Unleashing the Family
God’s Answer for Vulnerable Children
By Dr. David Anderson
Introduction: Safe
Families for Children
During the
final week of 2007, Chicago was shocked by the actions of a young mother who
quietly exited a train with her three-year-old daughter leaving her two sons,
ages six and four, behind.
Fellow
passengers frantically attempted to get the mother’s attention, but she walked
away, abandoning her young boys.
[i] Similar scenarios of parents being unable to
care for their children occur with greater frequency than many of us are
aware.
State child welfare emergency hot lines throughout
the nation reportedly receive over five million calls each year of suspected child
abuse or neglect. Of those calls, about one million meet the State’s criteria
for abuse, thus activating services.
[ii]
What happens to the remaining four million families?
Someone who knows them or knows of them was
concerned enough to make a report to authorities, yet their situation remains
unchanged.
And what of the additional
countless families that are in crisis but are not identified?
Safe Families for Children is a program which
allows God’s people to give meaningful, live-changing support to families in
crisis.
Current Safety Net
The current public system in place
to care for and protect children is called the child welfare system (or Department
of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Department of Human Services (DHS),
etc.). This system is given the mandate
to remove abused or neglected children from their parents’ custody at which
time the children become “wards of the State.” This system of care is
controversial and at times, fraught with errors. Yet, there are no alternatives.
Developed by most States in the
1940’s and ‘50’s, this child welfare system is relatively new. The concept of
the government protecting children from their parents is roughly only one
generation old. Prior to this, the church and other faith-driven organizations
were at the forefront of caring for vulnerable children. The Christian church
was active in providing a safe haven for children who were abandoned and
neglected by their parents.
In fact,
throughout history, the church and other religious organizations were the
safety net for discarded and vulnerable children.
Church history is filled with accounts of believers rescuing
"exposed" infants in ancient Rome,
taking in all sorts of orphans, caring for the sick and the elderly, and
sheltering pilgrims. Many orphanages, hospitals and asylums were first
developed by Christians putting their faith into practice. [iii] However,
with the development of state-run systems of care within the last fifty years,
the church has relinquished its role. As the government has stepped up, the
church stepped back to the point of becoming irrelevant to the real and
significant needs of hurting families.
Indeed,
a handful of Christian families brave the foster care system. However, the church
is no longer a visible presence in helping the very groups we are commanded to
help the orphans and widows.
A Theology of Orphans and Widows
Throughout Scripture, there are numerous
references to widows and children. Few would argue that children are the most
vulnerable “people group” in our society requiring special attention and
protection. In fact, James associates the care of orphans and widows with ones
purity of faith. He writes, “Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by
the world” (James 1:27). In Lamentations 2:19, Jeremiah cries, “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches
of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger
at the head of every street.” Asaph
the song writer pleads, “Defend the cause
of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked”
(Psalm 82:3).
David further describes God’s concern for orphans and widows by saying, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows
- this is our God, whose dwelling is
holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives
them joy” (Psalm 68: 5, 6 NLT). Isaiah adds, “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the
cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). God clearly states that they need protection,
“Do not take advantage of the widow or
orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My
anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will
become widows and your children fatherless” (Exodus 22: 22-24).
Jesus valued children. His words are
direct, “Let the little children come to
me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”
(Matthew 19:14). He also warned those who would mistreat them, “But if anyone causes one of these little
ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large
millstone around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew
18:6).
The Early Church
When the early church was fully
alive in engaging the culture and significantly impacting the “least of these,”
the practice of offering care to strangers (hospitality) became a distinguishing
characteristic.
[iv] These Christians
became known for their acts of kindness and service. Babies that were deformed
or of the wrong sex were discarded on the waste heaps outside the city. The
Christians would gather the unwanted babies and raise them as if they were
their own. The Christian writer Tertullian (AD 200) wrote, “It is our care of
the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness that brands us in the eyes of many
of our opponents.”
[v]
As in ancient times, children today
continue to be hurt by societal ills that have filtered down to the
family. Christians are concerned and
disturbed by reports like the two boys abandoned on the train, but often do not
know how to make a difference. That is
where the ministry of Safe Families for Children comes in. Safe Families is a
movement of hundreds of Christian families who have opened their homes to care
for children whose parents are struggling. By demonstrating Biblical
hospitality, Safe Families returns the church to the forefront of caring for
“orphans and widows.”
