates that churches need to be more involved in communities by living and investing in them... all readers will find in this book a useful way to reexamine outreach programs." -- Library Journal "Lupton continues his mission to transform the way charities operate. Most efforts to help relieve poverty are ineffective, he says...The road to charity hell has been paved with good intentions, but Lupton provides an inspiring roadmap for an alternate route." -- Spirituality and Health magazine "Lupton weighs the future of effective efforts to reduce poverty ... confronting popular practices and assumptions... Inspiring." -- U.S. Catholic "Lupton offers a roadmap for turning short-lived good intentions into lasting transformation his vision for a new way of doing missions." -- Christianity Today