Biblical Values Overcome Perpetual Poverty

A recent Georgetown University study showed that when people in the lowest caste in an Indian city began to follow Biblical values, they were much more likely to break the poverty cycle (Catholic News Agency, December 20, 2013). Biblical values like hard work, integrity, taking care of one’s home and planning for the future were central to people breaking free of their generations-old cycle of poverty (ibid.). In addition, the Biblical value of caring about others, exemplified by regular pastoral visits to the homes of adherents, greatly decreased the incidence of domestic violence (ibid.). According to the study’s lead author, “Conversion activates in the converts a powerful new concept of value and initiative…” and it provides “a radically different way of seeing themselves... as a new creation, a new identity, made in the image of God, seeking a better life for themselves” (ibid.).

God is certainly the giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). However, the Bible contains practical principles that have the power to change one’s life when they are practiced. If people’s lives can vastly improve on a small scale, what will happen when God’s way of life is instituted on a global scale in the coming Kingdom of God? For more on this exciting future, be sure to read our booklet Your Ultimate Destiny.