Lonely But Not Alone
Kim came to the United
States from China
about two years before to begin her post-graduate studies at the University of Iowa. When her father became ill and was no longer
able to send money for her educational costs, Kim made the painful decision to
drop out of school. She moved to Chicago and began working
as a cashier.
Admittedly shy and feeling very lonely, Kim
became involved with the first boyfriend she ever had and became pregnant. Her boyfriend pressured her to end the
pregnancy, and Kim broke up with him. Eight
and a half months pregnant, she was experiencing much shame regarding her
behavior and anxiety over how she could ever build a secure life for herself
and her child. She had no one to turn to. She went to an adoption agency to
give up her child, but the agency referred her to Safe Families because of her
ambivalence.
When Kim came to Safe Families for help, the staff
explained that she could place her newborn with Safe Family volunteers while
she earned the money needed to get an apartment and to get better established. Kim wept with relief. It was not long after this meeting that
Kim delivered a beautiful baby boy, who went to stay with the Safe Families volunteers.
Kim named the baby after the Safe Family father and she requested that they
become his godparents. The family had a great opportunity to share their faith
in word and deed, and their relationship with Kim continued long after the baby
was returned to her care. They have become her extended family.
Safe Families for
Children
Kim and others like her would only
be able to access the help of the State child welfare agency by being an
abusive or neglectful parent.
This is
not a criticism of these State agencies; investigating and intervening in
abusive situations is their mandate.
But
we must not assume that State welfare agencies can solve the problem of countless
children unprotected in unsafe homes where there is crisis or serious stress.
With the changing economy, many more families are experiencing financial
crisis, unemployment, and homelessness. Others are dealing with family
violence, parental drug and/or alcohol abuse, illness or incarceration.
According to the Children’s Defense Fund, children
living in families with incomes less than $15,000 are 22 times more likely to
be abused and neglected than children living in families with incomes of
$30,000 or more.
[vi]
Children with parents who abuse drugs or alcohol are four times more likely to
be abused than those who do not.
The number of poor
children under age 18 was 12.8 million (17.4%), or one child in six. The number
of poor children under age 5 was 4.2 million (20.7%), or one child in five.
During such crises, many parents
are not capable of providing a safe and caring environment and are at increased
risk for abusing or neglecting their children.
Historically the extended family often stepped in to support parents by
taking care of children for short periods of time, and neighbors came alongside
families in crisis. However, many urban
families are socially isolated and their extended family is not available. The children in a family traumatized by
crisis become especially at risk for neglect or abuse as their parents struggle
to cope with crushing circumstances and emotions.
Safe Families for Children (SFFC) is a
network of hundreds of host families in Metro-Chicago who are passionate about
helping and caring for at-risk children and their parents. Designed to extend and strengthen the community
safety net for at-risk families, Safe Families is a positive alternative to the
State child welfare system. The voluntary and non-coercive nature of Safe
Families is a hallmark of the program. Free from punitive interactions and
coerciveness, parents in crisis are able to place their children (newborns
through parenting teens) in safe homes, still maintaining custody of their
children. The objectives of Safe Families are to 1) deflect children from the State
child welfare system, 2) prevent child abuse and neglect, and 3) provide a
family in crisis with the necessary support while demonstrating the love and
compassion of Jesus Christ. Many parents struggle in their roles because of
limited informal social supports and unavailable extended family support. Many
Safe Families have become the extended family that the struggling parent never
had. Additionally, by temporarily freeing parents from the responsibility of
caring for their child, SFFC provides parents with time to address personal issues without fear of losing custody of their child
or children.
Besides meeting the needs of
families in crisis, Safe Families serves as a bridge in several ways. Resource-rich families who desire to share
their blessings are connected with resource-limited families. Suburban families
who typically are isolated from the struggles of those trapped in poverty are connected
with urban families struggling daily to make ends meet. Finally, the ministry connects
the public sector (State agencies) and the church as the welfare system
increasingly has seen Safe Families as a resource for families who are at risk
but do not fall within their abuse/neglect criteria.
