Regular church-goers give 4x as much to charity than their secular counterparts, but there is a lot of room for optimisation. I'm working on improving charitable donation within the Church, and I'd like your help.
I will be hosting a series of seminars, where we will be reading passages of the Bible that inform us about the meaning and methods of Christian charity. The unique challenges of the 21st century (eg. existential risks of AI, factory farming) warrant fresh thinking about charity. I will be using this seminar to inform myself on the Christian version of charitable giving. I am launching a project that exposes Christian communities to the EA school of thought on charitable giving. I hope to create resources that help Christians to think through the efficiency of their charitable giving, promoting opportunities to donate with Givewell and Givedirectly. Seminars will be an open discussion, where participants are encouraged to engage deeply with scripture, importing personal experience and preconceived notions about charity as little as possible.
Please sign up hereA little more info about the seminar:
The seminar will follow the St. John's College format: a “shared inquiry” or Socratic-style method that revolves around close reading, thoughtful questioning, and open-ended discussion. Before each seminar, participants immerse themselves in original texts, without relying on modern summaries or secondary sources. A tutor initiates each session by posing a genuine question about the text, inviting participants to respond and build on one another’s insights. Rather than supplying authoritative interpretations, the tutor acts as a facilitator, guiding the conversation. The method involves active listening, critical thinking, and mutual exploration, making every participant jointly responsible for the quality and direction of the dialogue.
More Info on the Goal
My goal with this seminar is to develop a principled understanding of Christian charity in a modern context, grounded in scripturally derived prerogatives. I see an important and underfilled niche: building a model of Christian charity that begins with the Bible and leads to concrete actions and beliefs suited to contemporary realities. For instance, I have in mind our near inescapable participation in the global economy, where even simple consumer choices impact billions of people—people we may wish to love as neighbours.
This seminar is an opportunity to use the Bible to explore questions like, “Who is really my neighbour?” If we conclude that our neighbour includes the entire world, this has radical implications for how Christians should approach charity. In that case, initiatives like GiveWell and GiveDirectly could serve as invaluable resources for millions of Christians seeking to radicalise their charitable donations.
