Relative Poverty vs Abject Poverty
To purchase the entire Summit Lecture Series, Vol. 2 on DVD, visit summit.org.
John Stonestreet:
That’s what’s called relative poverty. But abject poverty, in other words, when people can’t actually survive, has that gotten better or worse in the last, let’s say, 30 years? Are more people abjectly poor or less people abjectly poor around the world in the last 30 years? How many of you guys would say more? Raise your hand.
How many of you guys would say less? You know what the answer is? Far less. Far less. We have cut, get this, abject poverty around the world has been cut in more than half in the last three decades. Why? Why has it been cut in half?
It’s because the UN has been so successful and efficient and distributing funds to dictators around the world. That’s the solution, right? No. That’s not the solution at all. What’s the solution? You know who gave you the solution, of all people, at a rock concert about two years ago? Bono. What did Bono… Anybody know what I’m talking about? Anybody know what I’m talking about, here? What did Bono a say was the solution? Wait, wait, wait. He was a rocker, right? And what did he say was the solution?
Capitalism. Capitalism. Now, this is the same guy who’s raised billions of dollars, and given them to governments around the world. He’s been a spokesperson for this sort of thing. He’s changed his mind, and he says it’s capitalism.
Because in the last 30 years there’s been this whole push to let people actually access resources and do something on their own. And so instead of giving a billion dollars to governments around the world, we’ve now got this organization, like my friends over at Hope International. Hope International give micro loans around the world. They’ve given, get this, a million loans in their existence, a million loans. They’re not giving a million dollars. They’re giving $200 to a woman who wants to start a t-shirt shop in her village or who wants to buy some goats or Who wants… And the story that I heard just a couple weeks ago, when I was with these guys, they want to start a bike repair shop in Russia, and they give them a loan.
Do you know what the payback is on these loans that they give, the payback rate? Any idea? What would you guess?
Because I’m telling the story, I’m giving it away, here. Any guesses, what would the payback rate be on these funds?
It is 96-99%, depending on the demographic. It’s micro-finance. Isn’t that unbelievable?
So, here’s the solution. You’re lifting one person out of poverty. And what does that person do with the loan?
They turn it into capital, they make money, they pay back the loan and then what do they do?
Go on with their business.
They go on with their business. And that means, what?
They’re set up for success.
They’re set up for success, but not just them. What did they have to do in order to keep their business going?
Hire.
They have to hire other people. So, instead of giving a billion dollars to a dictator, give $200 to a lady and she’ll lift her whole neighborhood out of poverty. Do you see what I mean?
Now, I didn’t mean to go on an economics lesson, but this is such a part of our common narrative. It’s just like, “Well, somebody got rich. That means somebody else got…” what? “poor.” Terrible idea.
How many guys want to go into Missions, raise your hand. Write this book down. You need to read this. Anybody going into Missions, this should be required read… two of them, actually. I’ll give you two books that are required reading, because we have a whole lot of people trying to help people. And they don’t know how to help people. And so they hurt people instead of helping people. And that’s the title of the first book. You got to read this before your missionary. It’s God’s will for your life. I’m telling you. He told me just, now. Ready?
When Helping Hurts. When Helping Hurts. Got to read this book. When Helping Hurts.
The second book you got to read. By the way, When Helping Hurts is written by a guy named, Brian Fikkert. I’m pretty sure we have it in the bookstore.
The second one, you need to read if you’re going into Missions at all, is this one. Ready?
Discipling Nations. Discipling Nations. And this guy’s last name is Miller. Darrow Miller, M-I-L-L-E-R. Darrow Miller. All right? Got it? All right.
Oh, we got a couple more things. What else do you see as the difference between the Cosby Show and Seinfeld? Anything else? Yeah.
Judaism and Christianity.
Judaism and Christianity. You get a little Judeo-Christian stuff. I think they went to church. The Cosby Show people did. And Seinfeld did not. Yeah. Yeah?
Oh, come on. What do we got? What’s the difference between Cosby Show and Seinfeld?
Children.
Children. Yes. Children are present. That has to do with the family. Come on. Really? Yeah.
Racial difference.
There was racial difference. Yeah. Yeah. Then they… Seinfeld took it and made fun of all these sorts of things. Seinfeld made fun of everything, which we’re going to talk about that in just a second.
Cosby Show and Seinfield.
Yeah. Well, you get the apartment and you get the coffee shop, but that’s pretty much the two things. Yeah?
I’ve actually never seen either, but 80s and the ’90s. And I think the one in the ’90s probably had a lot more irony.
Yeah. There’s a lot of irony. Yeah. There’s a lot of sarcasm. Yeah. Yep.
It was… Actually both shows were very well-written, and very different kinds of humor. So you could look at that sort of stuff.
