Toxic Charity: The Dark Side of One-Way Giving
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Date: 17 November 2011
'Nobody Likes to Be Somebody's Poverty Case'
The can we drop off at a food drive, the well we dig in Haiti, the Christmas gift we give to a needy child – all of it feels good for the giver, but what about for the receiver? Bob Lupton talks candidly about what he calls “the problem with good intentions” – the fact that many handouts leave people feeling powerless, dependent and degraded.
Pictured: Bob Lupton's toy store in Atlanta, Ga., where low-income parents can buy presents at reduced prices.
Bob Lupton, author of "Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse it)"
Proselytizing in Public School
Begins at 22 min 30 sec
When Matthew LaClair’s history teacher began preaching about Jesus in class, he pulled out his tape recorder. “[Jesus] did everything in his power to make sure that you could go to heaven,” his teacher told them. “If you reject that, you belong in hell.” His scratchy recording started an uproar in the working-class town of Kearney, N.J., where the teacher was a beloved crew coach and youth pastor. A new documentary explores both sides of the story.
Vic Losick, director and producer of "In God We Teach"
Project Conversion: Jain Monk Edition
Begins at 34 min 30 sec
Life as a Jain monk is hard. Especially when you’re married with kids and living in a small Southern town. Still, this month Andrew Bowen did his best to follow the Jain vows of carefulness, including carrying a whisk to sweep away insects, wearing white robes, and eating only one meal a day. For his wife, he says one vow wasn’t so easy to keep – celibacy. “She hates it.”
Andrew Bowen, creator of "Project Conversion"
A Response to the 'Please Stop Boring Me' Commentary
Begins at 44 min 40 sec
A lot of you didn’t like last week’s commentary on the spiritual-but-not-religious crowd, and we heard you. In fact we received more feedback on Rev. Lillian Daniel’s commentary than on any other segment in recent months. This week Maureen offers her own thoughts on folks who “always find God in the sunsets.”
Read Rev. Daniel's original commentary for The Huffington Post, "Spiritual But Not Religious? Please Stop Boring Me"
