Martin Charlesworth - A Call to Act: Developing a Poverty-Busting Lifestyle

What people are saying about

Too often, Christians have used our faith as a ticket into heaven and a license to ignore the broken world we live in. We have promised a hurting world that there is life after death, while so many are wondering if there is life before death. In this book, Natalie and Martin invite you into a faith that is not just about going to heaven when you die, but bringing heaven to earth while you live. This is an invitation to join the revolution of Jesus. After all, Jesus did not come to help us escape the world; he came to help us transform this world. Read this manifesto of justice, and let the revolution begin inside of you. May your life be good news to the poor.

Shane Claiborne, Author, Speaker, Activist, and Co-founder, Red Letter Christians

A clear, timely, and prophetic call to the church to prioritise the poor in our society. This inspiring and practical book is a must-read for all Christians.

Gavin Calver, CEO, Evangelical Alliance

Following God can never be separated from sharing his heart for the righting of injustice, the relief of suffering, or the end of poverty. As Martin and Natalie say, Isaiah calls it True Fasting and James calls it True Religion, but I am grateful to them both for reminding us all of what True Discipleship means in practice.

Paul Harcourt, National Leader, New Wine England

Rock-face realities, Christian compassion, and biblical boldness combine to make this a compelling book. It will help develop our understanding and win our response to the demanding challenges being faced in our modern culture.

Terry Virgo, Founder, Newfrontiers

The challenge at the heart of this book is to serve through proximity, to get close. Close enough to feel the dead weight in our lives of the stuff we consume and hoard. Close enough to see the negative impact of our choices on people were called to love in Jesus name. Consumerism is a dull embrace of the life were made forthis book will inspire you with a bright yet simple vision for following Jesus in complex times.

Rachel Gardner, Director of National Work, Youthscape

Christians love to talk about the bias to the poor, as long as its just talk. All too often we fail to confront the cost of placing the poor at the centre, because we will only eradicate poverty when we are willing to make deep sacrifices and amend our own lifestyles. This prophetic book challenges us on the most personal level to be more Christ-like so that we can change our world. By making it clear that discipleship and a passion for justice are one and the same, Martin Charlesworth and Natalie Williams have given us a book to which all Christians need to attend and respond. If youre happy being complacent, dont go near it. If youre up for the deeper conversion necessary to transform your community under Christ, you must read it.

Philip North, Bishop of Burnley

Newspapers still tell us church attendance is falling inexorably. But fast-growing, church-based projects like foodbanks are bringing new hope in communities all round the UK. New initiatives in the churches have potentially huge, positive implications for Britains future. Ideal for church study groups, this lively, enjoyable, and thought-provoking book looks at practical steps to build a poverty-busting lifestyle. I thoroughly recommend it.

Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair, Work and Pensions Select Committee, House of Commons

Our country has seen a rising tide of poverty, sweeping individuals and families into hardship. Churches across the land are leading the way in throwing out a lifeline to people in their communities who have been caught up in poverty. Church leaders have great moral authority, not only within the church, but more widely across our country. When they speak out about the injustice of poverty, it sends a powerful message. This book reveals the centrality of tackling the injustice of poverty to the Christian message. It provides a how-to guide for creating poverty-busting inclusive church communities. The book shows how to respond to need with compassion, and demand just changes to the structures that pull people into poverty and keep them there.

Helen Barnard, Acting Director, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

This is a beautifully timed, needed, and challenging book. I read this during the COVID-19 lockdown, when it was even more poignant as the shelves had emptied and we were all forced to really think about the things we hold dear in our lives. Chapter 4 asks a question we are currently living out: If your church closed its doors today, how long would it take your community to notice? A chapter worth reading at any time, but particularly pertinent right now. We all have a God-given responsibility to steward what God has given usour own resources and his creationand this is a timely call to act.

Paula Stringer, UK CEO, Christians Against Poverty

A Call to Act is a timely follow-up to the brilliant book The Myth of the Undeserving Poor. The churchs response in this watershed moment as a nation must be informed by grassroots practice. Only then will we have something meaningful to offer on the global stage. I highly commend Martin and Natalies book to every church leader and church-based community practitioner alike.

Bishop Mike Royal, Co-Chief Executive, Cinnamon Network UK

Martin and Natalie have done an excellent job in their latest book, continuing to focus the church very rightly onto the needs of the poor. A Call to Act is definitely designed to take us beyond handouts to make us think about providing a genuinely helpful and warm-hearted hand of friendship. More than that, though, it goes beyond interpersonal relationships to challenge us to effect a greater change by engaging with statutory authorities and the environment. We must now take A Call to Act seriously as a manual for action, both as individual Christians and as the church.

Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, Moderator, Free Churches; Co-President, Churches Together in England

A book with teeth that will rock you from passivity. I loved the balance of wisdom and exhortation that is flavoured with vulnerability and honest reflection. It challenges at a deeper level and poses questions of Christ followers that must be addressed. Rooted in Scripture and full of helpful application, this book is a fantastic resource for the church at this time. I keep wondering, what would the church look like if we took seriously what is written here? Lord, give us a fundamental change of heart concerning the poor.

Sam Ward, Director of Ministry, The Message Trust

In this age of tribalism, when two people from very different backgrounds come together to write something, its worth taking notice. Here is hard-won wisdom that has been tested in the real world, rather than just preached from a pulpit. At Christians in Politics we see the church (i.e., the people) transforming the culture of politics by choosing to disagree well and put kingdom before tribe, and A Call to Act could be a significant step in that direction for you. Quite simply, if you take this books words seriously, your church and community will be immeasurably better off as a result.

Andy Flannagan, Executive Director, Christians in Politics

This is an important, sobering, and challenging book. Martin and Natalie each share their own (very different) backgrounds and life experiences and ask difficult questions about the extent to which the modern church is living as it is called to do. This book managed to provoke and challenge mebut not just to feel bad, rather to consider what I might need to do differently, and what that might look like. This book wasnt always comfortable to read, but Im glad that I did, and I recommend you do too.