Can Rockers and Religious Leaders End Poverty?
Hunger and poverty have been plaguing humanity since ancient times, and people of faith have been combating it just as long. But activists in that fight believe the world faces a unique opening to actually end extreme hunger–if world leaders get on board. Faith leaders describing this opportunity are using phrases like “a confessional moment,” “a new civil rights movement,” and “new abolitionists” fighting “the new slavery” to describe this upsurge of interest in poverty. “There’s a kind of crescendo of concern building around this issue,” said Jim McDonald, vice president of policy and programs at Bread for the World, a Christian anti-poverty organization. That crescendo has built to a roar in recent days. On July 3, in eight cities around the world, a dizzying array of pop and rock superstars performed in concerts aimed at raising awareness about poverty in Africa. The event-dubbed Live 8-took place just days before the Group of Eight (G8) Summit meeting in Scotland, at which repres
Hunger and poverty have been plaguing humanity since ancient times, and people of faith have been combating it just as long. But activists in that fight believe the world faces a unique opening to actually end extreme hunger–if world leaders get on board. Faith leaders describing this opportunity are using phrases like “a confessional moment,” “a new civil rights movement,” and “new abolitionists” fighting “the new slavery” to describe this upsurge of interest in poverty. “There’s a kind of crescendo of concern building around this issue,” said Jim McDonald, vice president of policy and programs at Bread for the World, a Christian anti-poverty organization. That crescendo has built to a roar in recent days. On July 3, in eight cities around the world, a dizzying array of pop and rock superstars performed in concerts aimed at raising awareness about poverty in Africa. The event-dubbed Live 8-took place just days before the Group of Eight (G8) Summit meeting in Scotland, at which repres
