Missions Through the Pages: When Helping Hurts (Corbett & Fikkert)

When Helping Hurts has sold over 450,000 copies and fundamentally reshaped how evangelical Christians approach poverty alleviation, arguing that well-intentioned charity often creates dependency rather than empowerment. Host Steve Anderson offers a critical and helpful analysis of both the book and the philosophy of aide and dependency in missions.  Authors Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert contend that poverty stems from broken relationships—with God, self, others, and creation—and that Western helpers often reinforce feelings of inferiority while feeding their own "god complexes." While the book champions asset-based community development and long-term relational engagement over short-term relief, critics argue it neglects structural injustices, political advocacy, and the urgent material needs that require immediate aid regardless of methodology. The framework has sparked both transformation and paralysis, with some readers so fearful of causing harm they've stopped helping altogether. This conversation explores the book's revolutionary insights, examines its theological and practical criticisms, and considers alternative perspectives that emphasize systemic change alongside relationship-based development.