Becoming Whole
Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn't the American Dream
by Brian Fikkert; Kelly M. Kapic
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Pub Date Mar 05 2019 | Archive Date Mar 01 2019
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Description
Western Civilization is wealthier, but it isn’t happier.
We are the richest people ever to walk the face of the earth, but according to research, we aren’t becoming happier. Families and communities are increasingly fragmented, loneliness is skyrocketing, and physical and mental health are on the decline. Our unprecedented wealth doesn’t seem to be doing us much good.
Yet, when we try to help poor people at home or abroad, our implicit assumption is that the goal is to help them to become like us. "If they would just do things our way, they’d be fine!"
But even when they seem to pursue our path, they too find that the American Dream doesn’t work for them. What if we have the wrong idea altogether? What if the molds we are using to help poor people don’t actually fit any of us? What if the goal isn’t to turn other countries into the United States or to turn America’s impoverished communities into its affluent suburbs?
In Becoming Whole (building on the best-selling When Helping Hurts), Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic look at the true sources of brokenness and poverty and uncover the surprising pathways to human flourishing, for poor and non-poor alike. Exposing the misconceptions of both Western Civilization and the Western church about the nature of God, human beings, and the world, they redefine success and offer new ways of achieving that success. Through biblical insights, scientific research, and practical experience, they show you how the good news of the kingdom of God reshapes our lives and our poverty alleviation ministries, moving everybody involved towards wholeness.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780802401588 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Featured Reviews
Ginger H, Reviewer
I had previously read When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert at the recommendation of an acquaintance who is a long-time missionary. Becoming Whole is a great followup to that book and gives more details about what poverty alleviation programs can do to either help or hurt the people that they serve. I highly recommend this book for church leaders, including Missions Committee members as well as leaders and board members of ministry organizations that serve the poor. This book will help churches and other organizations evaluate their services to the poor and determine whether changes may be needed. It will also be a great help for individual Christians seeking to maximize the effectiveness of their charitable donations.
The theme of this book may be exemplified by a quote from its conclusion. "We are called and empowered to join with ...[the poor] in living into this new world--preaching the Word and digging wells, starting schools and administering the sacraments, offering prayers and dispensing penicillin, fellowshipping with Christ's body and financing micro enterprises. Because the goal isn't to live the American Dream now and get our souls to heaven later. The goal is to become whole."
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about effective poverty alleviation programs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.
Libby B, Librarian
Before I'd finished the book, I was already recommending it. Although written later, this is the foundation for Fikkert's now classic, "When Helping Hurts". It looks deeply into God's Kingdom, the Kingdom Jesus came to inaugurate. For those of us who work among the disenfranchised to see His Kingdom come, Fikkert helps us focus on the wholeness to which Christ saved us; he helps us stay rooted while dreaming big. Highly recommended! Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley
Anne S, Reviewer
Becoming Whole
By Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic
Becoming Whole is a holistic approach to ministering to those in poverty. Although the beginning was a bit long, it was necessary to understand how to see a person as a whole. The situations and needs we aim to help with are not isolated to one part of us but established by a whole person and therefore we need to be addressing the person as a whole. We can not simply look at a scenario of hunger, provide food and wash our hands of the situation. There is more going on and more to the person asking for assistance then the result of hunger. Our good intentions are not enough.
“Again, the healthy human being is in some respects analogous to a wheel, with the hub (mind, affections, will, and body) and the spokes (four key relationships) perfectly aligned. Building on this analogy, we can think of the systems as the road on which the wheel travels. For the wheel to have a smooth ride, the road must be free of potholes. Similarly, for human beings to flourish, the systems must be conducive to people living in right relationships with God, self, others, and the rest of creation.”
Becoming whole is a critical perspective on poverty alleviation. It picks apart all the contributing factors that have created poverty, programs of alleviation, the heart of those reaching out to help.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I share here. https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com
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