Book Review – Giving Wisely?

Martin, Jonathan.  Giving Wisely: Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation? Sisters, OR: Last Chapter Publishing, 2008.

Generosity.  How does one be truly generous? Is it merely a matter of giving money?    Is there a right way and wrong to be generous?  Is it possible to kill someone or something with generosity?  These
are some of the hard questions that are discussed by Jonathan Martin his book entitled Giving Wisely?  Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation? Bringing a wealth of experience, both as a ten year veteran Missionary in Asia and a Missions Pastor in Oregon, Martin takes a hard look at what it means to be truly generous.  Dividing the topic into three sections, Martin examines the true nature of generosity, the foundational principles for Biblical generosity, and substantive examples of how these principles could be applied in real-world situations.

In part one, Martin concedes that the biblical mandate for Christians to give is a non-negotiable.  Not only do the Scriptures command that we should give to those in need, generosity is of the God’s central character traits throughout the Scriptures.  The issue is not whether we should give, but rather how should we give – to give wisely.  As Martin cites in numerous examples, just throwing money at a situation can be more destructive than leaving the need unmet.  This being the case, how does one go about giving more wisely such that our generosity does not create a entirely new set of needs.

Martin proposes the acronym RAISE to illustrate the principles of giving wisely.  The “R” stands for relationship.  The prevailing pattern for many of us is respond to emotional pleas for help with a check or cash.  Martin asks the question, “Is my relationship with the one I’m giving to of mutual trust and respect or superficially based on a … emotional appeal?”  The “A” stands for accountability.  Is the person receiving the gift accountable to someone?  The trend in some churches is to bypass the sending organization and give directly to the person on the field.  While this may seem to be more efficient, we need to ask the whether or not this is right or fair for receiver.  Even Paul himself did not handle the gifts for the church in Jerusalem.  Instead, as Martin notes, he requested that each church send a representative to travel with Paul to deliver the offering.  This not only kept Paul accountable, but ensured relationship between givers and receivers.

The “IS” stands for indigenous sustainability.  Specifically, will the end result of our giving be able to survive after the outside support has been removed – finances, manpower, etc.  For example, if we go into a community of subsistence farmers and teach them to increase production by using tractors, what happens when we leave and the tractors breakdown.  More often than not, the farmers return to the old ways because no one has the money or expertise to maintain and repair them.  The final letter “E” stands for equality.  This principle asks the question, “Are we creating economic or social division in the community?”  A prime example of this can occur when a local pastor receives his support from an outside source.  While a salary of $300 a month may not be much in the sending culture, it places the pastor among the rich and wealthy of their home culture effectively isolating them from their congregation.

With many churches re-evaluating how they do outreach and missions, Martin’s treatment of these topics in both thorough and timely.  Not only does the author build a valid case for the principles of RAISE, he makes them practical, applying them everyday situations such as child sponsorship programs, relief work, and training and education.  The only thing missing from the discussion is the need for Western churches to be receivers as well as givers.  While it may be true that Western churches can contribute economic resources, it just as true that the receiving churches have potential to be givers in other areas.  Some examples might include how to live in community as the Body of Christ, evangelism, or the restoration process for brothers and sisters who have fallen into sin.  Even so, Giving Wisely will be foundational for future discussions.  For any church seeking to be effective in ministry in the 21st century, Giving Wisely is a must read.