The Hole in Our Gospel
What does God expect of us? That’s the tagline of the front cover of this book, written by World Vision president Richard Stearns. In this book, Stearns explores poverty around the world and the injustice we commit as Christians when we are aware of such situations and do nothing about it. Well written and insightful, this book gives a new glimpse into worlds far away and calls us to action in order to bring the “whole gospel” to the world around us. Stearns proposes that when we ignore the rampant sickness, disease, poverty, and war in the world that we present a gospel with a hole in it — we conveniently forget about the parts where we are commanded to do good, to help our neighbor, to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry.
The personal accounts from the field are both inspirational and touching. I was particularly drawn to the story of a Zambian couple who were given a microloan through World Vision and were able to start and sustain 13 businesses! The book is filled with stories such as these — where all a person or a family needs is a little help in order to thrive.
Stearns challenges Christians to view themselves properly in light of the rest of the world. He urges us to to be honest about our wealth and to share with others in need. He details his own struggle to give us a prosperous position with Lenox in order to become World Vision’s president.
Though the book is well-written and filled with a number of captivating stories, I felt somewhat “bogged down” by it. Perhaps because it was so long. Stearns had one main point — do justice — and he reiterated it in a number of different ways, drawing from different Bible passages and real life examples in order to drive the point home. Perhaps this singular point emphasized in many different ways gave the book the feeling of being overly lengthy.
I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in matters of social justice and helping others. I particularly liked the section at the end which gave ideas on how to help right now. Certainly the book ended with a feeling of empowerment and determination, despite the heart-breaking statistics it enclosed. Worth the read!
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