From The Roots Up: A Closer Look at Compassion and Justice in Missions

by JoAnn Butrin

There is a growing desire for churches and individuals in the US today to do good deeds in other nations. Unfortunately our good intentions often do more harm than good. Giving used clothing, for example, can put local merchants out of business. Feeding programs can develop unhealthy dependency. This book attempts to look at the Biblical mandate for compassion, then lays out best practice principles that look at social injustices, the role of the church in compassion, avoiding dependency and helps readers understand what sustainability really means and how it can be achieved in partnership with local stakeholders. It is a must read for anyone thinking of doing missions or a short-term intervention for their own community or in other countries.

Genres: Nonfiction

214 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 26, 2010

Reviews

[Autumn Kotsiuba]

The book has some great ideas; if you're new to the world of compassion ministries, it's a great starter. I can't give it more than 3 stars, though, because a) the writing was subpar; and b) there wasn't much I hadn't hear before. I am grateful, though, that books with these sorts of ideas are out there. The mentality of "I'm an American, let me fix everything" has endured far too long.

[Tiffany]

I've now read multiple books on compassion that hurts and am glad that books like these continue to get published. This book has one of the simplest definitions of paternalism that I've seen even though it is not really called out as a definition. The paternalistic approach is juxtaposed with a collaborative community action-oriented approach in which local empowerment and ownership are the goal. A locally developed and owned solution that leverages local infrastructure is better than an imported solution because of its sustainability. Overall, the book is an easy read but becomes repetitive. I would have liked more examples of failures and successes to continue to reinforce the key concept.