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I was inspired by Miriam's honest reflections on giving, that I thought I would add my tuppence worth towards this important issue.
In Madagascar, we estimate that our family are approached for money by beggars roughly five times a day. That’s a lot. Sometimes it is obvious when it is going to happen, like the dreadful crawl towards a child beggar by the roadside whilst you are in a traffic jam. That rat-tat-tat on your window feels like an inevitability. But it can also happen most unexpectedly, like during a conversation with a passing stranger on the pathway who you thought was enjoying your company. These encounters are frustrating, not merely because these instances are often intended to pester, but because of the moral quandary that is posed. Wait, you mean, you AREN’T going to give them money, the inner voice purrs. Are you not meant to be a Christian missionary? Is that money yours, or God’s? Are you not incredibly privileged in this country? Isn’t that a hot chocolate in your hand, and you can’t even spare some loose change?
Each interaction with these beggars can often feel like a knife in the heart. I feel callous afterwards, and out-of-context bible verses pop into my head to condemn me: "Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” [Galatians 2:10], for instance. I've also been challenged by the Australian philosopher Peter Singer, who writes in his paper Famine, Affluence and Morality (1972) that we are morally obligated to use our affluence to reduce the suffering of those in need, any other choice is immoral. What is one to do? So I want to ramble about giving today, specifically to beggars, but there may be principles from here that can be applied to other forms of giving.
How we don't give
Our stance as a family (as it stands) is:
We do not give to beggars by way of handing over money to them when they ask.
This maxim seems to completely undermine the title of this blog, but hopefully you will empathise when I explain the reasons why. Mainly, I want to emphasise the caveat that it is only in the particular scenario when a beggar asks for money and we are expected to hand over some loose change that we refuse this request.
1. Giving in this way perpetuates the culture of begging.
From our experiences in both the UK and Madagascar, we have seen the professionalisation of begging from often very enterprising individuals. For example, children in Antananarivo are often sent out by their parents to beg on the streets, wearing deliberately dirtied clothes, unkempt hair and faces, all to make themselves appear more destitute than they are. No doubt these families are in need, but the facade they assume distorts the picture of poverty in Madagascar. If people give in this way to beggars, they fuel the deceit.
2. Giving in this way does not solve their long-term poverty.
Often these beggars are living hand-to-mouth with their begging. As they are often given a pittance by their benefactors, it is only enough for them to pay for the meals for the day. Therefore, these individuals are locked in an endless cycle of poverty, without any long term strategies for how to get out of it. A key text for Miriam and I when we studied at All Nations Christian College was When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. Whilst they do not remove the burden of alleviating poverty with wealth that Peter Singer emphasises, they exhort relief workers to make strategic choices with wealth and resources to make a lasting impact and even avoid harm to those in need. Certainly the maxim 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime' still has practical implications for the missionary.
3. Giving in this way only deals with this one type of poverty.
Material needs are important and Christians should look to serve those in financial poverty through their practical support in addition to sharing the redeeming power of the gospel. But humans suffer from many types of poverty: emotional poverty, aspirational poverty and, of course, the spiritual poverty that comes from a heart hardened to the God of the universe. Ultimately it is the gospel that will bring true holistic transformation to the lost, but the encounter with the beggar on the street through your car window is too brief to address their spiritual poverty, or any of the other forms I have mentioned.
4. Giving in this way demands an “all or nothing approach”.
Often people who give to beggars on the street try to be discerning to who they give to, which is a perfectly natural response. But what this creates in their minds is a false criteria for who is worthy and who is not. We can base our giving on their age, gender, cleanliness, possible disability, whether they did a small performance, whether they looked sad etc. I don’t think it is wise to give on just the face value of the beggar in front of us, especially as I have mentioned, begging is becoming more professionalised. Which then means your giving must either be to all (or most) beggars that you encounter, or none.
