Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton

If you enjoy service activities, mission trips, or are in general interested in helping people, I recommend Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. There are lots of things people do to feel like they are helping people. So what does that mean? Maybe you volunteered at a food pantry, or traveled to Honduras to rebuild schools that other American volunteers built 50 years ago. You probably ended your service with a shining Facebook post and a good night's sleep because, after all, you fed someone. You gave impoverished kids a new facility to foster their learning. Robert Lupton inquires about what happens to service recipients after the volunteers leave, and how to improve that outcome. I will say that I strongly encourage you (as when you are learning about any topic) to put these concepts in your pocket as you continue to search for more. Lupton's case studies are quite specific and may not be the next realistic step for everyone reading, and his feet are firmly planted in his ideas. This book may also introduce you to practices you weren't aware of before--I'm still chewing on "microloans." What are the larger-scale implications of the practices he identifies, and of the ones he recommends?