Despite all the advancements in technology, industry, science, medicine and education over the past 100 years—despite all the humanitarian relief programs, policies and initiatives—poverty still exists. This article series (1) examines the true state of poverty in the United States, (2) compares this to the daily lives of millions in the underdeveloped regions of the world, and (3) reveals why poverty has persisted throughout history—and how it will ultimately be erased.

The State of Poverty:

The Great “Poverty Line” Lie!
Just how bad have economic conditions become for tens of millions of Americans? How can so many be living below the poverty line? Is there something that can be done? And what are the factors used to determine who is poor in America?

The Reality of Global Poverty
While pockets of genuinely severe deprivation do exist even in the Western world’s lands of plenty, most notably in inner cities and rural areas such as Appalachia, the overall picture of the poor in the United States is starkly different from the rest of the globe. On other continents—in slums, rural villages and jungles far from any kind of government-funded social programs—what is it like to be among the “have not’s”?

The Poverty Trap
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ uttered words that have proven true throughout the history of man: “For you have the poor with you always”—buy why?