Review
Can poverty reduction and evangelism be combined? By Fred Redekop Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream By Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic (Moody Publishers, 2018. 297 pp., $21.93 US.)
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t the beginning of this book, the authors invite us to declare our values in making the world a better place. They give us three hypothetical choices. The first choice is to provide cell phone coverage to better the lives of the poor. The second choice is a health organization that works against the demonic forces of this world to increase the health of the poor. The third choice is a firm that provides help to the poor (slum dwellers) in job searches, with a grant from the US government. This fictitious company would like to also teach the salvation of Jesus Christ using its own money. I chose, immediately, to give my $100 to the first company. In my work with Mennonite Central Committee, I have seen some of the dangers of mixing the two models, either working to reduce poverty or working with the church. I worked with refugees, and they would participate in our teaching program, if it meant that they could leave the refugee camp sooner. I believe the rest of the book tries to convince you, the readers, to put your money in the second, and maybe third choices. The authors, Brian Fikkert and Kelly Kapic, teach at Covenant College in Georgia. The motto of the college is “In all things Christ Preeminent.” Covenant is a conservative evangelical school. Through-
Authors argue for combining poverty reduction and saving souls. out the book, the authors point out the dangers of two theological orientations that pose a danger to their evangelical perspective on reducing poverty in the world. They name them as “Western nationalism and “Evangelical Gnosticism.” Fikkert is a development professor, and Kapic is a theologian. Both of them speak out of a strong evangelical perspective. Western nationalism is defined as the development strategy of Western civilization without God. This idea might bring about
poverty alleviation, but it misses the spiritual applications. They do not advocate for the prosperity gospel nor to make all people like Americans. Their main problem of this development program is that it is godless. Evangelical Gnosticism is the idea that some Christians only care for the souls of people. In the early years of the church, there was the Gnostic movement that divided people into body and soul. The Gnostics only cared for people’s souls. The authors accuse the church of caring for evangelization only. In the book, I found the diagrams, charts and graphs disorienting and not helpful to the arguments of the two authors. For example, on page 159, there is a chart called Figure 6.2 that fails to explain what they are trying to prove, with arrows going all over the place. This being said, Figure 8.1 on page 261 explains their arguments about Western nationalism and Evangelical Gnosticism, and brings us to their main point, historic Christianity. It is their holistic ideas about doing poverty reduction and saving souls. I found historic Christianity to be too utopian. It might be something to aspire to, but poverty reduction and God are more complex. I think their idea is dangerous, as it has development and the values of the church too closely aligned. These opposites do not mix well. I continued to give my $100 to the first choice. ◆ Fred Redekop is a pastor of a Mennonite Church, a municipal councillor and a storyteller for MCC. He lives in Elmira, Ontario.
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The Marketplace September October 2019
