Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the biblical models for
relieving poverty, and to examine how the Church in Africa can apply
the principles behind these models.
The study covers both the OT and NT data. The biblical evidence
has yielded the conclusion that poverty came as a result of the fall and
that it is contrary to God's desire for humanity.
We observed that since all human beings bear the imago Dei, He is
Concerned for both the poor and the rich, for it is His avowed intention
that all men should live happily and enjoy the fruits of the earth.
It is for this reason that He is specially predisposed in favour of the
oppressed poor. This is why He has called His people to take up their
defense. This call for a special concern for the poor is evident in the
poverty relief models set forth in the biblical tradition. We further observed
that the relief institutions were to be operational within the
context of a community. The care of the poor is therefore a communal
responsibility.
A special interest of the study is to investigate the relationship between
poverty and oppression. The evidence from the biblical data
and the African context have led us to reach the conclusion that the
materials presented in this study corroborates the thesis that, though
there are intervening variables which are operative in the maintenance
of poverty, oppression is the dominant cause.