From Depression to Life Change
Bridges were built when Donna
handed her two children over to Safe Families volunteers Mike and Katy Wright. Suffering from depression and feeling overwhelmed,
Donna had been habitually tucking her daughters, Alexandria, age four, and
Taylor, age two, into bed and leaving the apartment to do drugs and attempt to
escape her problems. She had no family to help. At one point, she called DCFS
to hand over her children, but the State referred her to Safe Families.
“I was depressed, and things had
gotten to the point that I almost didn’t care about anything,” Donna recalled. “But
I did want to get better, so I agreed to have my kids placed with the Wrights. I started meeting with a counselor to work
through issues related to my own abuse I’d experienced as a kid. I didn’t realize until then how stressed out
and angry I had become.”
Donna, who lived in Chicago, began visiting
her children at the Wright’s suburban home and eventually began spending
weekends with the family, which included Mike and Katy’s four children, ages 10
to 15. Today she recognizes God’s hand
in providing her with a friend/mentor like Katy at that critical point in her
life.
“Katy wouldn’t give up on me and wouldn’t let
me give up on myself,” she stated. “She challenged me to think differently
about life and my kids and God. Katy was exactly what I needed in order to change.”
During the four months that Alexandria and Taylor
were living with the Wrights, Donna received Christ as her Savior and became
involved in a supportive church home where she was baptized by the Wrights. She is now regularly attending a home group Bible
Study, meeting weekly with a mentor, and ministering to the youth in her
church. She has also become a devoted
mother, spending hours helping her children with their schoolwork and reaching
out to other overwhelmed mothers.
“Safe Families made it possible for me to get the help I
needed without losing my kids to the State, and I’ll always be thankful for
that,” Donna said. “I think about how bad off I was before I met the Wrights,
and I know God has really blessed me.”
Biblical Hospitality
The Wrights, along with other Safe
Families, epitomize the biblical command for all Christians to live lives
characterized by hospitality. We are
witnessing an extraordinary movement of care as families join this wave of Biblical
hospitality by using their homes for Kingdom purposes. In so doing, the church returns to the forefront
of caring for children, as we had been throughout history.
The hospitality of the Bible is
dangerous, demanding, and must be deliberate.
It is radical, far different than the lifestyle with which we may be
accustomed. While the Safe Families
Program provides as many safe guards as reasonably possible, opening our doors
to strangers can be risky. Our own
children can be exposed to language and behaviors that are undesirable. The needs of a child or children newly
separated from their parent and feeling stressed will demand more of our time
and energy. Our children will need to sacrifice
and exercise patience as they share their possessions and their parents with
those to whom we are ministering. However, the blessings run deep when we practice
Biblical hospitality and demonstrate to the world that the Christian family, in
obedience to Christ, can be a powerful source of change in our society.
Overwhelmed
Pam experienced the power of Biblical hospitality after coming to us in
a desperate state. She had eight children, ages six months to sixteen years
old, and was raising them alone, without any support from their fathers. Barely
making it by any standard, the last straw came when Pam lost her job, was
evicted and became homeless. She and her children lived in a van for a period
of time and then moved in with “friends,” who reported her to child welfare
officials. An investigation was underway, and Pam began to see that losing her
children was becoming a very real possibility.
We heard about Pam’s situation from a friend of the ministry, who asked
if we would be willing to care for the children through our Safe Families
program. Within days, five of our volunteer families took in Pam’s eight
children, presumably for about three months. As our staff got to know Pam,
though, we realized she would need more time. So we asked our volunteers if
they could keep her children for a year. All said yes.
Among those volunteers were Peter and Cindy Baldwin and their four
children, who cared for Trinity, Pam’s six-month-old daughter.
“We are totally committed to this baby, and to seeing Pam’s family be
reunited some day,” Cindy said during Trinity’s stay with them. “Our reason for
doing it is simple — God wants us to help people in need. After all, these are
his children too.”
Pam was able to find a food service position at a suburban school and
secured housing. All of her children were able to go home in far less time than
what was anticipated. Pam’s fear of losing them to the State system was
assuaged because of Christian families practicing hospitality.
