Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development

by Bryant L. Myers

In this revised and updated edition of a modern classic, Bryant Myers shows how Christian mission can contribute to dismantling poverty and social evil.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, Social Justice, Poverty, Christianity, Justice

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Bryant L. Myers is professor of transformational development at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. A lifelong activist dedicated to Christian relief and development work around the world, Myers served as vice president for international program strategy at World Vision International. He resides with his family in Southern California.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most thorough, biblical, and insightful treatment that I've yet found on the nature and response to poverty. Much stronger than books like When Helping Hurts. The author draws on numerous contemporary thinkers and examines all the common angles. Instead of the usual "deficit" understanding of poverty, Myers shows that poverty is relational. He draws especially on Jayakumar Christian's fascinating work to the effect that the "poor are wrapped in a series of restrictions and limitations in four areas of life: physical, mental, social, and spiritual....Behind each of these 'bundles of limitations' lies powerful stakeholders, people whose interests are served by the limitations and who have a stake in sustaining the illusion that such limitations can never be changed" (80). This treatment finally provides a take on poverty that makes sense of why Jesus and the prophets never blame the poor for their poverty the way contemporary conservatives do. Easy read.

[Rachel Wintenburg Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been the most influential book in my life. I was first introduced to this book in my Theory of Community Development class at Covenant College, and it helped me to look at poverty in a brand new light. It made me wrestle with questions such as: 1. What is poverty? 2. Who are the poor? 3. What are the causes of poverty? 4. What is development? 5. How do we start the process of change? The book didn't just leave me asking questions; it gave me a "Tool Kit" of developmental practice so that I know how to take action. It also touches on our Christian witness in transformational development, which really shapes how I see myself doing development work.

[Masha Andrievskaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most influential books of my college education. It shows poverty as a systematic issue, a web that has to do with much more than financial stability and access to physical goods. Poverty is physical, emotional, spiritual, social. We must have a holistic understanding it in order to combat it, and Myers does just that.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking With the Poor is a seminal book on working in transformational development. If you want to help the poor, and you care about whether the poor people you come into relationship with are really helped, then you need to read this book.

Myers gets into the basic questions that we need to face in work with the poor. What are the root causes of poverty? What is God calling us to in our relationships with the poor? What are the end goals for them and for us? What kind of attributes and tools does a transformational development worker need to have to answer what God is calling us to and reach those end goals? Because of the fundamental nature of these questions and the wide body of theological research that Myers surveys in pursuing answers, it can often get dense. But if you care about the answers to those questions, the material deserves a careful read.

There’s far too much good stuff to summarize, so I’ll just highlight a few things that helped me. In looking at the causes of poverty, Myers’s surveys of Jayakumar Christian’s investigation of the “web of lies” that entrap the poor and of Walter Wink’s list of “delusional assumptions” were both helpful. The information on “God-complexes of the non-poor” is also especially good. In looking into what constitutes Godly, Kingdom-focused transformational development, the explanations of what kind of end goals we’re looking for, how we can best go about evaluating our progress, and what kind of person it takes to meet these goals were all worth copying and saving. The final sections on bringing together evangelism and development were also excellent and prayerfully thought out.
This is the kind of book that I know I’m going to have to go back to and read again as I continue my journey of working alongside the poor. If you have an analytical mind and are willing to give the book the energy it deserves, I highly recommend it.

I also highly recommend the related “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert as a shorter, more mainstream-targeted book that tackles the same subject for the layman who is interested in serving the poor.

I’ll end the review with one quote from Myers. I think this really sums up the message of the book:

“The challenge to the poor is to recover their identity as children of God and to discover their vocation as productive stewards, discovering that they have been given gifts to contribute to social well-being. The challenge to the non-poor is to relinquish their god-complexes and to employ their gifts for the sake of all human beings rather than using their gifts as a source of power or control.”

[Paul, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book for the third time. Actually, this is the first time I've read the second edition. Finally, a second edition that actually contains substantial changes! Dr. Myers' thinking and insights are continuing to develop. Way to go! I'd like to give a really in-depth review, but there is so much there! This is a great book, most other development books can almost be considered footnotes or explanations of themes contained within this one. Dr. Myers has truly done Christian development a service. I know, I know, I sound like a fanboy. But this book is good! Even if you don't do development, this book will still make you smarter.

