Good News to the Poor

What Difference Does Spirit-Empowerment Make in the Face of Global Poverty? What is a Christian response to the immense and crushing demands of poverty? How may the poor be empowered within their own context? What answers can be found in Liberation Theology and the Prosperity Gospel? Scholars and practitioners gathered in Bogota, Colombia, at the 2019 Scholars' Consultation of Empowered21 to discuss these questions from a Spirit-empowered perspective. This book is the combination of these deep and engaging conversations at the Consultation and the subsequently commissioned studies. The book is divided into two sections. The first is "Foundational," addressing biblical, theological, and historical considerations of wealth and poverty, as well as a definition and overview of the current state of global poverty. The second section is "Cases in Context," which provides reflections on real-life experiences from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Through this marriage of foundational and contextual sections, the book engages pervasive issues faced in the majority world today: Civil unrest, policy issues, indigenous identity, urban slums, migration, globalization, education, and other concerns are considered in light of the Spirit's empowerment of individuals, churches, and communities.