When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett
Week 2: Chapter 1 — When Helping Hurts
Read Chapter 1 of When Helping Hurts. Key Scripture: Luke 4:18; 2 Corinthians 8:9.
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This chapter sets the stage by documenting real cases where well-meaning help caused harm — inviting us to take the problem seriously before jumping to solutions.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The authors present several case studies — including a church that flooded a Haitian market with free T-shirts, undercutting local vendors — where charitable interventions damaged local economies and community dignity. Which of these examples struck you most? What went wrong, and why?
2.Corbett and Fikkert argue that one of the core problems is that helpers often don't ask, 'What is the nature of poverty?' before they act. What is the danger of skipping that diagnostic step and going straight to action?
3.The chapter introduces the idea that poverty involves a sense of shame, powerlessness, and voicelessness — not just material lack. How does this broader definition change what 'helping' should look like?
a.Can you think of a way that material assistance, given without attention to dignity, might actually reinforce a person's sense of shame or powerlessness?
b.What would it look like to give in a way that restores voice and agency rather than creating dependency?
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