[Michael Walther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review (November 16, 2019)

This book is a very thorough study of the problem of poverty. Myers believes that the ultimate problem is that of broken relationships with God and with one another. But he carefully examines the many causes of poverty. The book is full of quotes and footnotes for anyone who is interested in details. I’d like to see more actual programs and examples of development that did help the poor.

These are my highlights from the book:
Spiritual/Natural Dualism Location: 361
He develops a solid, scripturally based framework, or theoretical structure that challenges the spiritual/natural dualism which pervades our Western worldview and that offers a consistent biblical worldview in its place.
Goal Location: 371
The book is written for those involved in Christian development programs and challenges them to move toward holistic ministries.
Dichotomy Location: 373
Too often in church planting we have relegated God's transforming work to spiritual realities and assigned earthly matters to science and technology.
Relationships Location: 395
Jayakumar Christian's understanding of the nature of poverty as relationships that do not work for well-being and the cause of poverty as being fundamentally spiritual.
Excluded Middle Location: 398
The first is his formulation of the Western worldview in terms of two separated realms—material and spiritual—with a gap between the two, the “excluded middle.” Linking this with the thinking of Lesslie Newbigin provides the explanation for many of the dichotomies with which Western Christians struggle: faith and reason, evangelism and development, church and state, and values and facts. These dichotomies are major hindrances to finding a genuinely holistic Christian approach to human transformation.
God-Complexes Location: 410
In his Ph.D. work Jayakumar offered the idea that poverty is experienced most fundamentally by the poor as a marring of their identity and that this is caused both by the grind of being poor and also by being captive to the god-complexes of the non-poor.
Author’s Conversion Location: 472
She prayed for a lost and hopeless son for many years before God finally relented and dragged me into his kingdom at the age of thirty-one. I am deeply grateful that she is alive to see the book that summarizes why she and God went to all that trouble.
Purpose Location: 514
The purpose of this book is to describe a proposal for understanding the principles and practice of transformational development (positive material, social, and spiritual change) from a Christian perspective.
Dichotomy Location: 518
Throughout this book I will struggle to overcome problems presented by the persistent and insistent belief in the West that the spiritual and physical domains of life are separate and unrelated.
Dichotomy Location: 527
It was a time full of argument and sometimes divisive discussions among evangelicals as to whether or not Bible-believing Christians ought to do development. Some were deeply concerned that including social action in the Christian agenda blunted the church's commitment to evangelism. Evangelism must be primary, went the argument. The modern assumption that the spiritual and the material were unrelated areas of life had infected Christian mission thinking.
Creative Tension Location: 531
by which we meant that development and Christian witness should be held together in a creative tension.
Adding In Location: 532
In these early days we simplistically and incorrectly understood this to mean that Christian witness was something one added to the development program mix to make it complete, just another sector, a wedge in the development pie.
World Vision Location: 546
I left World Vision to become a professor of international development in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary five years ago.
Transformational Development Location: 560
I use the term transformational development to reflect my concern for seeking positive change in the whole of human life materially, socially, psychologically and spiritually.
Christian Witness Location: 583
I understand Christian witness to include the declaration of the gospel by life, word, and deed.
Reducing Location: 595
First, poverty is reduced to a merely material condition having to do with the absence of things like money, water, food, housing and the lack of just social systems, also materially defined and understood. Second, development is reduced correspondingly to a material series of responses designed to overcome these needs.
Dichotomy Location: 623
Sadly, the church has also succumbed to this modern worldview and has allowed itself to be relegated to the spiritual world, while the state and other human institutions assume responsibility for what happens in everyday life.
Excluded Middle Location: 647
We suffer from what Hiebert calls “the excluded middle.”
Listen Location: 651
We fail to hear the community's story about the unseen world, and we fail to have answers that, in their minds, adequately take this world into account.
Holistic Location: 654
The biblical worldview is holistic in the sense that the physical world is never understood as being disconnected or separate from the spiritual world and the rule of the God who created it. Moreover, Christ—the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of the creation—is both in us and interceding for us at the right hand of God the Father. The fact that the Word became flesh explodes the claim that the spiritual and physical can be separated meaningfully.
Words and Deeds Location: 687
Words clarify the meaning of deeds. Deeds verify the meaning of words. Most critically, signs announce the presence and power of One who is radically other and who is both the true source of all good deeds and the author of the only words that bring life in its fullest.
Humans Can Save Themselves Location: 735
These offerings provide approaches for the eradication of poverty that are secular and materialistic, resting on the assumption that human beings can save themselves.
Understanding Poverty Location: 761
The way we understand the nature of poverty and what causes poverty is very important, because it tends to determine how we respond to poverty.
Location: 769
absence of access to power, resources, and choices became part of our understanding of poverty.
Lack of Freedom Location: 771
Later in the 1990s Amartya Sen argued that poverty is more the result of a lack of freedom than the lack of money.
Disempowerment Location: 774
Weighing in from a Christian perspective, Jayakumar Christian, building on Chambers and Friedmann, describes poverty as a system of disempowerment that creates oppressive relationships and whose fundamental causes are spiritual.
Relational Location: 778
Drawing heavily on Jayakumar Christian, I propose that the nature of poverty is fundamentally relational and that its cause is fundamentally spiritual.
Relational Location: 779
The poor are poor largely because they live in networks of relationships that do not work for their well-being.
Salvation Location: 796
The Christian view of salvation points to the cross and the resurrection as the only framework that can truly bring us home.
Transformational Development Location: 799
Of particular note was a paper by Wayne Bragg, then of the Wheaton Hunger Center, in which he proposed the phrase transformational development as a holistic biblical alternative to Western modernization.