5. Giving in this way often hurts the beggars if there are ulterior motives.
This is a common argument seen in the UK as well, but we cannot know for certain what the motives are behind the beggar’s demand for money. There is certainly a risk that giving financial support to beggars in this way can fuel harmful addictions and perpetuate negative lifestyle choices. There just isn’t the same level of accountability when giving on the street. I should also say at this point, if you’ve been thinking to yourself, why don’t you buy them some food instead? we’ve been warned away from doing this. Stories abound of people taking legal action for being “poisoned” by the food you give them.
6. Giving in this way can stifle the gospel’s impact.
A friend of mine who runs a homeless shelter back in the UK once said to me “we don’t want to force people to hear the gospel just so they can have a free meal”. Whilst I would disagree with this sentiment (I wouldn’t want to withhold the gospel for the sake of food!) I understand the attitude behind this perspective. We don’t want to hold people at ransom with the gospel, dangling a carrot in front of them to soften them up before revealing our true intentions. We want to share the gospel freely without people feeling they are obligated to listen because we have done them a favour. Similarly, giving to beggars does not give you a licence to share the gospel. I would go so far as to say that at that point, it makes sharing the gospel disingenuous. Can we be like Peter to the lame beggar: “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you,”? Because what Peter then gave him was a gift worth more than both silver and gold - the gospel and its healing, redemptive power.
This is a really tough attitude to maintain. When you are constantly harassed and accosted for money, it can feel quite tiring, annoying and, at times, threatening. In those moments, there is a danger that this can result in feeling exasperation and resentment, thinking that, actually, I’m the real victim here. But I’m not the victim. Not by a long shot. We must guard our hearts against a contempt for the poor, because they are a stark representation of the brokenness in our world. They typify the distortion of humanity towards inequality and greed, the separation between the have and the have-nots. In many cases the poor are not in that position because of their own actions, but the external influence of sin, the world and the devil pushing them down and keeping them there.
How we give
We give as a family with the following principles:
We give through relationship
Rather than feeling that our giving is just released into the ether, we can give directly to those struggling with whom we have a relationship with, or through the proxy of trusted Malagasy friends where we can rely that what we give will be utilised to its full potential.
We give strategically
We intend for our giving to succeed in having life-changing, long-term effect.
We give prayerfully
The Lord may prompt us to give to a particular individual, family or organisation that he intends to bless and prosper. We must allow ourselves to be open to his leading.
For our family, wisdom and discernment is at the forefront of our decision to give, as we have come to believe that this is what gives us most joy and cheerfulness when we give.
Ongoing Tensions
At All Nations, there were a group of missionaries visiting for some Islamics training, and we met a man called Clive. He was so cheerful we later referred to him as "the Angel", but he had a very radical stance on giving, a la Peter Singer. His stance was to give to everyone, starting from the doorstep to his house (to which the number of people waiting for him grew and grew). He is in my mind often when beggars approach us. Similarly, our Malagasy brethren constantly surprise and challenge us with their generosity. Even though we are settled on our stance towards begging, and we believe we are acting wisely (and therefore cheerfully) in this regard, it is always helpful to have these types of example in our minds and hearts. We believe that there is liberty but also prudence in how Christian believers can give their resources, and they must be governed by seeking the Lord for how to give wisely and cheerfully.
How do you react to Jesus’ words: “the poor you will always have among you”?
Is Jesus speaking them with a resigned tone, as if the poor will follow you around like a bad rash, bothering you constantly? Or do you see these words as the removal of excuses? A clear mandate from Jesus who has identified the vulnerable group that will always need your help, your time, your money and, most importantly, your gospel.
The feelings of heartlessness and regret I expressed at the beginning are not entirely misleading. They are a very helpful prompt to me that something is deeply wrong with this world. As Jesus was consistently “moved/grieved in his spirit” by the injustice that surrounded him, my interactions with beggars in Madagascar constantly test me to see if my heart is still working and if I will be moved to compassion. The wealth gap in Madagascar is incredibly stark, poverty is extreme even in the cities and I need to be constantly reminded in my heart that we are commanded to care for the vulnerable and the poor in spirit, and to strive to do this in the way that best glorifies God and esteems his image bearers.