This is a revised and expanded edition of the book by Bryant L. Myers published in 1999. The author is professor of transformational development at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He is a lifelong activist dedicated to Christian relief work.
The word "development" was first used in the 1950 to describe efforts to improve the well-being of the poor. Myers describes the works on global development by Jeffrey Sachs, William Easterly, and Paul Collier. The link between culture and development is the specialty of Hernando de Soto and Mohammad Yunus.
Myers laments that the spiritual perspective is missing from all of these development assessments. He goes on to draw up a list of seven key themes in Catholic social teaching including the option for the poor. Myers does a good job defining poverty as seen by various writers: deficit, entanglement, a lack of access to social power, a diminished personal and relational well-being, a disempowering system, and a lack of freedom to grow.
Myers believes a Christian response to poverty can be based on truthfulness, righteousness, and justice. These principles are expressed through relationships with God, the church, and the holistic development practitioner. Transformational development is possible through real presence with the poor.
