Jesus Reigns Christian College - Amadeo Foundation, Inc.

Crisanto M. Delos Reyes Road Brgy. Dagatan, Amadeo, Cavite

Tel. No. 046 235 7407 / Cel. No. +63 917 682 2382

Government: Poverty

Submitted by/Course:

2nd Year BSBA

De Luna, Jenny Rose
Dula, Elizabeth

2nd Year BEED

Eduarte, May

2nd Year BS-CRIM

Ermitanio, John Paulo V.

Date Submitted: July 1, 2022

I. Introduction
In Christian Values, we will learn that in Christianity, God is the ultimate Reality, the
absolute foundation of everything, and the end toward which all points. Ultimate Reality is that
contemporary expression that refers to the most powerful, all-inclusive Reality that exists and from
which is derived the origin of all things – in a word, Ultimate Reality is GOD. God is the unique
source of all Reality other than God. God is thereby also the source of all meaning: of the world
in general and human life in particular. God is the ultimate Reality, the absolute. Foundation of
everything that is, and the end toward which all points.
Even if all things are possible with Him, there is still one thing He cannot do. God cannot
lie. In the Old Testament, the book of Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man who lies or a son of
a man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” It says that
God is immutable. He never changes. Once He said it, He would do it. Unlike men who break their
promises, God is unchangeable and unchanging. God is perfect and truthful in all of His ways. His
promises are sure, and His Word is dependable.
His Holiness makes it impossible for Him to lie. Since He is the Holy God, He will not and
cannot lie when he speaks because lying is against His nature. He cannot contradict His pure
character, and He does not conform to the pattern of this world because He is a Holy God that
cannot lie.
We must learn how to preserve ourselves against Satan. We must have God in our lives and
accept God as our savior and protector because Satan is our greatest enemy. Do not waste your
time on things that cannot help or protect us from demons; instead, spend your time praising and
worshiping our God because the Lord's love is unconditional. Structural evil is a belief system or
pattern of behavior in an organization or culture that impedes or opposes the advancement of God's
kingdom in the world. The structure is the arrangement or interrelationship of all the parts of a
whole that form an organism or organization. Structural evil includes social attitudes or beliefs or
culture, an economic system that creates a lack of economic opportunities or alternatives, and
unjust laws or a law-enforcement system.
It can also be religious. God is sovereign and created everything, visible and invisible, in
heaven and on Earth. Both visible realities and spiritual forces influence historical events. These
spiritual forces can be good or evil. The fall of Satan and his demons were followed by the fall of
man and woman. In our world, there are structures of existence that are not evil in and of
themselves but can be influenced by Satan to transmit out his devious work- thus structural evil.
The church must deal with visible and invisible forces to transform nations.
Those who oppress the poor show contempt to their Maker, but those who are kind to the
needy honor Him. Prov. 14:13
In Christian Values concerning church Engaging the society, we have learned a lot about
church engaging the society are the most faithful to yourself. I believe God is good. I believe that
God helps us trust him more so that we can be better, and I believe that God will answer you when
you pray to have a stronger faith in God in this society. We need to hold on to the lord just by
worshiping and praising the scriptures so that we can be useful to him, just like in our country,
which is poor because the government we run they do not see the needs of the people, so in this
day and age let us not drive away from the poor but let us help them in their needs.
 Christian Values are designed to explain structural evil, what disciple church and community
are, and the Biblical concept about structural evil. It will also define structural evil, knowing the
causes and effects of structural evil in one’s life. Understand and internalize the Biblical concepts
regarding structural evil. Create action planning regarding this topic. In this course, we will learn
to understand and react against dealing with structural evil. How does the Bible respond when it
comes to the actions of evil.

What is Structural evil and Action Planning?

