“So much of our experience is that there’s such goodness in people, and generosity. But when you see evil and look it in the eye, it’s overwhelming.”
From arguing with Vladimir Putin about political dissidents and the relationship of church and state, to witnessing the devastation of the 2004 tsunami or the power of forgiveness in post-genocide Rwanda, Tim Costello has had an inside view of some of the most fraught issues of our time.
In the second part of Simon Smart’s interview with the man who’s been called “Australia’s pastor”, Tim shares lessons from his time as CEO of World Vision Australia, including questions around suffering and trauma, what a reasonable refugee policy would look like, burnout, and what makes humanitarian efforts genuinely effective.
“Boil down all the books on development in all the libraries in the world – and there’s hundreds of thousands of volumes – they really come down to: what works? It’s relationship. That your culture matters, that you have respect from us, that we will not take control of your life, but ask you what control and changes you want to make in your life. That takes time, and relationship.”
—
Listen to Part I of this conversation: https://www.publicchristianity.org/a-lot-with-a-little-part-i/
