Introduction
Powerless and suffering people are dotting the streets in urban centers all across the globe. In the Philippines, recent data shows, “. . . 27.6 million Filipinos-or roughly one out of three- are now living in poverty. . . higher prices, calamities and rapid population growth have pushed more families below the poverty line, with even more families falling below the so-called food line.” [Des Ferriols and Ted Torres, “27.6 M Filipinos now living in poverty – gov’t data,” Philippine Star, March 6, 2008, 7].
A more recent report has it that “many children in the
A newspaper report cited the Ultra stampede in
I wondered why the most successful society in history has, since the early 1960s, seen the divorce rate double, teen suicide triple, violent crime quadruple, the prison population quintuple, and depression sour to more than ten times the pre-World War II level. I wondered, if we’re so successful, why aren’t we happier and healthier. . .
[Paul Pearsall, Toxic Success: How to Stop Striving and Start Thriving, (Makawao,
What is needed here is holistic transformation. As a matter of fact, governments are challenged to “make poverty a history.”
Face of Poverty
At the outset, poverty “has been created for us by an irresponsible government [referring to the United States]; a government that puts far more money into death than into life; a government that speaks of a kinder gentler time then kills off its infants, women and elders . . . “ [James Jennings, Understanding the Nature of Poverty in Urban America, (Westport, CT: Praeger Press, 1994), 133.]
We see poverty in countries where people are suffering from unfair trade systems. We graphically see poverty where “desperate people are forced to accept bad working conditions with long hours, minimal pay and lack of benefits, all of which makes people tired, reduces their immunity and makes them susceptible to illness.” [Steve de Gruchy, “Sick world,” CWM InsideOut, August/September 2004, 22.]
At its simplest poverty refers to a basic lack of the means of survival; the poor are those who, even in normal circumstances, are unable to feed and clothe themselves properly and risk death as a consequence. This description would probably attract universal recognition and assent. Moreover such a situation would probably be seen as one which should if possible be rectified, although precisely how this should be done may be a matter of dispute. [John Dixon, Poverty: A Persistent Global Reality, David Macarov, ed., (London: Routledge, 1998), 1].
Moreover, “In communities where jobs are scarce and many live in poverty, people have difficult time finding employment.” [ Melissa Browning, “Olive wood brings prosperity to CBF-backed microenterprise,” ABPnews.com (E-mail), 23 April 2008.]
There is a perspective on poverty which believes that poverty is a statement of mind. [Metziel G. Kiamco, a text message sent to this author on July 1, 2006] This means that if one thinks in himself/herself to be poor and helpless, then he or she will remain poor forever. Thus, to improve one’s economic lots, he/she would learn from successful people and start thinking of ways to alleviate their economic status in life, instead of just watching soap operas on television.
On the other hand, “the sole pursuit of material development without spiritual and value-based goals have contributed to a widespread culture of violence.” [Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron, “The AR-WACC Pre-Assembly Seminar and Triennal Assembly: An Affirmation of Communicating for Peace and Life,” AR-WACC, June 2005, 2.] The situation creates unjust social relationships and tramples on the needs of the others.
Psyche of Poverty
Poverty, like any other socio-economic status, becomes the inner psyche of the person or group of persons.
Powerlessness and hopelessness sculpt one’s inner psyche. We call this the internalization of a culture of poverty. And with its all-pervasiveness presence, a fatalism starves the membranes of one’s being of the oxygen of hope.
[Charles Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity: Reflections on the Life and Faith in A Precarious World, (
Bernard Malamud as well writes, “If you’ve had nothing, you’re afraid of too much.” [Berdard Malamud, as quoted by Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity, 59.]
Poverty impacts humanity miserably; It breaks the person’s spirit! “The reasonable inference arises that even though blacks are not genetically inferior, science proves them to be so damaged by racism and poverty that they are inferior now. [George Gilder, Wealth & Poverty, (San Francisco: KS Press, 1993), 75]Poverty can be isolating, separating the people who live in it from the kind of networking relationship that would help them get needed resources. [ Joy Skjegstad, Winning Grants: The Case for Faith-Based Organizations. Http://www.alban.org/conversations.aspx?q=printme&id=4468. Internet. Accessed on December 17, 2007.
A hungry, hopeless world is looking for someone who would bear healing and justice to every corner of our planet.
What ills the society is the fact that people want selective transformation. This renders a compartmentalized transformation where they receive transformation that they wanted and disregard those whom they do not like. It follows that these people determine the outcome of transformation according to what pleases them. This makes a reality of domesticated transformation.
