Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton (Book Review)

On my way out the door this morning, I loaded the Audible version of Toxic Charity – How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It). I spent a lot of time in my car today, so I almost finished it. The book came at the recommendation of a friend, Shawn Smith, who serves in Guatemala. Shawn recommended the book recently after I reached out to him about Guatemala and our focus on Xenacoj.

In Shawn’s reply to my request for information, he suggested I read Toxic Charity.

Wow! This is a book, I’ll have to go back to again to fully digest the message. Many of the thoughts in this book have rolled around in my head especially in my more recent trips to Guatemala. You can actually read some of my thoughts in my book (Rooftop Reflections).

How can we make a difference without creating a problem? How can we help without creating unhealthy dependency?

Toxic Charity challenges the very essence of what we have come to know as mission trips and efforts to express our compassion.

Whether you are trying to make a difference in your community or in the world, you should pick up a copy of Toxic Charity. The book provides solid advice to make sure your help is really helpful.