When Helping Hurts
Book by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
With more than 300,000 copies in print, When Helping Hurts is a paradigm-forming contemporary classic on the subject of poverty alleviation.
Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good.
But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself.
Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.
Discussion Guide
This book is complete with questions at the end of each chapter to help guide your discussion. You can also download the following PDF with all those scriptures and questions reproduced in an easy-to-use and printable guide.
Other Resources
Here are a few podcasts from the author, discussing topics from his book. You may find these useful as you explore the content in this study.