Changed People Location: 819
Because poverty is fundamentally relational, I then articulate the twin goals of transformational development as changed people and just and peaceful relationships. By “changed people” I mean people who have discovered their true identity as children of God and who have recovered their true vocation as faithful and productive stewards of gifts from God for the well-being of all.
Location: 826
Both the poor and the non-poor need to recover their true identity and their true vocation. Everyone is poor in God's world, and everyone is in need of transformation.
Participatory Learning Location: 869
The chapter then focuses on one of the major development research and planning tools of the 1980s and 1990s: Participatory Learning and Action (PLA). The tools in the PLA toolkit “put the stick in the hands of the community” so that the research, analysis, and planning method itself becomes potentially transformational.
Location: 908
It begins by pointing out that the goals of Christian witness are the same as the goals for transformational development: changed people and changed relationships. The only difference is that primary emphasis of Christian witness is on people's relationship with God.
Location: 911
This section goes on to present an organic or integrated understanding of the gospel as being with Jesus so that we may witness by deed, word, and sign.
Location: 919
It goes on to remind us of the importance of carrying out our Christian witness with a crucified mind, not a crusading mind.
Location: 937
The idea of development in terms of helping a nation escape from poverty dates to the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Location: 949
Almost everyone lived and worked at home, and work was not something one did for a wage but rather something the family did to stay alive.
Location: 952
Then, at the dawn of the nineteenth century, a stunning historical shift introduced a radically new trajectory of global wealth and human well-being (Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1: Global GDP estimates. (Adapted from Maddison 2003)
Location: 963
“The great chariot of society, which for so long had run down the gentle slope of tradition, now found itself powered by an internal combustion system,” namely, the market system and its “hidden hand”
Location: 966
As we are all aware, this change was accompanied by the Industrial Revolution, which itself was driven by a flood of technological inventions that extended human physical power dramatically.
Location: 967
For the first time in human history the amount of work a person could do was not limited to the strength of his or her back.
Location: 1,034
Some even began looking for a third way, as exemplified by E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful (1973) and his attempt to formulate what he called Buddhist economics.
Location: 1,054
Sen had also studied the relationship between famines and democracy. There has never been a major famine in a functioning democracy (Sen 1999, 16). This discovery led to Development as Freedom, in which Sen announced his conclusion that poverty is better understood as being the result of deprivation of human freedom.
Location: 1,072
Freedom is both the goal and the means to human development. The goal of development is to create the environment and conditions within which all people have the freedom to seek the better human future they desire. Freedom is the means of development in two ways. First, the poor themselves must be the actors if their capability is to be increased. Second, we must support the poor in removing impediments to their being actors and making choices, things that Sen calls “unfreedoms.”
Location: 1,078
For this work Sen was awarded the Nobel Prize in development economics.
Location: 1,104
Working with the advice of Robert Chambers, a team of researchers was sent out to listen to over sixty thousand of the world's poorest people.
Location: 1,205
A fan of Edmund Burke and the British Enlightenment, Easterly opts for a bottom-up, discover-what-works, and learn-your-way-into-the-future approach that assumes that incremental discovery is a better fit in a complex, dynamical world about which we can never know enough.
Location: 1,224
Collier identifies four poverty traps: experiencing chronic conflict, suffering the negative impact of natural resources (the resource curse), being landlocked with bad neighbors, and bad governance (2007, 56).
Location: 1,270
The third group of villages was also visited by the monthly health fair, but in addition, the mothers were given a kilo of dal (beans) and a set of metal dishes when their children completed their immunization series. Based on empirical results, the third option proved the most effective. This is an example of learning the way into the future—something we will turn to in Chapters 8 and 9—and echoes Easterly's concern for the importance of evidenced-based monitoring and evaluation.
Laziness? Location: 1,321
De Soto's research demolished the prejudice that the poor are lazy and stupid.
Location: 1,324
de Soto showed that the informal businesses of the poor cannot grow in the informal sector and are vulnerable to theft, extortion, and natural disaster (1989, xix).
Location: 1,327
De Soto documented the raft of rules, fees, and procedures created by government regulation that make the legal registration of a local market or vendor's license a time-consuming and costly nightmare. These convoluted processes can involve more than fifty different steps, dozens of different government ministries and departments, and two to four years' worth of income to complete (1989, 131-32). The purpose of these regulations is to protect vested economic interests from competition.
Location: 1,339
The emergence of a system of property rights in the West provided this kind of proof to a lender, and so property became capital that could be leveraged. A system of property rights and the legal means to enforce them are largely missing in many parts of the world where the poor live. Systems of communal ownership, government ownership, or conflicting or undocumented ownership make for what de Soto calls dead capital, because no one will loan money on something a person cannot prove he or she owns (De Soto 2000).
Location: 1,351
One of the key contributions Yunus made to thinking about development was his idea that simply transferring money from the non-poor to the poor through a non-profit charitable arrangement might not always be the best thing to do. It has two weaknesses. First, this approach tends to create dependency and has not always helped the poor find a sustainable role in the local economy. Second, the scale and sustainability of such an approach are limited by how much the non-poor would give and how long they would give.
Location: 1,367
The good news is that the percentage of people living on less than US$2 a day has dropped from over 95 percent in 1820 to about 43 percent in 2008 (World Bank 2008).
Location: 1,377
Although the development proposals of Sachs, Easterly, Collier, de Soto, and Yunus have led us beyond simple models of economic growth and the historical tendency to have negative views of the poor and their potential, all of these contributors and their varied approaches share a common perspective: the modern worldview. All are materialistic, often technocratic, and reflect a firm belief in human reason, technology, and

