What about the poor?

Often in our church services, we have an 'interview'. All orchestrated, of course, and transparently so, but that's the way it goes in managed performances.

Today, a young woman (young to me) who made sure we know that she was 'doing her D. Min' (I was friendly with a Jewish woman a few years ago who, doing a PhD in Augustine, was one of the leading experts internationally in his theology. She only referred to 'my work'. She also counselled me against continuing with my then current girlfriend...wise woman, it turned out).

Our D. Min (in progress) speaker was all about the use of child labour in Pakistan, and  how we should stop this. We were invited to ask questions. I felt like asking, but for sake of calm did not, 'what will these children's families do for income if they stop work?'

Poverty, exploitation and slavery are complex in some dimensions, and to put the brakes on it can have parlous unintended consequences. In Pakistan, no less than anywhere else, better to preach the gospel, and rescue those children and their families that we may. But even this is complex.

If we are to pressure governments, start with safety, limited hours to allow for school for children and fair pay. Oh, and by the way, give it a couple of centuries for a pagan culture to catch up with our Christian aspirations, noting that child labour is part and parcel of agrarian life in poor countries.