Hospitality Defined
But what exactly is hospitality? We often think of inviting friends and family
to our home for food and socializing as hospitality; however, that may be more
accurately defined as entertaining. Entertaining is enjoyable and often
strengthens relationships, but it is not to be confused with Biblical
hospitality. Likewise, we refer to hotel
and restaurant establishments as part of the “hospitality industry.” Unfortunately, that is often the extent to
which many of us understand and live out hospitality. The practice of hospitality, apart from the
hospitality industry, is nearly extinct in our society.
Somewhere along the way we have
changed and watered down the original meaning of this concept. The Greek word
for hospitality is philoxenia which means “love of strangers.” We often
do not put the word love and stranger in the same sentence. Fear of strangers is a much more common
thought than love of strangers.
However, Biblical hospitality is powerful and
instrumental in reaching our world with the gospel of Christ. In our
post-modern age, hospitality is an essential practice that needs to accompany our
verbal proclamation of faith in order to restore our credibility to a society
that sees us as being anti-gay, too political, hypocritical, insincere,
sheltered, and judgmental.
The practice of Christian
hospitality was most vibrant during the first five centuries of the church. It provided
credibility (word and deed) and distinguished the church from its surrounding
environment. The teachings of the New
Testament command all of God’s people to be hospitable,
as we will soon see, and the early church believed it and lived it out. This
involved loving and welcoming strangers into their homes. Hospitality was not seen as a special gift
that only a few possessed but rather as a command for all Christians. Hospitality
was one of the foundational ministries of the early church. Christians were to
regard hospitality to strangers as a fundamental expression of the gospel.
The New Testament makes frequent
mention of hospitality. The Hebrews writer instructs followers of Christ to
“not neglect hospitality” (Hebrews 13:2). Peter, with insight into the difficulty of
living a life of hospitality, encourages us to “offer hospitality ungrudgingly”
(I Peter 4:9). Hebrews also alludes to
the fact that the practice of hospitality can be mysterious and have its
rewards. “Do not neglect to show hospitality. By doing
so, some have entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). Paul instructs Christians to “pursue
hospitality” (Romans 12:13), because hospitality does not come naturally and it
often goes against our nature. Not only were all Christians encouraged to live
lives of hospitality, but leaders were especially instructed to be hospitable.
In fact, hospitality is a characteristic that was to be used to identify those
who should be considered for leadership.
“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,
temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (I Timothy
3:2).
Choices, Consequences and Compassion
Nadia came to the United States from Slovakia
as part of a church choir performing in a Slovakian church in Chicago. To her friends’ surprise, she married a man shortly
after meeting him. After the birth of
their first child, Nadia’s husband became physically abusive towards her and
left her for another woman. With three
months to go until the birth of her second child, Nadia came to Safe Families
seeking assistance. In broken English,
she struggled to convey her anxieties about separating from her children and
allowing them to be cared for by “strangers.” Nadia was anxious about the future of her young
family.
A few months later, Nadia’s son,
Jona, was born, and she agreed to place him and his one-year-old sister,
Jobelia, in the home of Safe Families caregivers. By living out Biblical hospitality, the Safe
Family had a unique opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love to a mother who
was overwhelmed and homeless. Nadia was
able to get her life back on track and have her children returned to her care.
Barriers to Hospitality
When people
consider the challenge of opening their homes to others, a number of concerns
arise. These concerns can lead to
barriers that hinder us from practicing the discipline of hospitality.
Castle Mentality - Much of
our income is invested into our homes.
Because we invest so much, we may develop a perspective that our homes
are our castles, something of significant value. That perspective can easily shift
to our homes and their contents becoming our idols. I once spoke at a fairly wealthy church and a
couple came up afterwards indicating an interest in opening up their home for a
child but wanted a guarantee that their possessions would not be harmed. When told that such a promise could not be
made, they walked away discouraged. I could not help but think of the rich
young ruler who walked away from Jesus because of his possessions (Mark
10:17-25). This is probably the biggest challenge for our wealthy North
American church. The practice of hospitality is an alternative to a life
focused on consumption and materialism. God lends us our homes and possessions to
use for kingdom purposes, not just for our own comfort and entertainment.
Hospitality insures that we maintain a right relationship with our possessions.
Fortress Mentality – With so many problems and negative influences
in our world, it is natural to desire a “safe place” to which we can withdraw.