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is difficult to read, but rich with insight if you can wade through it. I learned a great deal.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word “with” is an important indicator of Bryant Meyer’s perspective in his book Walking with the Poor. He laments the checkered history development has had when people conceived of developmental work as totally material, separate from a holistic understanding of the integration of the physical and spiritual world and not related to the holistic well-being of a community. He laments, as well, the deficit view of poverty that led to the outsider becoming the “developmental Santa Claus, bringing all things from the outside, [which] devalues the poor”( Bryant L. Meyers, Walking with the Poor, Orbis books, 2011, p.114). And he notes with chagrin the “many examples of development programming that seem to be making a difference as long as the staff and the money of the development agency were present. [But] after the money and staff are withdrawn…the entire development enterprise has developed more than the community could sustain on its own” (p. 193).

But the book is filled with very positive and practical understandings that can bring about the “transformational development” he advocates. One of his most important chapters is on who the poor are and why they are poor. He chronicles the insights of key researchers who describe the cycles of diminishment for the poor spiritually, emotional, physically, and intellectually, and “the web of lies that entrap the poor” - which are the “inadequacy in world view, weakness in mind and body, captivity to false god complexes, marred identity, and the deception of principalities and powers who convince the poor that their oppressed diminished state is their lot in life—i.e., ‘social systems are not for the likes of you, political systems are not for the likes of you, economic systems are not for the likes of you, God is not for the likes of you” (pp. 123, 128, 130). He also describes transformational principles and practitioners of transformational development and programs from a holistic perspective that can empower transformational development within a community. He challenges Christians to work theologically as well as practically alongside the poor as they cooperatively “restore well-being” within the community. His analysis is a thorough overview of the key thinkers and practioners in the field and thus a must-read resource book for those seeking God’s heart in this critical area.

