What causes poverty? It’s a complex problem with many answers. However, much of poverty and human suffering are rooted in wrong beliefs. The reality is that what we believe impacts what we do. It affects people individually as well as allowing for corrupt and oppressive systems.

There are many examples.

The belief that women are less valuable allows domestic violence to be normal in many nations. The belief in India that a daughter is a burden—her dowry an expense that will cripple the family—allows at least 500,000 girls to go missing each year through sex-selective abortions or infanticide. Fatalism—the belief that you can’t change the future—results in many people accepting appalling situations. Children are not sent to school when parents believe that they will only be farmers and don’t need an education. And the belief, carried over from so many religions, that those above you need to be appeased, usually with gifts, allows bribery to flourish.

However, in every culture there are great examples of the impact of truth. The high value of education means that literacy rates in much of Asia are very high. The value of elders in many Asian cultures has led to fewer older people living neglected or lonely. The high value of community and relationship in Africa means that people are willing to serve one another.

How This Impacts Our Work

As we start any project, we look at what we hope to achieve. We ask, “What are God’s intentions for this situation?” From there we look at what beliefs are helping or hindering that from happening and what the Bible says is true in that situation. Then we seek to bring truth through teaching, modeling, and sharing stories. We want the truths we teach to be practical so people can apply them and have experiences that then change their view of the world.