Charity work is always good work, right?  Serving others is always noble, necessary and is an uplifting experience for both parties, true?  I believe most people would agree with these statements…unless of course they had read the soon to be released book, “Toxic Charity”, by Robert D. Lupton.

Just reading a few of the excerpts from this book made me wince as I recognized myself and some of my actions from the past.  Granted, there is no such thing as a perfect mission and there is always a blend of good along with unintentional bad effects left by our presence.   All too often though, we are more arrogant than we think and lack a sufficient level of self-awareness.

A friend of mine relayed a story to me about their church’s visit to Haiti.  A group of them, when they first arrived in Haiti, right away noticed that so many babies were wrapped in filthy rags and in some cases, old newspaper.  This scene broke their hearts and they felt strongly compelled to do something.

Before their second trip back to Haiti, this group of missionaries, having remembered these poor babies, brought a long enough brand new baby blankets for each of the infants in the area they were serving.  Each baby boy would get a blue blanket and there was pink blanket for each little girl.  The missionary’s hearts were warmed by the knowledge that they would bring happiness to the children as well as the mothers.  No longer would the babies have to be wrapped in rags and newspapers.  They delivered the blankets, which were received with much thanks and the group returned to their hotel (that’s another story), knowing with certainty that they had done good.  Everyone wins, right?

The following day, the missionaries returned expecting to see these precious little babies in their brand new blankets!  They were horrified to see the babies swaddled in the same old rags!!  This was nothing compared to the anger that boiled up within them when they saw their new blankets being sold at the market down the street.  They considered the Haitian mothers to be ungrateful, uncaring and opportunistic mothers.  For shame!  The group left the next day with the positive glow and spring in their step dashed.  Their pride had turned to anger and resentment.  How could this have happened?

What the group didn’t know then was that the blankets were being sold at the market, not for greed but in order to obtain enough money to for the mothers to feed themselves and their families.  If the missionaries had taken the time to ask questions, to find out the “why”, things would have gone better for all involved.  They failed to understand that the most immediate need was one of survival, not comfort or style.  Unfortunately, the missionaries were perceived as being arrogant and clueless and the missionaries themselves grew disillusioned and demoralized.

I look forward to reading “Toxic Charity” in its entirety upon its release.  Here is the publisher’s description of the book:

Public service is a way of life for Americans; giving is a part of our national character. But compassionate instincts and generous spirits aren’t enough, says veteran urban activist Robert D. Lupton. In this groundbreaking guide, he reveals the disturbing truth about charity: all too much of it has become toxic, devastating to the very people it’s meant to help.

In his four decades of urban ministry, Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. Our free food and clothing distribution encourages ever-growing handout lines, diminishing the dignity of the poor while increasing their dependency. We converge on inner-city neighborhoods to plant flowers and pick up trash, battering the pride of residents who have the capacity (and responsibility) to beautify their own environment. We fly off on mission trips to poverty-stricken villages, hearts full of pity and suitcases bulging with giveaways—trips that one Nicaraguan leader describes as effective only in “turning my people into beggars.”

In Toxic Charity, Lupton urges individuals, churches, and organizations to step away from these spontaneous, often destructive acts of compassion toward thoughtful paths to community development. He delivers proven strategies for moving from toxic charity to transformative charity.

Proposing a powerful “Oath for Compassionate Service” and spotlighting real-life examples of people serving not just with their hearts but with proven strategies and tested tactics, Lupton offers all the tools and inspiration we need to develop healthy, community-driven programs that produce deep, measurable, and lasting change. Everyone who volunteers or donates to charity needs to wrestle with this book.