As the pastor of a church with a deep desire to love others as Christ would, I’ve recently been telling folks, “If you only read one book this year, then you must read The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns.” And that’s saying a lot, given that my own book just came out! I feel that strongly about Stearns’ message.

Stearns, who has been president of World Vision USA since 1998, has a love for God and a passion for people who are that’s immediately evident. A former CEO for Parker Brothers and Lenox, Inc., he jettisoned a lucrative career in corporate America to answer God’s call to humanitarian ministry. And a decade later, he says he has no regrets. “The world we live in is under siege,” he says, before ticking off the severity of our problems — famine, AIDS, war, ethnic cleansing, terrorism. “Three billion are desperately poor,” he continues, “One billion are hungry, millions are trafficked in human slavery, 10 million children die needlessly each year.”

In The Hole in Our Gospel Stearns offers an unflinching critique of American Christianity and the growing divide between “rich Christians” and the world’s poor. For Stearns, the burning question for the church, and the subtitle of his book, is this: What does God expect of us? If we answer that question prayerfully and honestly, Stearns believes it could change our lives — and the world. I recently chatted with him about the alleged hole in our faith, and the work of World Vision.

ROBERT GELINAS: You see a hole in our gospel. What is it, and why is it there?

RICHARD STEARNS: Many people believe that the gospel — and its message of salvation — represents a private transaction, almost a “fire insurance policy,” between them and God. I contend that Jesus Christ proclaimed a broader, bolder vision of the gospel, a gospel that proclaims Christians are to be “salt and light” in the world. Jesus intended that his followers would be on the vanguard of a social revolution that would change our world. We were to lift up the poor and the downtrodden; care for the sick; fight for the oppressed; challenge injustice; and love our neighbors — and our enemies — as ourselves. Our faith was never meant to be only a “fire insurance policy” for our own security. It was meant to change everything in our world.

ROBERT GELINAS: Your book describes your personal journey that led you to discovering the “hole in your own heart.” Does the remedy lie in the individual student being ready to see what is so clear in the scriptures, or do we need to address institutional holes in our churches, seminaries, etc.?

RICHARD STEARNS: A lot of our churches and seminaries focus too much on believing the right things, rather than doing the right things. Yes, there has long been a debate about faith versus works as the path to salvation. It’s not an “either/or,” but rather a “both/and.” For example, in Luke 6, Jesus admonishes his followers: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Later, James states clearly and unequivocally that belief is not enough. Faith must be accompanied by actions. In many ways, that is similar to a comment from my former pastor and good friend Gary Gulbranson: “It’s not what you believe that counts; it’s what you believe enough to do.” So, while it is first our individual responsibility to be faithful to the commands of Christ, it is also important that our churches and seminaries preach “the W-H-O-L-E gospel” and not a diminished gospel, one with a H-O-L-E in it.

ROBERT GELINAS: You use a powerful metaphor of “100 crashing jetliners” to describe the severity of the issues we face around the world, with more than 26,000 children dying daily from poverty-related causes. In light of that, as followers of Jesus, are we trying to end poverty or is this about something else?

RICHARD STEARNS: The number of children who die every day — 26,000 — is the equivalent of 100 jetliners filled with children, crashing every day, 365 days a year. It is shocking that this is happening and few of us are paying any attention. So, yes, this speaks to the core of our faith and what we believe. Are we, as Christians, okay with this, or are we going to do something about it? Whether we are successful or not in tackling this kind of deadly poverty is secondary. But I don’t believe Jesus gave us the option of apathy — not even trying. First and foremost, as Christians we are commanded to serve the Lord, to be obedient to his calling for our lives. I believe it was Mother Teresa who said, “God does not call us to be successful; he calls us to be obedient.”
If we are obedient to God’s call, we can make a difference in the world, a world where more than 2 billion people live on less than US$2 a day. I’ve met many of those people. I’ve been in their homes. I’ve met their children. And I have witnessed the transformation that occurs when someone shows love and compassion, as well as when they receive education, clean water, and proper health care. We can do this. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But we can’t do it if we turn our eyes away from the poor.

ROBERT GELINAS: You were named to President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. What does that entail?

RICHARD STEARNS: President Obama wants us to make recommendations on how to best engage faith-based and neighborhood organizations in four areas of social service delivery: economic recovery in the U.S., reducing the number of abortions and teen pregnancies, responsible fatherhood, and promoting positive international religious dialogue. I am serving on a sub-group on the role of international development. My duties and those of the other members are to advise President Obama on ways faith-based organizations can assist in pursuing those priorities.
Moreover, there’s a “broader tent,” if you will, in this advisory group. President Bush’s faith-based office, right or wrong, was associated primarily with evangelicals. This council includes not just Christians of many stripes, but also people of other faiths and people of no faith.

ROBERT GELINAS: There’s a new book out by Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo called Dead Aid, which argues that foreign aid to Africa is not effective and that it’s bad for the continent. How do you answer her concerns?

RICHARD STEARNS: Ms. Moyo states that her book doesn’t address charity-based aid or emergency relief by organizations like World Vision. Rather, she discusses aid payments to governments of developing countries from either other governments or from international institutions like the World Bank.