For the Christian, development means people living better lives. The Christian is urged to speak out for fairness and be ready for hostility that follows. The Christian is called to work for and support those who live at the edges. Christian churches have been involved against poverty for a long time yet there is pressing need to address the ethical and spiritual issues related to wealth [Beyond Boundaries: A Newsletter Connecting Friends of Bossey, A Periodic Publication of the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, May 2005, 8.] in order to shape an alternative economic system which does not manufacture poverty. [Steve de Gruchy, “Economics – God’s way,” Inside Out: The Magazine of the Council for World Mission, January-March 2005, 22. ]Much more, we need holistic transformation as a way of sorting things for the better.
Holistic ministry is conceptualized as “ministering to physical needs and ministering to spiritual needs, though functionally separate, are relationally inseparable, and both are essential to the total ministry of Christ’s church. [Yamamori, “Appendix B: Case Study Guidelines,” Serving with the Urban Poor, 231.] Whereas Maggay states that “evangelism and social action are distinct; both however, are parts of our Christian duty.” [Melba P. Maggay, Transforming Society, (Quezon City, Philippines: Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture:, 1996), 11.] Compare this further with Tetsunao and Kim-kwong Chan when they say:
Moreover, “spiritual value of human beings consists in and through their bodily existence.” [David S. Lim, Transforming Communities: Biblical Concepts on Poverty and Social Justice, (Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila: OMF Literature, 1992), 9]
Although Lisu Christian leaders have no formal theological training, their theological methodology seems to be ‘from below’ approach: realization of physical needs, reflection upon their needs, and pastoral action to fulfill them. At first, they taught only the Bible to their voluntary pastors, but in recent years they have realized that the needs of the Christians are physical as well as spiritual. They began to focus their ministry not just on spiritual but also on agricultural, educational, and medical programs. They are now teaching the voluntary pastors to minister to both the spiritual and physical needs of their flock.
[Tetsunao Yamamori and Kim-kwong Chan, Witnesses to Power: Stories of God’s Quiet Work in a Changing China (
Or “a tissue paper separating material from spiritual,” as the late George McLeod of the Iona Community, would put it.
Jesus’ Holistic Transformation
Ringma writes, “And in the wider political arena, we know of liberation movements that have brought about newer and sometimes greater forms of oppression.” [Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity, 144.] It always happens when we lose sight of Jesus Christ as the true framework of transformational engagement. Rather, holistic transformation is a process which aims at, not only a “downward mobility and mission” [Urban Expression: “A Mission Order?”, 3.] but setting fully at developing a richer and more intentional process of transforming the whole being of a person.
Transformation is premised on the fact that the coming of God into one’s life impacts him or her monumentally forever. It involves the restoration of God’s image in humankind. The Apostle Paul would view it as the passing away of the old and in turn the coming of the new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Holistic transformation is thus viewed as a process of integrating one’s faith in all aspects of life and in all days of a lifetime. A person’s transformation can be achieved with the constant reference to Christ. This calls for deeper living out of one’s personal spirituality in either the church or workplace in society. A writer puts it this way. A writer puts it this way. The truly saved life will experience genuine transformation because God is constantly renewing the person's whole being (Brent Briggs). Another writer has this to say:
The transformation that takes place in man is holistic in nature . . . His life is no longer under the power of sin. Rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the new man has the freedom to experience dynamic changes in his life. He will live a fruit-full of life of service for the glory of God.
[Fernando Tan, Jr., “Contextualizing the Gospel Message in Asia,” Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Prepared for the International Faith and Learning Seminar held at Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies. http://groups.google.com/group/pendeta-advent/msg/4929fa8c30d416d?mode=print. Internet. Accessed on 5/27/2008.]
Holistic transformation is likewise termed as integral mission where evangelism has social consequences by calling people to love and repentance in all areas of life and social involvement has evangelistic consequences by bearing witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ.
Integral mission or holistic transformation is the proclamation and
demonstration of the gospel. It is not simply that evangelism and
social involvement are to be done alongside each other. Rather, in
integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social
involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. . .
[http://groups.google.com/group/mennonite-poverty- forum/browse_thread/thread/c9b18231a01fb365?hl=en. Internet. Accessed on January 8, 2008.]
