Why the Effective Altruism movement is not in line with Christianity
The Bible is strongly supportive of charitable giving. The effective altruism movement, or EA, is focused on charitable giving. But that is where their similarities end. EA is not in line with how the Bible says we should donate our money or time.
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
I am not saying that EA is intrinsically unethical - I'm simply saying that its aims are in conflict with what the Bible says we should do. So it's therefore a very secular approach to giving - which may not be a problem for you if you're an unbeliever. But for believers, it simply doesn't line up with the Bible.
Here we will take a look at what the Bible says we should do with regards to donating time or money. Then we will look briefly at EA. Disclaimer: Although I have done some research on EA for the purposes of this blog post, I am by no means an expert on it. It's entirely possible I have missed some of its nuances. Nonetheless, even with those caveats, I still don't see how EA is compatible with Christianity.
The Bible makes it very clear that each of us is a unique individual with their own part to play in the body of the church. We should not automatically be trying to take on the same task as someone else. God calls each of us to our own role to play:
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
1 Corinthians 12: 12-21
The verse continues to show that we are all different and unique, and are blessed with different gifts:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
1 Corinthians 12: 27-30
These different gifts can be used to help others, whether by donating time or money. As examples, some may be called to help the homeless locally. Others will feel called to help the poor in other countries. Yet others will feel called to help teach children locally at Sunday School to equip them with the word of God.
Christianity values the unique and individual gifts each person has. In this way, all the different areas of God's work may be accomplished, just like all parts of the body combine to form a functional human being.
This is in stark contrast to EA, where EA instead looks at how far someone's money or time will go if applied in a particular sector. EA aims to get the highest amount of measurable improvement for the money, which means that of the 3 example applications above, EA charities are most likely to donate to helping the poor in other countries. This is because the money could go further there and make more of a difference in that location than it would elsewhere.
By contrast, Christianity says that this is certainly a worthwhile aim, yet it is not the only worthwhile aim out there. The other 2 examples above (helping the local homeless; teaching local children at Sunday school) are still equally worthwhile from God's point of view - but not from EA's point of view. In EA, donors are not really viewed as individuals. Instead, the EA charity owner decides what is the most worthwhile application of the total funds donated, without any regard to each donor's gifts, callings and interests. In Christianity, the individual decides (based on the calling they sense from God) where to apply their gifts and talents.
The other area where EA differs sharply from Christianity is that EA says that it is better for someone to work an unethical job if they earn more money at it (which they then donate to EA) than if they worked an ethical job but made less money. EA attempts to quantify the "net good" - which by the way is impossible - how do you quantify ethics relative to money?! It's like trying to add apples and oranges in algebra. By contrast, Christianity says that it is better for someone to work an ethical job, even if this means they can donate less than working in an unethical job. Christianity says the individual and their relationship with God comes first, above and beyond how much money they can earn, even in the case where they are earning it to donate. It is the individual's responsibility to keep up their relationship with God, which can be harmed by working unethically. It is, however, NOT the individual's responsibility to somehow find more money if it can't be done ethically.
The Christian ways to address that would be to let God do that part of things. Some solutions are: praying for the target group that the Christian is donating to from their ethical job, that the money will go supernaturally far through God's intervention. Other solutions are: praying for a higher paying job that is still ethical to allow the Christian to donate more. There are surely many other solutions. All of the Christian solutions allow God to do the extra part of the work. EA by contrast does not make room for God to do any of the work, so it is always going to be limiting.
Ultimately, for the reasons explained above, the EA movement is not in line with Christianity. When considering how to donate their time and/or money, Christians should prayerfully consider where God is calling them. They should not follow what an EA leader is saying. God is the leader of any Christian.
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