Often our homes become this “safe place” with figuratively high walls and deep
moats. The desire for safety and protection is not wrong. However, it can have
a detrimental effect as we are lulled into thinking our safety comes from our
fortress rather than trusting in Christ for His protection. This fortress mentality
also keeps others out who desperately need to be exposed to the extraordinary
love of Christ as expressed in relationships within a family. When was the last time a neighbor, stranger,
or acquaintance crossed the threshold of your front door?
Haven Mentality – Our homes have become our sanctuaries for
refueling and restoration. Certainly this is important. However, hospitality and restoration are not
necessarily mutually exclusive. The Lord often uses a variety of people and
places to restore us, even our guests. Reliance on our home for restoration may
detract us from other ways to be restored such as fully using all we are and
have for His purpose. “As the deer pants
for the water, so my soul pants for you my Lord” (Psalm 42:1). Additionally, the joy of seeing God at work in
someone’s life is a tremendously rejuvenating experience that we may
inadvertently exclude ourselves from when we fail to open our doors to others.
Time – Time is the most often reported reason that people give for
being unable to open their homes.
Families are quite busy running to school meetings, soccer games, church
activities, etc. Many Christian families
would like to find the time to mentor/tutor a child, visit a homeless shelter,
or reach out to their neighbor. A
ministry like Safe Families provides very busy families opportunities to serve
because we bring the needs to them and the children are integrated into their
routines.
Role of the Family in
Ministry
This type of integration into the family not only has a healing affect on
the at-risk children, it also allows the host family to participate together in
life-changing ministry. There are few opportunities for an entire family to
minister together. Church programs and
ministries are usually divided by age and sometimes gender. This is helpful in meeting the specific needs
of various groups. However, when
possible, ministering together as a family promotes unity and allows our
children real experience in living out their faith. The Christian
family is one of the most powerful sources of change in our society. Our homes
are a powerful change agent. Rather than sheltering our families, we need to
unleash them for ministry. It is easy for us to see our families as fragile,
requiring us to handle them with care by defending and protecting rather than
unleashing. Few sports teams ever win games by solely focusing on defensive
strategies. If the Church is going to
make a significant impact in our society, we have to use our homes and change
our strategies from being predominately defensive to an offensive game plan. Our
families are not as fragile as one thinks.
Healthy churches understand the importance of both reaching out and caring
for its own (discipleship). If one or the other is out of line or non-existent,
problems often occur. Might this also be the same for our families? Healthy
families must care for its own (raise their children) but also reach out to
others as a family. By not recognizing the need to reach out, the church is
less effective and our families miss out on a unique blessing (and some suffer
the consequences of a lack of purpose).
The section on hospitality in the book of Hebrews (13:2) seems to insinuate
that there may be a surprise (“some have entertained angels”) for the host as
they live out hospitality. Many of our Safe Families attest to the fact that
they received more of a blessing than they gave. It makes sense. When a family
is given a life-changing purpose which requires the involvement of every
member, new life and energy is breathed into the family. Some have said that
their family now has a purpose beyond just raising the next generation. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall
receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Unloved
The Kimball family experienced this
joy of ministry as they provided one young mother with something she had never
experienced: unconditional love. Samantha’s baby, Africa,
had been born prematurely a month earlier and was about to be released from the
hospital. The last thing this mother wanted to do was to take her home where
her mother and brother were smoking crack cocaine and dealing drugs. In
desperation, Samantha went to a local adoption agency. The adoption counselor,
seeing Samantha’s commitment to Africa and
desire to raise her, sent Samantha to us.
We matched Samantha with Safe
Families volunteers Chad and
Holly Kimball, who live on the south side of Chicago with their two preschool daughters.
They picked up Africa at the hospital and
cared for her while Samantha continued looking for housing and employment.
During that time, Samantha spent many
afternoons with Africa and the Kimballs. Holly
recalled, “Samantha said to me, ‘I didn’t know there were people in the world like
you. I’ve never experienced love from anyone like this before.’ “I told her
that we were willing to sacrifice for her because Jesus sacrificed His life for
us. She listened closely while I shared the gospel with her, and I could tell
she was touched.”
A solution to Samantha’s problem
came just five days later, when she found housing and enrolled in a work/study
program at a local trade school. “I fell in love with Africa,
and it was hard to say goodbye,” said Holly. “It was such a blessing to be part
of God’s plan to keep this little family together.”
