All the Lives You Can Change: Effective Altruism for Christians

Philosopher Roser (Effective Altruism and Religion) teams up with Zhang, cofounder of the Centre for British Progress, and Bauman, director of Effective Altruism for Christians, to provide believers with a pragmatic guide for maximizing their positive impact in the world. To carry out Jesus’s call to live a “hopeful and impactful life,” the authors write, Christians must exercise “broad moral concern” toward “not just our immediate neighbors, but also those who are distant or very different from us.” One way to do so is to donate to charities based in the Global South, where funds can go further than in developed countries. When it comes to choosing a cause, readers should assess the issue’s importance, neglectedness, and tractability (how likely one’s actions are to have a positive impact), and narrow down organizations by examining empirical research on their initiatives. The authors focus mostly on financial aid but acknowledge that money doesn’t always address systemic factors that perpetuate social problems. To that end, they advise readers on voting to maximize global good and choosing careers that help tackle social problems. Throughout, the authors optimistically show how faith principles can be applied in a world where the advent of modern technology has created new challenges as well as “unprecedented” opportunities for leveraging aid as broadly and wisely as possible. Christian do-gooders will be inspired. (May)