01 June 2009

Life Beyond Debt

It's estimated that one family in the UK loses their home every seven minutes. With a UK public debt of £650 billion and a consumer debt of £1.4 trillion, the Evangelical Alliance is urging churches to to take on the task of providing help for people who are struggling during the credit crunch.

'Life Beyond Debt' is the Evangelical Alliance's response to the current economic crisis. We firmly believe that the Bible is outspoken on issues of poverty and injustice and we want to encourage churches to be equally vocal. With their national networks and local presence, the church is uniquely positioned to help people who are in debt, have lost their jobs or are otherwise struggling with their finances. By combining the conviction that motivates our action with the resources and organisations already established, the church can develop its engagement to bring vital aid to those who are in the greatest need.

The turbulent times that we are currently experiencing will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on our economic and social landscape. As well as helping to make a practical difference in the communities where we live, now is a vital time to think about the role that money plays in our life. Throughout the year our web-resource, Life Beyond Debt, will look at different themes coming out of this crisis, from what the church teaches about money, to what the Christian faith has to say about the way our economic system is structured.

Launched at a special conference in London on 5 Feb, Life Beyond Debt has brought together many of the leading Christian organisations that work in this field in the belief that together we can be more effective. There are countless ways in which churches can engage in their communities and hopefully you will find the resources on the campaign site a useful stepping stone. If you have resources which you think would be helpful for other churches to use, or look at, please let us know.

Read Hazel Blear's speech she gave at the Life Beyond Debt Conference on 5 Feb 2009

Life Beyond Debt Conference Video

A Video from the Life Beyond Debt Conference on 5th February 2009.

To play this video you will need to have the free Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer, click here to download.


Latest comments :
(The views below are the authors', and not necessarily those of the Evangelical Alliance.)

Written by G.V.K.Rao on 26 June 2009 at 15.14
Very good and nice idea; at the same time a great lesson to me like unwise ministries.

Thanking you,
Gunturu
Written by Jenny Lee on 11 February 2009 at 18.14
Hi Paul,

Thanks for raising what could be a very challenging question.

My answer to your question is yes, such help is for the community as a whole.

Your comments seem to assume that helping someone find a new lifestyle is synonmous with a conversion to Christianity and that teaching someone a new lifestyle is synonymous with proselytising. I do not believe this is the case.

There are many Christian organisations that help people understand and implement biblical principles in their lives. The people who benefit from this teaching and practice it in their own lives do not automatically become Christians. It is possible, unfortunately, to adopt the lifestyle without having a change of heart. Conversion to Christianity is not a conversion of lifestyle. It is a conversion of the heart that leads to a change in lifestyle.

Teaching someone the principles of a new lifestyle (of financial management, for instance) is not the same as proselytising. Christian financial management teaching says here's a good way to do it. It is based on biblical pirnciples, it is logical and it works. Certainly, if this is successful it opens the door for someone to ask more about our faith but it does not force anyone to walk through that door.

Proselytising would be to take the next step and say since this is successful it must mean that Jesus is the only way, so let me tell you how to become a Christian. Clearly that is illogical as well as ineffective. I know because, if I could be honest, I have been tempted to use this approach many times, but then I remembered that true conversion can only happen when Jesus reveals himself to a person's senses and it's not dependent on anything I say or do.

Therefore, it is possible, indeed very likely, that we help someone with the principles for a better lifestyle and find that they do not get 'converted' certainly as far as Christianity is concerned and that's okay because conversion was not our job in the first place. It's Jesus' job.

Therefore, yes, help with debt is for the community as a whole.

May I say well done to all who have been trying to help in this time of need. Much, much more is yet to be done.

And thanks Paul, this really forced me to try to figure out what I really think.

Jenny
Written by paul nemeth on 07 February 2009 at 21.41
I read the article 'Churches ideally placed to help people struggling with debt' on your site. Although it's admirable that the Churches are concerned with helping people practically with their debt problems through advice, I'm concerned about the other approach. People in such situations are vulnerable and I personally find it quite vulgar for the Churches to take advantage of these people's state of mind in order to proselytise their faith. It certainly came across in that article. For example, although this quote ["Helping those who are vulnerable lies at the heart of the Christian message and calling. By doing this, churches are living out their Christian faith in their communities."] makes it appear heroic in deed, the following quotes ["We can weep with those who weep and we can offer not only practical help, but also eternal hope." AND "He said that people were not looking to own more, but to find a way out of debt and a new lifestyle, which the church could offer"] clearly show that proselytising is part of the deal. I know it is inherent in Christianity to proselytise, but surely in such situations it should step back from this approach and stick with the former. Why does helping HAVE to include conversion? Furthermore, does this faith-orientated approach exclude those who have no and desire no faith, but who still require that emotional and practical support? After all, it is claimed to be there for the community as a whole. But is it? I look forward to any response. Paul Nemeth

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