EDITORIAL: Take ‘ONE’ step to end world hunger_71105

Posted: 7/08/05

EDITORIAL:
Take 'ONE' step to end world hunger

Here's a sobering test of faith: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17)

Severe hunger plagues at least 800 million people. They don't just “go to bed hungry”; they live hungry. They don't just miss a meal; they don't receive enough nutrients to sustain their organs. They don't just look skinny; they die.

When I was a kid, we referred to these people as the “starving children in China.” But that's just a metaphor for a horrible reality. Children have it the worst, but they're joined closely by the elderly and nursing mothers, as well as adults with mental and physical illnesses. China is far from the most treacherous place for hunger. Hunger spans the globe, but it's most acute in Africa.

Drought and poor farming methods contribute, but global hunger would be far less serious if those were the primary causes. War is the worst culprit. It disrupts planting and harvesting cycles. It diverts resources, including farmers, to other endeavors. It cuts supply lines. And food becomes the spoil of war–doled to the winners, denied to the losers.

Poverty contributes to hunger. But don't think only of poor people. Think of poor governments. Around the globe, entire nations are “upside down,” owing more than their assets can cover. So, not only are their people unable to afford food, but the governments themselves cannot afford to make it available.

Small wonder 800 million people eke out an existence in the oppressive grip of deep hunger.

For years, funds such as the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger have chipped away at the wall of hunger. This direct aid is wonderful, and it's worthy of our support. But we can't raise enough money fast enough to change the structures that produce and perpetuate hunger.

That's why increasing numbers of people of faith, including conservative evangelical Christians, have embraced more encompassing measures. They've asked the governments of the United States and other industrialized nations to take steps to turn the tide against hunger, poverty and disease. They realize these maladies can't be remedied until strong nations help Third World countries get “rightside up” and able to care for their people.

Hundreds of thousands of them have joined ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. The ONE Campaign website notes 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day. The campaign asks the U.S. government to allocate an additional 1 percent of its budget (it currently provides less than 1 percent) toward providing basic healthcare, education, clean water and food, which “would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries.” It urges the Group of 8 nations, the wealthiest countries in the world, to forgive the debt of the poorest nations, a $40 billion step promised by the G8 finance ministers last month.

Similarly, many ONE Campaign supporters are urging Congress to pass the Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005. Its goal is to end hunger in the United States by 2015.

These antihunger efforts are transcending the theological-political spectrum. A bipartisan group of sponsors is backing the Hunger-Free Communities Act, as are–and this is almost unheard of–representatives of the Southern Baptist Convention, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Alliance of Baptists.

Although the One Campaign has received notoriety because of its support from rock star Bono and movie star Brad Pitt, its base is solidly evangelical, in such organizations as Bread for the World, World Vision and Save the Children, among others.

Baptist pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, recently e-mailed tens of thousands of pastors and other religious leaders in support of the ONE Campaign. “I've never been involved in partisan politics … and don't intend to now,” he said. “But global poverty is an issue that rises far above mere politics. It is a moral issue … a compassion issue, and because Jesus commanded us to help the poor, it is an obedience issue.”

The confluence of these efforts is a divine initiative, Bread for the World President David Beckmann told a gathering of Baptist editors: “God has made it possible to see deep reductions in hunger, poverty around the world and disease.” Christians' involvement in hunger reduction enables them to “talk about evangelism in a new way,” because their demonstration of concern for the world's poorest people validates their claims of Christ's love, he explained.

For details about the ONE Campaign, see www.one.org or www.bread.org. Sign up. Each one counts.