M L Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 3/16/2017

[Brandon Stiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book as an in-depth overview of development. I've read a bit on international development but for the most part this has only focused on economic development. While that is an important piece, it is not the only piece, or even the most important piece. I'm a big believer in seeing whole person transformation, community transformation and nation transformation and Myers educates us masterfully on what that looks like. The overview of different theories of poverty and development is worth the price of the book as it synthesizes the major theories out there in a way that is understandable. The best part is the understanding of transformational development from the Christian standpoint and the role that we have to play. I think that for too long the church has tried to mix in development into mission but without actually having a proper understanding of either. This book seeks to correct that and does a good job laying a foundation on which to build on educationally. A must read for people that are interested in Christian development.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd had this book to read alongside my development classes during my Masters in Social Work program. This book did an incredible job of outlining development practices and theory on a broad spectrum and then explaining what a transformational Christian perspective looks like. The core ideas were very similar to the book When Helping Hurts, but this was much more in-depth and more of a practitioner's guide. I really appreciated that Myers also spent time talking about what it means to have an evangelistic mission within development and all the potential pitfalls as well as how to do that in a way that is appropriate and again, transformational. Highly recommend this book with the caveat that it is more like a textbook than a quick read. But that's what makes it great and well-needed!

[Cralls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a phenomenal book! I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect here but I was blown away. Covers theology in parts. A huge amount of the book was spent reviewing various thinkers on theories of poverty and development, comparing them, discussing strengths and weakness, then addressing how they fit into a Christian worldview. Plenty of real world examples throughout. The last few chapters were good, but not so relevant to me (practical discussions of programs of working with poor communities, generally in the majority world). The last chapter was excellent. It focused on how the gospel is focused and spread through helping the poor. It was not “make sure you are always preaching and evangelizing otherwise what’s the point” but also wasn’t “don’t mention your religion unless asked.” It was nuanced and thoughtful.

Definite recommend.

[Tugsjargaltang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Systematic understanding of perspective about poor and rich. The word “poor” can describe anything including spirituality. When you feel insecure about something in you or feel less, that is you being poor. In those decades, being poor is mostly describing lack of money. But book is keep saying that being poor is because of your root of sin. Me being poor spiritual is because I am struggling with my sin which is 100% true, I indeed. If someone is falling love the Creator blindly, that one will grow. I swear.
Grow in life. Grow financially. Grow in all character issues. Grow in maturity. Grow in obligation. Grow as a human.

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

IMO, the single best book on what we ought to do about global poverty. Theres some good Christian books that really flop from an economic standpoint. And there are some technically strong economic books that dont move beyond the economic needs of people to the emotional, social, and spiritual needs. This book covers it all, and I think that it does it very well. Of course if you have talked to me about this stuff, you dont need to read it because I basically just rehearse this book when people ask me what I think of caring for the global poor.

[Dylan Brobst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing comprehensive book that not only discusses the dynamic challenges of missions, but also provides a combinations of researched and proven methods of how to efficiently handle them in a way that not only promotes the Gospel, but does so in a way that creates lasting change for the poor and non-poor alike. I recommend this book to EVERYONE that wants to live out the Bible and help others.

[Amanda Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book. It was dense and not the type of book I read for fun, per say, but being in Malawi full time, I gleaned so much truth and wisdom from this book...far more than any other similar books addressing poverty and the Christian response. Looking forward to applying the principles and seeing how God uses this book in my life on the field.

[Levi Friesen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some questionable theological foundations at times, a brief and fast-moving compilation of various sociological-theological views of poverty and transformational development. Likely more helpful for an aspiring transformational development practitioner than the average pastor or lay-person.

[Jimmy Obbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books on transformation

[Ashley Wiersma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The section on the poverty of the non-poor alone is worth more than the price of the book.

[Steve S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most thorough book on transformational development that I've ever read. This book is a game changer. If you liked "When Helping Hurts," this book takes you to the next level.

[Ellie Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still my favourite community development book.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summary of many theorists and experts--thorough, and practical. Should be required reading for anyone involved in missions or development work.

[Lauren Gurnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for intentional Christ-like missions

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure where to start with this review. Bryant Myers book is thick and it's taken me over six months to finish it. I believe that it is used as a college text for Development in a Christian Context. Makes sense!

I'll start by saying this was so very close to a five star.

The five star qualities included: A rich, complex and thorough analysis of what it means to do Development Work from a thoroughly Christian point of view, many different perspectives, chapters that cover everything from the biblical foundations of Transformational Development to the tools of development, and the humility of the author.