On the other hand, holistic ministry addresses the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual state of the whole person. [Joy Skjegstad, Winning Grants: The Case for Faith-Based Organizations. Http://www.alban.org/conversations.aspx?q=printme&id=4468. Internet. Accessed on December 17, 2007.] In this sense, material and spiritual are inextricably intertwined. As a matter of fact, conversion is not only a transformation of the soul, but also affects the way we handle our money and possessions; conversion of our heart and our economics, said Charles Ringma. [Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity, 89] In remote villages in
Meanwhile, holistic transformation requires one must live with people to know their problem, and he or she lives with God in order to help solve them. [Fred V. Bat-og, in his text message to this author on November 22, 2005.]
Prayer and service, and contemplation and action, need to be held together. Our daily life and life with God need to be interpenetrate. This way, we live beyond the sacred-secular divide in that all of life is important and all life is to be lived with and before God. [Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity, 33.]
Holistic transformation calls us back to the centrality of Jesus Christ where his life of sacrificial service is the pattern for Christian discipleship.
We call one another back to the centrality of Jesus Christ. His life
of sacrificial service is the pattern for Christian discipleship. In
his life and through his death Jesus modeled identification with the
poor and inclusion of the other. On the cross God shows us how
seriously he takes justice, reconciling both rich and poor to himself
as he meets the demands of his justice. We serve by the power of the risen Lord through the Spirit as we journey with those who are poor, finding our hope in the subjection of all things under Christ and the final defeat of evil. We confess that all too often we have failed to live a life worthy of this gospel.
[http://groups.google.com/group/mennonite-poverty-forum/browse_thread/thread/c9b18231a01fb365?hl=en. Internet. Accessed on January 9, 2008.]
The transformative encounter enabled the Apostle Paul to experience “a new creation in Christ” which brought him peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and the healing and encroaching presence of the Spirit. [Ringma, Whispers from the Edge of Eternity, 27] Paul was frail and sinful human being, yet he was transformed into the likeness of Christ. His encounter with the Inimitable Transformative Agent brought Paul, not only spiritual transformation but holistic transformation in his lifestyle. Paul’s was deep and holistic transformation.
The Apostle Paul had an encounter with Jesus on the
Socio-Cultural Construct of Holistic Transformation
Holistic ministry is more effective than government programs when group is working with people who live in poverty and on welfare, simply because ministry addresses the moral and spiritual issues as well as material needs. [Skjegstad, Winning Grants.]
Cultural Images of Holistic Transformation (Christian Communities or persons who practice holistic transformation – how they learn from Jesus’ Transformation and how they bind these practices) The following are cases on cultural images of holistic transformation.
In her blog, Christine Sine categorizes her spiritual; practice as " any routine I perform on a regular basis that connects me more intimately with God and God’s purposes." [Christine Sine, "What Is A Spiritual Practice," posted on May 18, 2009, Godspace.] Sine cites a case in Christian history where "the Celtic Christians were so good at connecting their prayers to everyday events and giving them spiritual significance." [Ibid.] In another blog, Sine aptly says,
Connecting activities like this to our faith definitely help us to centre our thoughts and our actions on God and God which means that any activity that has a rhythmic motion to it can become a spiritual practice. No wonder many of us find that knitting, quilting, sewing, woodwork, gardening and running are places where we meet God. Evidently even sweeping the floor can have this kind of an impact. The soothing rhythms of these activities enable us to focus our thoughts more fully on the God we love and worship. I find that repeating short repetitive prayers or short verses of scripture while performing these activities enhances that sense of closeness to God. [Christine Since, “Is Breathing a Spiritual Practice?,” Godspace, http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/is-breathing-a-spiritual-practice/. Internet. Accessed on June 20, 2009.]
With his Matthew 25: Ministry, Wendell Mettey expresses holistic transformation in this account:
With a background as a welfare caseworker, Mettey realized early in his career that giving people handouts would not alleviate poverty. Rather, he discovered, meeting people's most basic needs and then emphasizing education, job creation and sustainable projects like housing construction could create greater self-reliance. They would also fulfill Jesus' injunction to his followers, found in Matthew 25, to care for "the least of these." This approach formed the basis for the group's name and mission statement. [Heidi Bright Parales, “ Ministry connects needs, would-be wasted commercial products,” Associated Baptist Press, June 25, 2009 · (09-91). http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/1221a2bedfa2f5aa. Internet. Accessed on June 26, 2009.]
Excellent post.Sarj,The holistic transformation comes from within although external factors like media can greatly affect the spiritual transformation.
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