 Seekers Church School of Christian Living April 28, 2009 Pat Conover Welcome and Announcements and Prayer(10 Minutes) Presentation by Pat: Generalizations About Poverty in the United States(40 Minutes) Comparisons to other countries Mix of support from governments and NGOs Some kinds of poverty are "rewarded," others are "punished," and yet others have a mixture of "punishments" and "rewards." This includes consideration of the "deserving poor" and "truly needy" versus the "bad poor." Roles of academics, "experts," organizations representing those experiencing different kinds of poverty, the media, and the voices of people experiencing the different kinds of poverty. Follow the money. Individual factors, group factors, culture factors, and factors analyzed by category. This section considers the so-called "Culture of Poverty." Additional considerations. Discussion of the Relevance of the Generalizations to Specific Kinds of Poverty. (35 Minutes)Pairs (10 Minutes) Plenary (25 Minutes) Homework Assignments Read: Luke 4: 14-19; 6: 1-5; 20-49; Acts 4: 32-6:6. Write a journal note about what you think this biblical guidance has to offer for understanding and responding to the kind of poverty in which you are interested in the United States today. Pat's Comments for Session Five |