At the Illinois Family Institute’s 2016 Worldview Conference, theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem discussed the book he co-wrote with economist Dr. Barry Asmus titled The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution, which examines the reasons for poverty and the reasons for prosperity.

Dr. Grudem shared that “Wealth and poverty are primarily determined by policies and factors that affect whole nations.” In order to reduce poverty and increase prosperity, gross national product and per capita income must be raised. The question is how to achieve those goals.

Dr. Grudem critiqued the commonly recommended solutions for eliminating poverty, including foreign aid, debt forgiveness, discovering natural resources, transferring goods from one person to another, printing money, attributing poverty to outside factors, and purchasing Fair Trade products.

Dr. Grudem also looks to the Bible for guidance on how countries can reduce levels of poverty, and how Christians should respond to urgent needs in impoverished countries.

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