Structural or systemic evil arises from structures within human society rather than from
individual wickedness or religious conceptions such as original sin. One example of Structural evil
within a society would be slavery. Structural evil arises within human societies because of the way
humans act. Multiple individuals have commented and theorized on the subject of structural evil.
The structure is the arrangement or interrelation of all the parts of a whole or something composed
of interrelated parts forming an organism or organization. The structural evil pattern may be
formed by certain attitudes or beliefs, as with racism. When this is the case, the evil becomes part
of the society’s culture, supported by deeply ingrained beliefs and taboos. Or the pattern may be
economic. In this case, the evil flows from the lack of certain economic opportunities or
alternatives, a lack that forces people into poverty or unwanted occupations despite their desires,
abilities, and efforts. Or the pattern may be political, with the evil flowing from unjust laws or
unjust law-enforcement systems. Bias and capricious rule result in the loss of freedom and
opportunity. Often structural evils are cultural, economic, and political all at once, with society’s
values and biases and its economic and political systems all working together to hold down a
certain region or group. The key element of structural evil is organizational, not individual. Of
course, individuals relate and act within the organization or institution. These acts or behaviors
may be influenced by laws or are patterns or practices that are evil and contrary to God’s Word or
the values of His Kingdom and, therefore, defeat the purposes of God for His creatures and
creation.
Action planning is a process that will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps
you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. The action plan you develop will
relate to the tasks you need to achieve and be linked to your previous reflective log and
evaluation/review. It is a statement of what you want to achieve over a given period. Preparing an
action plan is a good way to help you reach your objectives and develop effectively. In action
planning, five key points should be within the action plan. The acronym SMART stands for
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based. The importance of spiritual planning
is because spiritual planning plays a significant role in the believer’s ability to change. Knowing
the benefits of spiritual planning can help develop a sense of urgency in your plan for walking with
God.
Specific Action Plans can be developed and carried out to respond to the manifestations of
evil or evil influence on individuals, their families, or the community. For the least, tactical
programs serve as the “salt” to arrest the deterioration of the quality of life and the decay of morals.
The seven areas are arbitrary and sum up the major fields of engagement by the church. The result
desired is not just individual conversions or the number of churches planted. The mere expansion
of churches is not transformation. The church’s task includes the individual, his culture, and his
structures of existence to be restored to their Creator.
II. TOPIC:

What is Poverty?
Poverty is a state or circumstance in which an individual or a group lacks the financial means
and necessities for a basic living level. It can also be defined as a situation in which one’s earnings
from work are insufficient to meet fundamental human requirements. According to the World
Bank, Poverty is a severe lack of well-being that has various aspects. Low earnings and the
inability to obtain the essential commodities and services required for a dignified existence are
examples.
Poverty also includes:
• Deprived health and education.
• A lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
• Physical security.
• Lack of voice.
• A lack of capacity and chance to improve one’s life.

There are two major kinds of Poverty. First, absolute Poverty is the absence of enough
resources to secure basic life necessities. Second is Relative Poverty, defined from a social
viewpoint as a living standard that is less than the economic standards of the population that differs
from state to society or society to another.
The scriptures say that Poverty is a state of spiritual unconsciousness or spiritual Poverty.
Spiritual Poverty is someone rich in money or material possessions but not in God.
In Revelation chapter 3 from verse 14, the church in Laodicea shows that they were rich,
acquired wealth, and did not need anything, but they didn't realize that they were wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind, and naked. They were complacent in their self-satisfaction and never realized that the
presence of God was not with them anymore. When one is spiritually poor, he/she is equally
spiritually blind.
The Church of Laodicea describes the state of the world today. Countries have to think of
riches only regarding material possessions like money, wealth, goods, and earthly treasures. They
contemplate Poverty as having few or no possessions or money. The Church of Laodicea became
so proud of its achievements, confident of its wealth and false spiritual status, and so are these
countries today. They were too blind to see it until the Spirit of God abandoned them.

Revelation 3:17
“Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that
you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”

Proverbs 10:3-4
3 ”The LORD will not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the wicked what they crave.
4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.”

Scriptural terminology includes those who are "meek" and "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."), yet the biblical stress is
that both the individual and the church are to be engaged in helping the poor of society. The
believer's model for this action is the life of Jesus and the Word of God, which grounds such
sensitivity in the very nature of God himself.
III. CAUSES OF POVERTY:

A range of aspects, including growing living costs, low pay, deficiency of work, and
insufficient social security benefits, means some people do not have enough resources. There are
two major kinds of Poverty. First, absolute Poverty is the absence of enough resources to secure
basic life necessities. A household's revenue falls below the required amount to endure basic living
standards like food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education,
information, and access to services. This condition allows assessments to be made across nations
and throughout time. The second is Relative Poverty, defined from a social viewpoint as a living
standard that is less than the economic standards of the population that differs from state to society
or society to another. As a result, it is a degree of income difference who are living in the same
society. Relative Poverty is a method of social exclusion that can affect people's access to decent
housing, education, or job opportunities.
Many have endeavored to discourse this problem, yet the debate rages about what causes
poverty in many societies. Dr. Christopher Wright, a Church of England minister, resists that the
root causes of poverty are discernable from Old Testament texts like natural disasters, laziness,
and oppression. Dr. Wright presented a summary of this biblical method to the causes of poverty,
and he did not intricate whether it would be replicated in the experience of poor people.
One way we can gain a proper foundational perspective on ministry to the poor is by
examining the causes of poverty. From a Biblical aspect, we can see the cause of poverty in
their society, time, or even individual poverty. But it is important to note that the causes of
poverty in a given context are usually mixed and self-aggravating.

