Introduction
It's easy to think that 'charity' means 'raising money to help someone'. To be fair, that's what many charities spend a lot of their time doing. However, fundraising and charity don't mean the same thing at all. Charity means kindness, generosity and consideration. In Christianity, it specifically refers to the sort of unconditional love that Christians call 'Agape'. This sacrificial, selfless sort of 'Christian' love is the love that God has for everyone, and that he showed when he sent his son to die for our sins, Christians believe.
Unselfish love should lead to kind actions, and it is this sort of 'doing good deeds' that people associate with charity. Many charities in the UK were initially started by Christians, but the gospel message is for love to all people, so the work done is rarely focussed particularly on Christians, and often many non-Christians get involved and become part of the charity.
Here are some examples of charities that have been set up by Christians:
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Tear Fund |
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CAFOD |
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Send a Cow |
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Christians Against Poverty |
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The Smiles Foundation |
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The Council for World Mission |
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The Samaritans |
