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to the poor and also restored back in four fold whatever he had taken by force, the Western world should not only give aids, but pay reparation to African countries if they truly want poverty to be eradicated in the continent. Anything that falls short of this is a sign that they are only paying lip services to the war against poverty in Africa.
While one cannot rule out the possibility of misappropriation of such funds, the need to do what is right far outweighs the possibility of the money getting into corrupt hands. In addition, the story of the poor widow speaks of the plight of the poor especially women in the society and also in the community of faith. The widow who gave her all, no doubt went back home poorer at least financially, though Jesus commended her devotion.
In chapter six, the research takes a thorough look at the activities of the Social Ministry of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Various departments of the ministry examined were the Widows, the Prisons, the Aged, Disaster Relief, Vocational Training, Ghetto and Addict. Questionnaire were administered and interviews were conducted. The process revealed that the Social Ministry of the Convention needs a major overhauling. There is need for a holistic approach, a comprehensive strategy and a re-ordering of priorities and actions. There is need for a paradigm shift from charity to that of advocacy and decisive confrontation of factors that aid poverty. The Ministry among others, surely needs more publicity about her activities, not necessarily through media propaganda.
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fivefold Ecclesio-theological approach to the problem of poverty based on Jesus' example.
The fivefold strategic actions of the church as presented by the research are:
1) IDENTIFICATION – The church must, as a matter of priority, identify those who are truly poor in the society. No doubt, the church can do this better than any other agency because she is closer to the poor and her doors are always open to all and sundry. The interconnectedness of people in and around the church should make this exercise easier. Unless the truly poor are identified, funds will continue to go into the wrong hands as it happens with the government and non-government organisations. There is need for the church to differentiate between those who are looking for better life and the real poor of the earth.
2) SOLIDARITY –The second action as proposed in the research is the need for the church to show solidarity with the poor. The church cannot stand away from the poor and meaningfully fight the war against poverty. Jesus expressed solidarity with the poor; the Christian church must do the same to combat poverty in the land. Unfortunately, many Christian churches and their leaders would rather identify with the rich. There should be no reservation of seats or positions for any person in the church because of his or her economic status.
The church must thus befriend the poor and treat them with dignity.
3) EDUCATION – A third action of the church against poverty is education. The church must strive to educate the poor in the society on how they can get out of poverty. Knowledge is power. Educating the poor is a necessary weapon against poverty. The church must also educate her members on various biblical approaches to combat the surge of poverty in the land. In doing this the pulpit becomes a powerful place to preach messages that celebrate and promote honesty, integrity and righteousness above affluence, flamboyance, riches and
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wealth. The church must educate her members “that the life of a man does not consist in the abundance of his wealth.” (Luke 12:15) As good stewards, the rich members of the church must also be educated on the proper use of their God-giving wealth.
4) ADVOCACY – The church must speak for and defend the cause of the poor in the society. Unfortunately the church has become a toothless bulldog in this regard because of the greed of many of her leaders. Rather than fighting for the cause of the poor, many Christian leaders are busy fighting for their own pockets. Since the voice of the poor is often neglected in the society, the church must therefore raise her voice against actions that are increasing poverty in the land. The church must preach against corruption, selfishness and harsh economic policies of the government. The church should help the poor to demand for their rights from the government of the day. This action must be decisive, not confrontational. The church must engage government officials in meaningful dialogue that will result to the betterment of the citizenry. The preaching from the pulpit must pull down the strongholds of corruption and poverty in the land.
5) EMPOWERMENT- With the vast resources at the disposal of many Christian churches, the religious leaders must use such to empower the poor of the land. The church must join the government in making provisions for the needy. Job creation, provision of training and skills among others are ways this could be done. The church must not provide education and health facilities with the aim of making money. While individuals might do that, it will be immoral and unbiblical for the church to establish schools for the purpose of making money. The church can engage in activities that can make the lives of those in her society better. Members of the church can be encouraged to have cooperative societies. Many church leaders have spoken against Islamic Banking calling it a threat to the Christian faith. The church should rather seek
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to establish a Kingdom banking system where the poor can be assisted financially.
This fivefold strategic actions of the church (ISEAE) as exemplified by Jesus in this research is an ecclesiastical weapon against poverty. It is about the concern of the church for humanity, not necessarily a bait to draw people to the church. The church must see herself as an agent of change in a poverty-stricken world. The church must combine her resources to fight the scourge of poverty. There is need for pure motive in the war against poverty.