❖ Personal Sin - The first cause of poverty is personal sin. Scripture often mentions
moral failures that lead to poverty.
• Laziness or idleness: Proverbs 6:10–11; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 19:15
• Poor work ethic: Proverbs 14:23
• lack of self-discipline, stubbornness, drunkenness and gluttony: Proverbs 13:18;
Proverbs 23:21

❖ Natural Evil – The second cause of poverty. Natural evil is the consequence of human
wickedness that leads to poverty. God cursed the natural world to fall off and die because
of human rebellion. It consists of natural disasters, diseases, injuries, death, and genetic
defects. Natural evil is not directly caused by an individual’s actions or other actions
against them. Slightly, this type of evil is a part of the fallen created order and, as such,
includes material forces beyond human control. Natural evil can lead to poverty when it
causes a loss of material goods, the death of a family provider, or a disease or physical
infirmity that prevents a person from labor and production.
• Floods: God brought "a flood of waters on the earth" (Genesis 6:17).
• Thunder, hail, lightning: God "sent thunder and hail, and fire came down" (Exodus 9:23).
• Destructive Wind: God sent a "great wind" that destroyed Job's house and killed his family
(Job 1:19).
• Earthquake: By the Lord, "the earth will be shaken" (Isaiah 13:13).
• Drought and Famine: God will shut off rains, so neither land nor trees yield produces
(Leviticus 26:19–20).
 • Forest fires: God says, "Say to the southern forest, 'I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall
devour every green tree in you and every dry tree'" (Ezekiel 20:47).

❖ Oppression – third cause of poverty is oppression by others, this type of poverty can
be prevented. Thus, Bible often warns against oppressing others.
• Theft: Psalms 12:5
• Delayed wages: Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15; 1 Timothy 5:18
• Excessive taxation: 2 Chronicles 10:1–19
• Biased justice systems: Leviticus 19:15
• Excessive interest rates on loans to the needy: Exodus 22:25–27

IV. EFFECTS OF POVERY:

In Nehemiah 5:1-5, the effects of poverty are failure to harvest and poor crops (v1-3); and
an extreme interest or overcharging.
1”There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish
countrymen. 2 Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain
so that we can eat and live.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and
homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to
pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen
and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters
are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

Isaiah 5:8 “Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field until there is no more
room and you alone are left in the land.” The devastation caused by the enemies sweeping through
the land and the oppression of the people by their rulers.

Proverbs 23:21 “For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe
them in rags.” The gluttony that brings poverty.

Proverbs 28:19 “The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases
fantasies will have his fill of poverty," as does laziness.

❖ Physical: Children born into poverty are more likely to experience many health problems,
including poor nutrition, chronic disease, and mental health problems. Poverty strains families,
which can lead to parental mental health and relationship problems, financial problems, and
substance misuse.
❖ Intellectual- Research substantiates poverty's negative effects on a child's brain, including
development, learning, and academic performance. Numerous studies have documented that
low-income children, as young as age two, perform worse across cognitive measures (Duncan
& Brooks-Gunn, 1997; Feinstein, 2003).
❖ Social- Nearly all possible consequences of poverty impact children's lives. Poor
infrastructures, unemployment, lack of basic services, and income reflect their lack of
education, malnutrition, violence at home and outside, child labor, and diseases transmitted by
the family or through the environment.

❖ Spiritual- Spiritual poverty is when someone is rich in money and material possessions but not
towards God. The Church in Laodicea was rich but complacent in its self-satisfaction. They
never realized that the presence of Christ was not with them anymore, the root cause of spiritual
poverty.

V. ARTICLES

According to Institute for Research on Poverty, Discussion Paper no. 1309-05. Poverty rates
are highest in the most urban and rural United States, and they are increasing. Nonmetropolitan
areas have higher rates than metropolitan areas. However, because only one-fifth of the country's
35 Million poor people live in nonmetropolitan areas, rural poverty has received less attention
from policymakers and researchers than urban poverty. We critically review the literature on the
factors influencing rural poverty. We are interested in studies investigating whether there is a rural
effect. That is, there is something about rural areas other than demographic characteristics and
local economic context that makes poverty more likely in those areas. We identify methodological
issues (such as endogenous membership and omitted variables) that may limit the validity of
existing studies' conclusions about a rural effect. We conclude with research proposals to address
these concerns and investigate the processes and institutions in urban and rural areas that influence
poverty, outcomes, and policy impacts. Three striking regularities characterize the distribution of
poverty across the American landscape.

First, counties with high poverty rates are geographically concentrated: counties with
poverty rates of 20% or higher. % or more are concentrated in the South's Black Belt and
Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, the lower Rio Grande Valley, and counties with Indian reservations
in the Southwest and Great Plains. Plains (see Figure 1). Second, county-level poverty rates vary
across the rural-urban continuum, as shown in Figure 2. They are lowest in the suburbs (the
outskirts of major cities) and highest in remote rural areas (nonmetropolitan counties not adjacent
to metropolitan areas). Third, rural areas have a disproportionately high rate of high and persistent
poverty. In 1999, one in every six counties in the United States (15.7%) had high poverty (poverty
rates of 20% or higher). Only one in twenty (4.4%) metro counties had such high rates, whereas
one in five (21.8%) remote rural (nonadjacent nonmetro) counties did.
Furthermore, nearly one in every eight counties experienced persistent poverty (poverty rates of
20 percent or more in each decennial census between1960 2000). These counties with persistent
poverty are mostly rural, with 95 percent being nonmetropolitan. Furthermore, persistent poverty
is more common in less populated and remote counties.
This report was prepared by Fernando Aldaba, consultant, in close dialogue with the
Government of the Philippines and under the guidance and supervision of Camilla Holmemo,
poverty reduction specialist, Southeast Asia Department (SERD), and the overall leadership of
Neeraj Jain, country director, Philippines Country Office, SERD, and Shireen Lateef, director,
Social Sectors Division, SERD.
Poverty and inequality have long been issues in the Philippines, resurfacing in the aftermath of the
current crisis. In 2008, there was a global financial crisis and rising food, fuel, and commodity
prices. Over the last four decades, the proportion of households living below the official poverty
line has declined slowly and unevenly, and poverty reduction has been much slower than in
neighboring countries such as the People's Republic of China (PRC), Indonesia, Thailand, and
Vietnam. The economy's growth has been marked by boom and bust cycles, and current periods
of moderate economic expansion have had little impact on poverty reduction. Other factors
contributing to the relatively moderate poverty decline include high rates of inequality across
income brackets, regions, and sectors and uncontrolled population growth. This research aims to
provide a comprehensive analysis of the causes of poverty in the Philippines, as well as
recommendations for accelerating poverty reduction through sustained and more inclusive growth.
The study will provide an overview of current government responses, strategies, and
accomplishments, as well as identify and prioritize Future requirements and interventions.
Achievements toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will also be evaluated. It will
investigate the effects of the current financial crisis on poverty and make recommendations for
how to proceed. The research is based on an analysis of current literature and the most recent
available data, including the 2006 Family Income and Expenditure Survey. (FIES).

The prevalence of poverty in households increased from 24.4 percent in 2003 to 26.9 percent
in 2006, and the number of poor families increased from 4.0 million in 2003 to 4.7 million in 2006.
The poverty rate rose from 23.8 million in 2003 to 27.6 million in 2006. It should also be noted
that the incidence and magnitude of poverty do not always coincide. Mindanao has the highest
poverty incidence, at 38.8 percent, according to 2006 poverty data, but Luzon has the highest
number of poor families, with nearly 2 million families (42.4 percent of the total). For most of
2008, self-rated poverty1 ranged from 50 to 52 percent, peaking at 59 percent (an estimated 10.6
million people) in the second quarter. Inequality has also remained persistent over time. Although
the Gini coefficient2 improved to 0.4580 in 2006 from 0.4605 in 2003 and 0.4872 in 2000,
inequality remains high in comparison to other Asian countries and has remained stable for more
than 20 years. High, The impact of economic growth on poverty reduction has been limited by
inequality. However, the Philippines continues to fall short of the targets for primary education,
maternal mortality rates, and access to reproductive health care. The goal of reducing the
proportion of people living in extreme poverty may not be met due to the current global economic
crisis and recent increases in poverty incidence. Existing indicators show significant regional
disparities across all goals and targets. The Philippines has made significant progress in improving
the opportunities and welfare of its women and men in terms of gender (ADB et al., 2008);
however, challenges remain in implementing key policies and improving maternal health and
reproductive health care.
IV. ANALYSIS

