Poverty is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. But
poverty is not new. And neither is God's deep concern for the
poor--it is a theme deeply woven throughout the Bible. Yet sadly,
churches and individual Christians have too often been blind to
this emphasis, or they have been paralyzed into inaction by
feelings of helplessness.
In this urgent, provocative book, Ash Barker offers both challenge
and hope. Pulling out and reflecting on significant passages from
both testaments, he reveals what the Bible says about both the
nature of poverty and about how God calls his people to respond.
These studies, ideal for either individual or small group use, are
interlaced with personal reflections--first-hand accounts from
fifteen years of ministry among the poor.
God is concerned about poverty. Are you?
In a world of plenty, poverty abounds. But poverty is not new. And
neither is God's deep concern for the poor; it is a theme deeply
woven throughout the pages of Scripture. Yet, sadly, churches and
individual Christians have too often been blind to this biblical
emphasis, or they have been paralyzed into inaction by feelings of
helplessness. It's time for this to change.
In this urgent, provocative book, Ash Barker offers both challenge
and hope. Working his way through both testaments, Barker reflects
on significant passages related to God's concern for the poor.
These studies are interlaced with personal reflections--firsthand
accounts from fifteen years of ministry among the poor. Whether you
read this book alone or with your small group, you'll be challenged
to make poverty personal.
"Ash Barker and the UNOH revolution invite us to hear, smell, and
touch Jesus in his most distressing disguises, in the slums, with
the poor, in the most abandoned places of empire in which we find
ourselves."--Shane Claiborne, The Simple Way, Philadelphia
"A harrowing, deeply personal manifesto on our responsibility to
the poor. Humane, grace-filled, and literally reverberating with
prophetic vigor, Make Poverty Personal deserves to be read
by a wide and grateful audience."--Alan Hirsch, author of The
Forgotten Ways
"An invitation to unlearn so much of conventional church faith and
to learn afresh about God's good news for the world. There is a
clarity that will let many readers come to grips, perhaps for the
first time, with the revolutionary, subversive intention of the
Bible."--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
Ash Barker has served the poor for nearly twenty years. He is the
founding director of Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH), a missionary
order founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993 to work among the
poor. Since 2002, Ash and his family have been involved with
planting UNOH's first overseas community in Klong Toey, the largest
slum in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ash Barker is the founding director of Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH), a missionary order working among the poor begun in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993. Since 2002, Ash and his family have been serving in Klong Toey, the largest slum in Bangkok, Thailand, planting UNOH's first overseas community. He is the author of Surrender All and Finding Life.