Jesus said the poor will always be with us, so where does that leave Christian support of Live8, asks Greg Clarke.

“After the flood all the colours came out,” sang Bono as a flock of doves was released to kick off Live8, the eight simultaneous concerts in various nations designed to raise awareness of Africa's humanitarian crisis.

The desire was that the concerts would alert the leaders at the G8 summit in Edinburgh (a kind of mini United Nations, but without any legal clout) that their people want to "Make Poverty History'.

The doves, invoking the birds that found land for Noah, were the first of many symbols and gestures of hope during a long night of music and campaigning.

At one level, a Christian could view such activity as Babylonian " an attempt to build heaven on earth. Certainly, Bill Gates's comment that in the future all people will lead a healthy life were optimistic. And Nelson Mandela's call to "wipe poverty from the earth' seems unlikely to be heard.

Or does it? I confess to being sick of hearing Christian people's excuses for not encouraging this kind of large-scale intervention on behalf of the world's poor. Among the most common responses in the negative that I have heard are:

Jesus said the poor will always be with us (Matt 26:11; Mark 14:7).
What difference will a bunch of rock stars and celebrities make?
The money never gets to those who need it.
Until corruption in African politics is sorted out, it's pointless.
I'm concentrating on evangelism " this would distract me.

I've said things like this in the past myself, but in recent times I've had to admit that each of these responses is a lame and sometimes callous manoeuvre to avoid the real issue. So, let us quickly rethink each response:

1. Jesus' words to his disciples have been twisted and ought not stop us trying to eliminate poverty. In fact, Jesus is saying that most of the time, you are in a position where you can be helping the poor.

2. Celebrities such as Bono, Bob Geldof, Madonna, Bill Gates and Paul McCartney have indeed helped to shape today's world (for better or worse). Everyone knows how much power they have. Of course politicians pay attention to them.

3. It can sometimes be the case that aid doesn't reach its target. But the argument of Jeffrey Sachs, the key economist behind the Make Poverty History campaign, is that we have never tried to offer the level of aid required over the period required. We're reactive rather than proactive. We go for feels-good giving when a famine gets media coverage rather than long-term (and smaller) targeted support that works. Sachs's book, The End of Poverty, gives the details [see box].

4. Dealing with corrupt governments is always going to be difficult. But many poor African nations are in fact well governed and offer good opportunities for targeted economic development. Sachs cites Ghana and Senegal as countries ripe for growth, if only they can escape malaria and debt. The reform can start from there.

5. It is possible that caring for the poor will distract you from evangelism. Some people become so passionate about the plight of the poor that this takes up all of their time and energy. But not many. In fact, not enough.

We need more soul-saving evangelists to complement the life-saving work that those passionate few social activists are engaged in. Oh, for more of both!

Just to be clear, it remains true that if the gospel itself becomes "feed and medicate the poor' and not "Jesus is Lord and Saviour', then things have gotten out of hand.

Here's the weird thing: according to the Bible, the most legitimate negative response to things like Live8 and the Make Poverty History campaign is to say, "I don't want to'. In Mark 14:7, Jesus tells those around him that they can give to the poor "whenever they want to', and Paul in 2 Corinthians 9 reminds the church that God doesn't want people to be charitable out of coercion: "God loves a cheerful giver'.

If you have been feeling negative about this article as you have read it, perhaps you shouldn't be campaigning or giving this time around. God is interested in your heart. He can save Africans without your input.

So what happened at the G8 Summit? Did Live8 make a difference? The answer is "a bit and a lot'. Overshadowed by the London bombings, the G8 leaders announced a series of plans which (if acted on!) would double aid to Africa by 2010, waive the debts of 14 very poor African countries, and eventually get around to talking about making trade possible for struggling African nations.

Many aid agencies think the G8 agreement is too little over too long a period to make much difference, but it may be only the beginning of an increase in aid of all kinds. That's where Live8 made a lot of difference. It raised the stakes on the poverty issue, again placing the desperate needs of others on our agenda and challenging us to consider whether we really believe that one life is as worthy as another. Jesus, the leper-touching, foreigner-befriending, child-loving Lord and Saviour, seems to believe so.

Dr Greg Clarke is the Director of the Centre for Apologetic Scholarship and Education (CASE) part of New College at the University of NSW. Visit www.case.edu.au for information about and courses and events.