To Him Who Holds the Nations
Richard Stearns, President of World Vision has been in town. I’m not sure the poor have a greater friend this side of heaven. His books The Hole in Our Gospel and Unfinished are compelling.
As a guest of the Dyson School of Economics at Cornell co-sponsored by Chesterton House, he spoke on campus last night. When an observation was floated in the Q&A about how much poverty is “man-driven”, caused by anarchy, corruption, violence, and / or failed states, he coined an excellent frame of reference: benign poverty, and malignant poverty.
Benign poverty is that which is driven by drought, disease, individual behavioral choices, lack of economic opportunity, and aspects of circumstance. Earlier in his lecture he spoke of the “software set” between the ears, which needs to be reset to sustain people lifted out of poverty.
Malignant poverty is another question. The tyrants, despots, oligarchs, and warlords grind the people to their own ends.
So I have been reflecting.
We can answer benign poverty with manpower and resources. It is being done well at home and abroad. How shall we pray and serve in the face of malignant poverty?
Stearns noted that World Vision is in the malignant zones, as those often are the poorest of the poor. They are not in a position to be change agents of those situations. And still, a staffer may give their life for the poor in those front lines of service. It happens every year.
So it makes me wonder. Who are those positioned to be change agents to the systems of malignant poverty? Seems to me this may be the domain of governments and business. And by extension, the citizens of free societies everywhere. Did anyone else notice how quickly the UN-HCR Report on North Korea disappeared from the news cycle?
But let us not dismiss ourselves too quickly….
It is our God who holds the nations in His hand.
How diligent are we to pray for the divine judgment of the perpetrators of malignant poverty and the peaceful liberation of their victims?
Until those structures are dismantled, the job is indeed Unfinished.
Referents:
the lecture
The books:
The Hole in Our Gospel
United Nations Human Rights Commission report and summary regarding North Korea are here: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx
Looking for Slices of Light 
Written
on February 28, 2014