Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

48 / CORNERSTONE CURRICULUM STUDENT WORKBOOK

• There is limited value in arguing over the causes of why people are poor. • The number one reason people in the U.S. are in poverty is because they have an employment situation that does not pay well enough. • God is bigger than the condition of poverty.

Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about our lesson, Toxic Poverty Work . What questions do you have, considering the material you have just studied?

Student Application and Implications

CASE STUDY

Having completed this teaching, revisit the case study from earlier in the lesson. How might you respond differently, given the content of the teaching? Some friends ask you to visit the Christian food pantry they volunteer at. As someone they trust, they want you to observe and give your opinion on its operations. The first thing you notice as you walk up are some shirtless guys gambling, smoking, and drinking right around the entrance. When you walk in, you are struck by how dark and dingy the interior is. Things seem chaotic and you cannot discern any rhyme or reason to how people receive their groceries. People are getting antsy waiting. Then a young preacher comes into the waiting area and gives a sermon. When he is done, everyone raises their hand to receive Christ. After about an hour, the first person goes forward to get a bag of groceries, which turns into a huge argument between the volunteer and the customer over food choices. The volunteer tells him that he gets whatever is given to him, and he should be happy about it. Afterwards, you go out to lunch with your friends to discuss your observations. What do you tell them?

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R edemp t i v e P ov e rt y W ork