And what ultimately kept it from five star rating is the way the book was organized! Dr. Myers is trying to cover so many topics and keeps so much complexity in the mix sometimes it's hard to follow the direction he is writing in each chapter. Just by skimming the titles of some chapters (not all) it would be difficult to get a grasp of the whole book. Ultimately this is because this book straddles that of a textbook (which would be bigger and more organized) and a study book (which would have normal book chapters). I don't know, I might change my mind later, that this isn't a big enough flaw to drop the book a star.

Having finished the book I come away especially with an excellent understanding of what 'poverty' is from a Christian point of view. Bryan Myers deals with the deep issues of identity and vocation and shows how poverty is a marring of God's original intention for human identity and vocation. He then effectively shows how development work done with a Christian worldview can be a way to partner with God in restoring peoples identity and vocation and ultimately bring the kingdom.

The nuance of the book will aggravate those who want the black and white, but will ultimately bring us to a more holistic view of what it means to bring the "gospel" to the poor and to the lost.

highly recommended, and also can be read in separate chapters if certain topics interest you (I first encountered this book in a reader on issues of urban poverty).

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next to Daniel Quinn's Ishmael, this is the second most influencial book that I have ever read. Myers addresses the controversial topics of both international development and missionary work-- he points out their greatest flaws and areas for potential improvement. Having read this book before I moved to Nicaragua, I saw at poverty in a very different light from most of my peers. "Walking with the Poor" should be required reading for anyone traveling to developing countries, and it will also impact your understanding of wealthy countries, too. I'm not going to provide a thorough book review here because the book is so rich in material, but I will provide a few highlights and teasers.

p32 What was Sodom's sin?
Ezekiel 17:49 "She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy"

p47 What is the kingdom of god? What does it look like?
tom's note: this is a very important concept that i need to examine closely when re-reading the gospels. Jesus talked about it all the time, but most churches don't

p67 What are the main components of poverty?
--material poverty
--physical weakness
--isolation
--vulnerability
--powerlessness
--broken relationships

p87 "The nature of poverty is fundamentally relational"

p134 What are the greatest responsibilities of the church?

p210 "It is wrong to throw answers, like stones, at the heads of those who haven't even asked a question." --Paul Tilich

p221 As long as the Christian story and the American story are consistent, people are good Christians (and good Americans). When they are in conflict, they tend to act like good Americans.

[Bernie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. This was my second time through it. Anyone who is doing any semblance of Christian Development work or who supports Christian development work should be required to study this book backwards and forwards. It’s that important.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book by Myers. It gave me at least an introduction into helping other ministries here and abroad.

His thesis is that all ministry to poor and non-poor is two fold, if it is to be truly holistic transformational development:
1) recovery of our true identity as human beings created in the image of God and
2) recovery of our true vocation as productive stewards, faithfully caring for the world and all the people in it.

Myers has a solid discussion about the causes of poverty and what true development really is.

I have to reread this textbook again. It just brought together so many questions and insights about the subject. As a rich (non-poor) Christian from the West, with good intentions, I have am prone to make so many mistakes even tho hopefully, I have good intentions.

This book served as a good foundation for my study in this subject. I am wanting to know more about self sustaining ministry in countries that are poor. God is at work, how can we come alongside those in other countries and together be part of God's story there, what He is doing there already?

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could be a 5-star if it were re-written to get to the point more directly. The content is very helpful, and provides a clear and insightful grid for working with impoverished people, especially strong on entering the narrative of the culture and working alongside the poor rather than presuming solutions from without. That said, it is highly repetitive and stodgy at points, reading like my old psych courses in college. You can probably limit you reading to the summary points and come away with what you need.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains excellent insights, and is very comprehensive in scope

It is there for more of a text book that "readable". On one side it would not render justice to read it over a weekend, but on the other side, the risk of stalling is big.

I hence have only given 4 stars, as I am a bit hesitant to pass it on, but will try and get my friends to read it.

Could one have a "lighter" version? Which one could pass around, to less acedemic folks.

Anyhow, I will struggle through the rest of this book, as it is a very good book, dense and is very well worth the effort.

[Caleb Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a pragmatic template for helping the poor through a Christian worldview. His view is that helping people wholistically must include a spiritual element for their recovery from the oppression of poverty. He clearly describes what some think is the cycle of poverty and how to help people out of poverty. If you are a Christian who is interested in working in a community for help the poor this is a must read.

[Tanika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read in transformational development. It comprises a holistic approach that helps keep in the forefront of the mind the full impacts of development work, both for ourselves and those whose communities we are working in. Although I didn't always agree with his particular perspective I appreciated him showing various viewpoints on development other than his own and why they did are didn't work.