Christians Who Make a Difference: New Tearfund report shows how believers respond to poverty

Nov 3, 2018 by Jill

from Christian Today:

Four out of five Christians (87 per cent) have taken action on poverty in the past year – a far higher proportion than the general population – according to a poll of 2,958 UK adults by Barna Group for Christian relief and development agency Tearfund.

Christians Who Make a Difference, a report launched today at The Justice Conference, looks at the connections between Christian beliefs, practices and priorities and their response to poverty.

The research shows that Christians are more likely to donate to charity (73 per cent of Christians against 63 per cent of all other UK adults) and to give food, clothing, furniture or other resources to someone in need (49 of Christians against 40 per cent of all other UK adults). Christians are also more likely to make significant consumer lifestyle changes (39 per cent of Christians against 35 per cent of all other UK adults) such as recycling, reducing meat consumption and using a green energy provider. Among those who regularly attend church (at least once a month), the percentages are even higher.

The new findings also reveal that growing up in a Christian household is a significant predictor of later poverty activism, even among adults who don’t attend church now. Six out of ten poverty activists (62 per cent) grew up in a home where Christianity was practised regularly, even though they no longer attend church. This underscores the long-term impact that religious upbringing has on caring for the poor, even without current involvement in a church.

Christians who prioritise serving people in poverty also prioritise spiritual practices like reading the Bible and praying. Two-thirds say reading the Bible, for example, is essential for growing their faith, compared to half of regular churchgoers who don’t serve people in poverty (67 per cent against 46 per cent).

Read here

New approaches to caring for the vulnerable, by Ian Soars, CEN