Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help, And How to Reverse It *Very Good*

Very Good: Scratch and dent. Cover may have wear, dings, tears, other damage, or be missing dust jacket.
Publisher: HarperOne
ISBN: 9780062076212
Type: Paperback

Veteran urban activist Robert Lupton reveals the scandalous toxic effects on the recipients of charity and provides new, proven models for how groups can actually help those they want to serve.
Churches and charities have fallen into the bad habit of creating programs to help the poor when in reality the only people they are helping are themselves, creating a toxic charity that needs to be reexamined and fixed.
In this groundbreaking book, Lupton shows how good-intentioned people are actually hurting the very people they’re trying to help. The poor end up feeling judged, looked down upon, only worthy of charity and handouts that end up making them more dependent instead of learning skills to help themselves. Churches and charitable organizations, though good-intentioned, have missed the mark when it comes to serving the poor, creating a toxic form of charity. Lupton says that a better system would be to treat the poor as business partners, empowering them to start businesses, build houses, plan communities, etc. Lupton offers specific organizations that are following this healthier model of charity and gives practical ideas for how to get involved in service projects that truly help. Together, we can serve our world in a way that actually effects life-altering change.