Every episode of the Cosby Show was clear. It told a story. You started at a particular place and you ended at a particular place. In fact, not only did every episode tell a story, but the entire series told a big, what? Story. But in Seinfeld, was there a big story to any episode? No.
And so, right back here we are with, there are no big stories. Seinfeld was made up of little stories. It was a series of episodes.
Here’s the next one that would fit along with this. If there’s no big story then life is random. Life is random. And we could throw in that word. Life is random and ironic. Let’s see if there’s anything else on this. I’ll move on.
Let’s move on to another image of pop culture. Who is this?
Brittany Spears.
Brittany. Who is Brittany Spears? It’s an awkward question, isn’t it? Who is Brittany Spears? Well, who was she when when she first came out? What was her-?
Pop singer.
She was, what?
Pop singer.
She was a pop singer. What kind of a pop singer? What was her image when she first came out? First, first?
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl. Innocent. And then she put out her second album, which is, I’m Not that Innocent. And then she became not that innocent. And then she went nuts, shaved her head, had a baby. And a whole lot of other things happened in between. She’s changed a lot, hasn’t she? So the question is… The answer to, who is Brittany Spears is, what year is it? You know what I mean?
Because year by year she changes her image, she changes her identity, she’s following, by the way, the career path that was popularized by an ’80s and ’90s singer named Madonna. In the ’80s, Madonna was this hedonistic sexually-driven singer, very provocative. And then in the ’90s, she took this turn into the Kabbalah and Eastern New Age mysticism, sorts of things, or Jewish New Age Mysticism sorts of things. And so she became the metaphysical girl. So, if you say, who is Madonna? The answer is, what decade is it? If you say, who is Brittany Spears? It’s what year is it?
And now we have the ultimate example of someone continually changing and changing and changing. And it’s a tie between two. And that is… Miley Cyrus. And…
Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber? No, he has consistently been a dweeb. No way. He has been stable as a…
Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga. Yeah. Who is Lady Gaga? No one knows. No, no. If the answer to, who is Madonna is what decade is it? And Brittany Spears, it’s what year is it? For lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus it’s, what day is it? Now, what does this have to do… Let me tell you. So, what’s your name?
Andrea.
Okay. Andrea, tell me about yourself. Who are you?
Is this awkward for you?
Yeah.
Sorry? Where are you from?
Georgia.
Yeah? When were you born?
1992.
Yeah? Got a family?
Yeah.
How many brothers and sisters?
Two brothers. One sister.
Yeah? And what do you do? What are you doing, right now? I mean, you’re at Summit, but yeah. Okay.
UGA.
You’re at UGA? You’re a Bulldog, are you? Why are you a Bulldog?
Because I transferred there.
Yeah? Why did you transfer?
Oh, yeah? Where were you?
What?
Alabama.
You went from Alabama to Georgia? You lived in Georgia and you went to Alabama and they let you live. And you came back, and they let you live. You hid, didn’t you? This is a covert operation.
My entire high school went to UGA.
Your entire high school did. So they accepted you back in, after they shunned you for a year, as you were cavorting with the enemy? Yeah.
Okay. What do you want to do?
Hospitality.
Hospitality? Yeah, something like that. Cool. So what was your name again? Andrea.
So I asked Andrew who she was. If you’re at a party or you’re hanging out with people around here, and you said, “Hey, tell me about yourself.” And somebody was like, “well, I’m five foot four. And I weigh this much. And my IQ is this much. And my blood type is this much.” You’d be like, “That’s really creepy and weird,” and walk away. Because no one introduces themselves to you by giving you their specifications, their technical specs. No.
When you get to know someone, it’s not because they tell you their facts. It’s because they tell you their, what?
Story.
Story. So, for Andrea to describe herself to me in this very awkward little exchange that just happened a minute ago, she had to tell me her, what? Story. Ready? Story is intimately connected with identity. You don’t know identity unless you know story. Okay.
Now, let’s say, in all sorts of Christian love, as Andrea was walking in this morning, that I took a two by four and I just smacked her upside the head as hard as I could. Now, it was in Christian love, so it’s fine. And I just… and I gave her memory loss of some form or another. And she came to and I’m like, “Hey, Andrea, tell me about yourself.” And she couldn’t remember her story. Could she express to me her identity? No.
Identity and story are locked together. Now you say, “John, what’s your point?” My point is, remember this big key one? And remember, circle this one, this is the big aspect of postmodernism. “We don’t believe in, what?
Big stories.
Big stories. Listen. If there’s no such thing as big stories, there’s no such thing as fixed identities. So, that’s the next one, whatever we’re on, there is no fixed identity.
Follow Christian Podcast Central on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see our ongoing discussion with Dr. Jeff Myers regarding worldviews.
(This podcast is by Summit Ministries. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central.)
