Point of View

Before Southern Baptists jump on the “ONE Campaign” bandwagon with rock stars and religious leaders, they should be aware of what they would be supporting and what they would be losing.

First, let’s agree that we are all concerned about feeding the hungry, relieving poverty, and serving the poor. And let’s not demonize our brothers and sisters who differ about the most effective strategy for serving the needs of the world’s poor. But not every effort to do so is created equal. Some strategies are clearly better than others.

Entertainer Bob Geldolf’s “ONE: The Campaign To Make Poverty History,” calls, among other things, for one million people to demonstrate at the G8 summit in Edinburgh on July 2. The campaign is being supported by high profile Christian leaders, pop musicians, and other cultural icons. The protest will be the climax of 20 years or more of campaigning by all the big Western aid agencies that have been arguing Third World poverty is caused by sins of commission and omission by the prosperous West and, therefore, the West can and should fix it. They are wrong on both counts.

What the ONE campaigners fail to examine are the variety of problems leading to poverty in each poor country. For instance, in some Islamic nations the problem is religio-cultural. In other countries the problem is an oppressive or corrupt government (as in the case in many African countries, particularly Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and the Congo). In still others, the problem is a socialist-type economic system, such as was the case in the former Soviet Union and is still the case in North Korea.

Poverty is not inevitable and does not have to persist, as the fast-growing (but only recently very poor) “tiger” economies of South-East Asia and India attest. These countries freed their economies of unnecessary state control and are trading their way out of poverty. In doing so they are displaying some of the fastest rates of economic growth in the world.

Furthermore, ONE campaigners argue the Third World is poor because the West does not provide enough aid. But the evidence shows that a great deal of the aid which is provided is wasted in grandiose public sector schemes and does little to help the really poor, or it is simply siphoned off to politicians’ Swiss bank accounts or is used to help prop up corrupt governments which might otherwise be removed.

Moreover, they argue the Third World is poor because they are mired in debt provided by the West and this debt should be written off. In fact much debt has been systematically written off in the past, but irresponsible governments have often only borrowed again.

They also argue Third World countries are exploited by Western multinationals; whereas, in fact, Western multinationals are often crucial providers of both jobs and capital to the Third World.

Finally, they say the West systematically rigs trade rules to exclude the agricultural products of Third World countries. This last accusation does contain some truth, especially as far as the agricultural protectionist policies of the European Union are concerned. Most countries would benefit from a regime of generalized free trade, but, in fact, Third World countries themselves are often very unhappy to adopt free trade and demand various forms of protection against imports or subsidization of their exports.

While Southern Baptists should fervently support and encourage truly effective means to address the distress of the poor, failure to identify the true causes of Third World poverty and thus advocate useful real solutions–like the ONE Campaign–is not just misguided, it is actually harmful. The wider public knows this to be true.

In Britain a poll published in the June 4, 2005, Daily Telegraph shows 79% think incompetence and corruption are to blame for Africa’s problems, and 83% of the people think aid from the West would not be spent wisely.

Finally, Southern Baptists have a better way to fight hunger, provide relief, and serve the relief needs of poor nations of the World. Through the International Mission Board’s World Hunger & Relief Ministries, Southern Baptists can get aid to the people who really need it. And, not a cent goes for overhead. The administrative costs of hunger relief and development are borne by the IMB, and not from monies designated for “world hunger and relief.” In addition, relief for the poor is tied to Gospel mission. That is, those who administer hunger relief also minister in the name of Jesus, not in the name of governments or other agencies.

As servants of the Lord Jesus–Who spoke so often about concern for widows, the fatherless, and the poor–Southern Baptists need to summon the courage to sacrifice themselves, their resources, and their own comfort to offer effective transformational ministry to those in poverty. But the ONE campaign is not the one.

C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D. is senior fellow of the Kairos Journal, consultant on bioethics for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC, and teaches bioethics and contemporary culture at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill.