Toxic Charity Quotes

“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“When we do for those in need what they have the capacity to do for themselves, we disempower them.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Mercy combined with justice creates:       •   immediate care with a future plan       •   emergency relief and responsible development       •   short-term intervention and long-term involvement       •   heart responses and engaged minds Mercy”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“The money spent by one campus ministry to cover the costs of their Central American mission trip to repaint an orphanage would have been sufficient to hire two local painters and two new full-time teachers and purchase new uniforms for every student in the school.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Food in our society is a chronic poverty need, not a life-threatening one. And when we respond to a chronic need as though it were a crisis, we can predict toxic results: dependency, deception, disempowerment.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“• R&D is vital. • Invest in success: sound business principles also are good principles for responsible charitable investing. • Focus on your passions. • Investigate the best practices of those in the field to determine what works. • Create a prototype to test new approaches. • Record the process. • Document the findings. • Tweak the methods. • Replicate successes.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people. We mean well, our motives are good, but we have neglected to conduct care-full due diligence to determine emotional, economic, and cultural outcomes on the receiving end of our charity. Why do we miss this crucial aspect in evaluating our charitable work? Because, as compassionate people, we have been evaluating our charity by the rewards we receive through service, rather than the benefits received by the served. We have failed to adequately calculate the effects of our service on the lives of those reduced to objects of our pity and patronage.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Because, as compassionate people, we have been evaluating our charity by the rewards we receive through service, rather than the benefits received by the served.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“corporation (CDC) would have to be formed. It would”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“parity is the higher form of charity.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“personal involvement offers the best way to determine if our charitable investments are being put to good use.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“developing the dependency-free zone is the real challenge.”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

“Why do we persist in giving away food when we know it fosters dependency?” “Because it’s easier!”
― Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help