Poverty Can Be Eliminated; Almost No One Believes It
Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) April 16, 2014 -- In 1981, 52 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. Today that number is 21 percent. Despite the hard evidence that shows that poverty can be eliminated in this generation, most Christians do not agree.
“Extreme poverty is on the decline, but almost no one believes it,” said Scott C. Todd, senior vice president for global advocacy for Compassion International. “Many Christians have been trapped by low expectations for the future. Not only for the future of poverty, but for the future in general. Thankfully, the old idea that the world is supposed to get worse is losing dominion. A new idea is surfacing. Maybe, just maybe, the world can get better. And maybe we will do our part to make it happen.”
Findings in a new research study conducted on behalf of Compassion International by Barna Group reveal that just under one-quarter of U.S. adults (23 percent) somewhat agree and only one in 10 U.S. adults (9 percent) agree strongly with the possibility of ending extreme poverty in the next 25 years.
“While organizations like the United Nations have issued statements that declare that extreme poverty can be eliminated by 2030, ending extreme poverty still seems impossible to a sizable majority of Americans,” said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. “People invest in a cause when they are confident that their investment makes a difference. Since 2011, strong concern about extreme poverty has decreased from 21 percent to 16 percent among U.S. adults. The pessimistic attitude toward ending global poverty may be a key barrier to mobilizing people and resources toward the goal of ending poverty.”
“The question is not, can we end poverty? The question is, how can we end poverty” said Dr. Todd. “It is possible to end extreme poverty, but it is not inevitable. The final 21 percent will be difficult, but there should be no question of whether it is possible.”
Dr. Todd’s new book, Hope Rising: How Christians Can End Extreme Poverty in This Generation offers perspective on how Christians can end extreme poverty by overthrowing the tyranny of low expectations and joining a movement that will eradicate extreme poverty through transformative Christian generosity.
Hope Rising is due for release by Thomas Nelson on April 29, 2014. For more information, please visit http://www.HopeRisingBook.com.
Compassion International is the world’s leading authority in child sponsorship. Compassion revolutionized the fight against global poverty by equipping the Church to develop children out of poverty to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults. It is the only child sponsorship program to be validated through independent, empirical research. Today, Compassion partners with more than 6,000 Christian churches in 26 countries to release more than 1.4 million babies, children and students from poverty in Jesus’ name. Compassion has been awarded the highest rating for financial stewardship and transparency for 12 consecutive years by Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator. For more information on the ministry, visit compassion.com or follow on Twitter at @compassion.
Kate Amaya, Compassion International, http://compassion.com, +1 719-272-4903, [email protected]
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