The Trap of Discrimination in Poverty Alleviation

[“SHARE” JUL – SEP 2019 ] BACK TO THE BIBLE

Written by: Wance Kwan (Assistant Professor [Practical Studies], China Graduate School of Theology)

 

“If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:3-4)

 

If you are one of the few in your church who are involved in poverty alleviation work, you may be angry with the snobs in the scripture above. You might probably think that you would never be like them. However, have you ever thought that always putting the poor at the receiving end can also be considered as a form of discrimination? Such attitude of judging people by their outward appearances is being challenged in James 2:1 as favoritism.

Continue reading The Trap of Discrimination in Poverty Alleviation

Overcoming the Obstacles of Sin and Pain

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul – Sep 2017 ] TAKING ACTION

Author: Jojo Poon

When we said we should respond to the grand problem of human trafficking, we often think of serving the victimised. However, the experience of frontline workers reminds us that the traffickers, though evil, also possess God’s image and are as deprived of care and love as the victims.

Continue reading Overcoming the Obstacles of Sin and Pain

Evilness under the Mist: Slums in Rio de Janeiro

With great expectation from the world, the Rio Olympics has just officially opened today, even though in the past year the society experienced various social problems, which strike the domestic stability of this BRICS member. From the government corruption scandal under the Rousseff administration, triggering massive demonstrations all over the country, which was followed by the outbreak of Zika virus. All these crises have badly affected to the world’s impression of this country and many have lost confidence towards the governance of the state. In fact in recent years, Brazil has constantly been criticized for building up all sort of “vanity projects”, such as hosting the World Cup and Olympic Games. Meanwhile the deep-rooted social problems and conflicts have been ignored, especially the problem of slums and related crimes.

Continue reading Evilness under the Mist: Slums in Rio de Janeiro