Christianity & Poverty (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

The work of Tearfund

• Tearfund is an evangelical Christian charity that partners with churches in over 50 countries to combat poverty and injustice

• Tearfund has been working since 1971 to provide service to the poor. Their work includes:

  • Emergency relief, providing rapid disaster response by offering clean water, shelter and support after natural disasters and conflicts

  • Long-term community development, supporting local churches in projects on sustainable food supply, climate resilience, water and sanitation, health, and peacebuilding

  • Advocacy and campaigning, challenging injustice and raising public awareness of social issues such as poverty and discrimination

    • This includes opposing government and corporate policies that do not support justice and equality

• Tearfund works by creating partnerships with local churches to establish a trusted network through which it can provide support

  • One recent example of Tearfund’s work is in Colombia, where they have supported a peacebuilding programme called Club Deportivo in Medellín

  • This football training club provides a safe place for young people to socialise without the risk of joining gangs

• All of Tearfund’s work is intended to demonstrate practical Christian agape in action

• Tearfund fulfils the teachings of Jesus to help others and encourages self-help for individuals and communities, combining short-term relief with long-term transformation

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The work of Caritas

• Caritas is a Catholic Christian service to the poor

• Caritas is a confederation of 162 national relief and development agencies

• It was established in 1951, and by 2023, it was operating in over 200 countries

• Caritas is the Latin word for love

  • Caritas aims to show Christian agape love and justice through its work for the poor

• Like Tearfund, Caritas aims to tackle poverty in three main ways:

  • Emergency relief after natural disasters, conflict and humanitarian crises

  • Supporting long-term development in areas such as:

    • Water and sanitation

    • Health services

    • Agriculture

    • Peacebuilding

    • Climate resilience

• Advocacy for social justice, including combating poverty, discrimination and exploitation

  • This includes work to influence national and international policy on issues like debt relief, migration and climate justice

• Caritas works through local church partners, ensuring projects meet community needs and honour local leadership

• One recent example of Caritas’s work is the Turn Debt Into Hope programme, a campaign to promote international debt relief for low-income countries

  • This is based on the call of Pope Francis in 2025 to work to combat this issue:

• In its own words, Caritas aims for a world “where the voices of the poor are heard and acted upon and where all people live in peace and dignity”
  

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The work of Christian Aid

• Christian Aid is an international Christian charity founded in 1945 and supported by churches across the UK and Ireland

• Like Tearfund and Caritas, Christian Aid partners with local organisations to fight poverty and injustice

• Its work is focused on three areas:

  • Emergency relief, such as providing food, clean water, shelter and medical aid during crises

  • Long-term development, improving health care, sanitation, education and farming and increasing income for those most in need

  • Campaigning to influence government policy, promoting debt relief, fair trade, climate justice and economic equality worldwide

• Christian Aid takes a community-led approach, working through local partners to ensure culturally appropriate aid

• It works to improve resilience and preparedness by supporting communities both during and after disasters

• It is part of coalitions like the Disasters Emergency Committee and Fairtrade Foundation

• One recent example of Christian Aid’s work is in response to Cyclone Freddy, a record-breaking storm that devastated Malawi in 2023

  • Christian Aid responded by:

    • Working with local groups to distribute water treatment kits, helping prevent cholera and malaria 

    • Providing water, food and medical assistance for displaced families

    • This illustrates the charity’s on-the-ground, crisis-led, locally driven approach

• Christian Aid is working to demonstrate Christian values like compassion, justice and stewardship in the world. Their work is an example of agape love, inspired by Jesus’s teaching to love your neighbour

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Christianity & the spiritual needs of those in poverty

• Many Christian groups believe in addressing both the physical and spiritual needs of people who suffer from poverty or disaster

• The Bible teaches:

• Jesus asked his apostle Peter to show that he loved him through his actions, calling him to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17), and this is generally interpreted to mean feeding others both physically and spiritually

• Christian service, therefore, involves sharing food, shelter, health care and emotional support, alongside prayer, hope and teaching

• Christian communities teach about Jesus’s example of compassion for the poor and marginalised (e.g. feeding the hungry, healing the sick)

• Many churches combine Bible-based teaching with practical aid, developing long-term discipleship and local leadership

• Global mission organisations (e.g. CAFOD, Tearfund, Christian Aid, Caritas) deliver aid that includes trauma counselling, faith-based support and community worship

• These organisations affirm that “spiritual impoverishment” can hurt just as much as material poverty

  • Churches often conduct prayer services, vigils and pastoral visits during disasters or crises

  • These are intended to comfort the troubled, share the hope of the Gospel and remind believers of God’s presence

What is missionary work?

• Missionary work involves sharing the Christian faith with others, both locally and around the world

• It can include:

  • Spreading the gospel message (the teachings of Jesus), also known as evangelism 

  • Helping those in need through charity and development work

  • Living out Christian values as an example to others

• Missionaries may:

  • Preach and teach about Christianity

  • Set up schools, clinics or community projects

  • Support those facing poverty or injustice

Religious teachings motivating missionary and organised charity work

• At the end of his time on earth, Jesus commanded his followers — in an instruction known as the Great Commission — to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) 

  • This is a key command motivating Christians to undertake missionary work

• Teachings about love and service, such as Jesus’s call to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31), inspire Christians to help others selflessly

• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31–46) teaches Christians that helping others is like serving Jesus himself

• The belief that all humans are created in God’s image, as expressed in the Creation story (Genesis 1:27), means that all people equally deserve dignity, love and respect

• Religious leaders of all denominations call for Christians to put their faith into action through mission and evangelism

  • Evangelism is central to Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, who believe salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ

  • Pope Francis called the Catholic Church “a missionary Church”, meaning that it must reach out into the world and spread the Christian message rather than waiting for people to come in

  • All Catholics are called to:

    • Share the good news through word and action

    • Serve others with compassion and justice

    • Promote peace, forgiveness and reconciliation

Christian missionary work in action

• Mission is not just about preaching but often involves practical support through Christian charities such as:

  • Caritas

  • Christian Aid

  • Tearfund

• All of these organisations:

  • Respond to natural disasters

  • Help tackle poverty and inequality

  • Run education and health projects

  • Campaign for fairer policies (e.g. trade, debt relief)

• Many churches also focus on mission at home, such as:

  • Running food banks

  • Providing support for refugees

  • Organising youth groups and community events

  • Running evangelism courses, such as Alpha

• All of these are ways of sharing the message of God’s love through practical means

• Reasons why Christians do missionary work:

  • To obey Jesus’s great commission to spread his message

  • To serve others as an act of agape love

  • To grow the Church by bringing new people to faith

  • To fight injustice and bring hope to those who suffer

  • To express the belief that faith should be active, not just private, and should be accompanied by good works