From the looming deficit in Washington to the poor who remain dependent on Washington, the growing welfare state is hurting more than it’s helping. There has never been so important a moment in our history for the Church to be both a voice and a force for reform, to provide just and effective alternatives to state welfare, to empower and ennoble the poor, and to take up again the mantle of true and effective charity.

Videos

Introduction to True Charity

James Whitford

It is not an outlandish statement; how we care for our fellow man is hinged to the preservation of our liberty in America. The current “safety net” for the poor as the answer to a cry for help is but a trap that is no less expensive than it is oppressive. We will examine the problem from the “street level” view and address the question, “What is true, just, and effective charity?”

Economics in Christian Perspective

Victor Claar, Ph.D.

Though it has been dubbed the “dismal science”, economics has some marvelous lessons to teach us about the ways we may effectively serve each other. This talk combines sobering analysis and Christian principles to offer a vision of hope.

Charity Never Fails: Thinking Right

Ed Emery

The nature, design, and functional character of government are distinctly different from that of the individuals, community, or church. Consequently, expectations must be modified, and assignments must align with the functional strengths and weaknesses of each one.

The Nightmare of the Kingdom Without the King

Eric Laverentz

In America of 2012 we are reckoning with a government that has acquired great power and accrued great debt under the guise of compassion and mercy. How has the Church helped to create this circumstance? How has the delegation of the care of the poor and the old, and even our families led to this? What moral decisions has the Church made that have helped create our times?

Solidarity with the Poor

James Whitford

Right strategy begins with the right understanding. More than a viewpoint, embracing solidarity with the poor is key to disabling dependency and a consumerist mentality in the poor. Exercising Christ’s model of solidarity is a vital component to setting man free from want and helping him find joy in production.

Envy and Markets: How Do We Deal with Inequality?

Victor Claar, Ph.D.

Freely-functioning markets create opportunities that both elevate the poor and permit us to discover our vocational callings. Yet market outcomes are not equal outcomes, creating occasions for the deadly sin of envy. This talk discusses the socially corrosive sin of envy, and explores its potential remedies.

Charity Never Fails: Acting Right

Ed Emery

Because government has no soul, it cannot have a relationship. Government does not relate to people; it classifies them. True charity is the expression of a relationship, whether brief or eternal, that accommodates demands and accountability on both sides.

Waking Up from a Daydream of Christ Without His Kingdom

Eric Laverentz

In the last election, America made a clear decision to expand government power and debt. What can the Church do to reclaim her full witness and be the salt and light that America needs? Through a reliance on the Holy Spirit, tithing, real hope, and resistance, the Church can be the Church in a difficult age.

About the Speakers

Victor Claar

Professor of Economics, Henderson State University

Author of Fair Trade? Its Prospects as a Poverty Solution and co-author of Economics in Christian Perspective, Victor has also written for a variety of journals including the Journal of Markets and Morality. He is an active lecturer at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids.

Eric Laverentz

Senior Pastor, Stanley Presbyterian Church, Kansas City

Eric is a political science major from Truman State University with graduate degrees in Religion and Christian Ethics from Princeton Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. He also holds a doctorate in Pastoral Theology from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is currently the senior pastor at Stanley Presbyterian Church in Kansas City and is the recent author of Is Caesar our Savior? Why Only the Church Can Keep Any Nation Free.

Ed Emery

State Congressman, Author, and Consultant

Ed is an engineering graduate from the University of Missouri and a four-term Missouri State Congressman. He is known as a champion of free market solutions, individual liberties, education reform, and protecting the traditional family. He holds two Legislator of the Year awards, is currently the Executive Director of Missouri Fair Tax and founder of his consulting business, Character Returns!

James Whitford

Executive Director, Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission

James holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Physical Therapy. He was a wound care specialist and clinical lecturer for 12 years.He and his wife Marsha co-founded Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, MO, in 2000. He continues to serve as the ministry’s executive director and currently leads the Joplin Area Ministerial Alliance Network, a charity-tracking tool, and association of more than 50 churches and charities in the Joplin area.