Going Beyond the Red, Black, and Green

March 10, 2010
Filed under Opinion

Whenever the words charity or global crisis are spoken, for some people Africa and Asia automatically come to mind. Even at Westminster it seems as though every chapel dedicated to a charitable cause is associated with Africa. I can’t count how many chapels I’ve sat through where I’ve had to watch clips of impoverished people from that part of the world.
While I am not trying to diminish the amount of aid that’s needed in that region, I do want to challenge people to see that there is plenty of work to do outside of the insolvent continent. It is undeniably one of the places in the world with the most need for help; however, we as a community and as a country must venture out to other regions with great need.
Sometimes I feel that people use this underserved area as a crutch or an easy way out when it comes to charitable giving so much that it has become a common thread in our society. For example, if a teacher was to ask her class to talk about an issue in the world, I guarantee that Africa would be the first thought in the minds of at least half of the class. It has become so easy to jump on the bandwagon and target this familiar zone.
We become so infatuated with the problems of other countries that are worse off that we overlook the issues brewing in our own backyards. This can be seen in every aspect of our culture such as, celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie adopting children from Asian and African countries. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with adopting children from foreign countries, but it seems that people have become obsessed with the idea and exoticness of adopting foreign children when there are millions of children in America wishing for a nice home and a loving family.
There are enough organizations in St. Louis alone such as, Thrive St. Louis, Ronald Mc Donald’s House, and many others that are seeking willing workers.
We cannot let trends set by the rich and famous or even the popular majority dictate or distort our view of charity or our sincerity in giving. This is a matter of the heart not of popularity and familiarity.
As Christians we are called to help everyone no matter where they’re from and our mission calls us to go beyond the limits of our country; however, we still must be aware of the problems in our own surroundings. We cannot neglect our own epidemics in an effort to help others. We must find the balance between lending a helping hand to all and just focusing on a specific region. Charity does not always have to equal Africa but it should always equal compassion.