Conclusion
Is
it possible to create a safety net in our communities so children have a place
to go while their parents struggle with their own life challenges? Yes, it is
possible. However, it only happens when we unleash our families and help them
overcome the barriers to Biblical hospitality.
Commissioning and supporting
families to open their homes and minister to children and their parents has
made a significant statement to the watching world longing to see authentic
generosity.
Is the hospitality of the Bible more than just having people over to our
homes for coffee and cake or participating on the hospitality committee of our
church? Is hospitality only for a select few or should it be an expectation for
all Christians? Hospitality is a powerful and effective discipline that can
change our world.
Safe Families has hundreds of families opening their homes. It is the
largest volunteer movement providing homes for children in the United States. While the program originated in Chicago, Illinois,
other state governments are taking steps to support a Safe Families movement in
their own State.
A Personal Note
My wife and I committed our home to
the Lord’s use early in our marriage. During the past 24 years, we have had the
privilege of having a variety of people including adults, children, teens, an elderly
parent, and a disabled relative live with us.
We have never regretted sharing
our home with any guest. Last year, through
the Safe Families Program, we took in a two-year-old boy whose mother was
working to free herself from her drug addiction and other behaviors that
support it. Her son had behavior
problems and numerous disabilities. He
could not talk, did not follow instructions, and was aggressive. In fact, the Safe Families program considered
not accepting him and sending him to the State because of his behavioral
problems and the numerous diagnoses he had.
However, when my son and daughter learned that a child was going to have
to become a ward of the State because there were no other options for him, they
convinced my wife and I to take him in. We had thought our nest was full
because we had my mother-in-law (who was ill) and my nephew (who was in a wheel
chair).
We decided to trust the Lord with this challenge and we took him in. We
prayed daily as a family that this child would learn to communicate. He did, and subsequently his behavior
improved. In a fairly short period of time, his improvement was so remarkable
that there was little evidence of the numerous disabilities he was diagnosed
with. We also ministered to his mother, who was surprised that such love would
be shown by strangers to her and her son. On one visit, she asked why we were
doing this for her because she knew we were not getting paid. What an opportunity to testify to the
hospitality we have all been shown by God as we moved from being enemies to being
His cherished possessions. However, the time with her was shorter than we
anticipated as she was abused by her boyfriend and found dead in a hotel room. Although
our children are now adolescents, we adjusted our lifestyle and adopted this
adorable little boy that the Lord placed in our care.
Study Questions
- We have
all heard news reports of children being abused and neglected. Many of us
are in danger of becoming callused to these situations where our hearts
are no longer stirred. Are you
still moved by these injustices? If not, what do you need to do to soften
your heart?
- Do you
know anyone who seems to have mastered the discipline of hospitality? If
so, what is it about their lives that put them in this category? What
barriers do you struggle with when thinking about opening up your home?
- A
premise of this chapter is that the Christian home/family is an untapped
yet powerful source of change in our society. Do you agree? What is it about the Christian family
that gives it this potential?
- Just
like the church, a healthy family needs to effectively care for its own
and reach out to others. How can your church implement these principles?
[i] Chicago
Tribune, December 30, 2007, p. 5.
[ii] Fred Wulczyn, Brenda Jones Harden, Ying-Ying T. Yuan,
Richard P. Barth, and John Landsverk. Beyond Common Sense – Child Welfare, Child
Wellbeing, and the Evidence of Policy Reform, 2005.
[iii] Joseph Stowell. The Trouble with Jesus. Chicago: Moody Publishers,
2003, p. 116.
[iv] Christine D. Pohl. Making Room – Recovering
Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999, p. 33.
[v] Joseph Stowell. The Trouble with Jesus. Chicago: Moody Publishers,
2003, p. 116.
6 Children Defense Fund
Fact Sheet. www.childrensdefense.org.
2007.
Ibid.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the New
International Version.
Further Reading
Bakke, Ray. A Theology
as Big as the City. Downers Grove,
IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1997.
Lupton, Robert D.
Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life. Ventura, CA:
Regal Books, 2007.
McDonald, Patrick.
Reaching Children in Need. Eastbourne,
England.
Kingsway Publications, 2000.
Pohl, Christine D.
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999.