The full-year 2018 poverty incidence among the population, or the proportion of poor
Filipinos whose per capita income is insufficient to meet their basic food and non-food needs, was
estimated at 16.6 percent. It translates to 17.6 million Filipinos who lived below the poverty
threshold, estimated at PHP 10,727, on average, for a family of five per month in 2018. On the
other hand, subsistence incidence among Filipinos, or the proportion of Filipinos whose income is
not enough to meet even the basic food needs, was registered at 5.2 percent in 2018. The monthly
food threshold for a family of five was estimated, on average, at PHP 7,528. Among families, the
proportion of poor families in 2018 was estimated at 12.1 percent, equivalent to around three
million families. Meanwhile, the subsistence incidence among families was recorded at 3.4
percent, or around 800 thousand food-poor families, in 2018.

Graph Study:
As a result of the updating, the 2018 poverty incidence among the population, or the
proportion of poor Filipinos whose per capita income is insufficient to meet their basic food and
non-food needs is now estimated at 16.7 percent (from 16.6/P percent). It translates to about 17.7
million Filipinos living in poverty in 2018 (17.6/P million Filipinos). On the other hand,
subsistence among the population in 2018 remains at 5.2 percent after updating.

Self-Analysis:
Our nation today does not blame poverty on sin, but it infers a kind of moral weakening
when the primary values in our society are fruitful in a career, wealth, property, and the lifestyle
that goes along with all that. Now, most Filipinos do not see themselves as standing with the rich
and well-known but as struggling middle class and contemplate work as virtuous, but Scripture
tells us that God loves the poor he is on their side merely because they are still persons worthy of
reverence and in their powerlessness, they put their confidence in God. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells
us that when we dress, feed, and house the poor, rescue those taken enslaved by drugs or human
traffickers, or comfort the distressed, we do it all to Him in His person.
VI. PRACTICAL APPLICATION

We see poverty as a broader, universal issue, especially regarding our relationship with
God. Romans 3:23" For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That means every
person – regardless of title, is spiritually destitute. Our sin puts all of us in a helpless, hopeless,
and desperate state. Outside of Christ, we are spiritually and morally bankrupt. Thankfully, we
serve a God full of mercy and love while being just.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands His church to 19 "Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age". To preach the Gospel to every people and society is one of the jobs of
every believer in obedience to the mandate of the Lord Jesus Christ, to influence the world by
carrying the good news of salvation, to bring hope to the hopeless, and bring transformation to
individuals.
God was also imparted to His disciples so that believers can shine before all men so they
may glorify God in heaven. It will also enable them to manifest righteousness in the world to
disperse darkness or, as Paul would say, 15 "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among
those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Churches greatly influence the lives of individuals, cultures, and society. Meditating on the
Scriptures and having compassion for the poor is helpful because they provide a vision of how to
achieve God's command to care for the needy and the blessing of helping others. It can help us
prevent the increased range of poverty. The bible says in Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." Christ alone brings restoration To
our relationship with God. Internally, we return to what He created us to be. We grow in confidence
and competence as we serve others. Eventually, the reflective reconciliation of the relationships
that embrace poverty cannot be done without people accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
“We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
VII. RECOMMENDATION:

This study revealed that the real cause of poverty is not just the absence of enough resources
to secure basic life necessities. God intends for everyone to thrive economically. He wants us to
find provisions for basic needs in our daily life. He also desires us to enjoy his generosity's wealth
abundance. I believe that the solution to this poverty is to understand the very purpose of Jesus to
know Him personally and to know why this is happening, and he wants us. As Bible believers, we
need to educate people and also educate the government officials about the consequence of this
and the importance of practicing the word of God.

To JRCC Students:
For us to avoid poverty in all aspects, we need to accept Jesus as a personal Lord and
Savior, knowing that He is the one who has the authority over our lives.
In Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In Deuteronomy 8:18,
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and
so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
We must rely on God because He is the source of wisdom. 6 It is the Lord who gives
wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding. 7 He provides help and protection for
those who are righteous and honest.”

To JRCC Staff and Professor:

To provide any financial assistance and material provision to less fortunate students. And
to continue the discipleship through teaching to truly understand the real cause of poverty derived
from spiritual blindness.

To Community:
To recycle materials, engage in small and medium businesses or enterprises to lessen the
unemployed individual.