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Moody, Book Review  106 

  

Book Review 

 

Christ Among the Classes: The Rich, the Poor and the 

Mission of the Church 
by Al Tizon 

 
Reviewed by Cynthia Moody 

 
 

 
 

New York. Orbis Books. 2023. $35.00. 

 

This heartfelt and existentially challenging book 

gives a clear and compelling call for Christians to lead 

justice-oriented lives, in which followers of Jesus are led 

by the Holy Spirit to pursue selflessness and service to 

the poor over the temptation to accumulate material 

wealth and comforts. Tizon reminds us that our worth 

is not defined by our socio-economic status. In fact, he 

points out, we may suffer from “affluenza,” a condition 

that de Graaf et al. (2014) argue is caused by capitalistic 

society. 

What is our calling? Jesus, Tizon reminds us, lived 

among the poor and said they were blessed. In fact, 

Jesus instructed the disciples to leave everything and 

follow him. He told the rich young ruler to go sell all he 

had and give to the poor. He applauded Zacchaeus, 

who repented of his selfish gain.  

Who is poor? While focusing on people who are 

economically poor, Tizon reminds us that people may 

also be physically, personally, socio-politically, psycho-

emotionally, morally, and spiritually poor. Yet, of those 

who are economically affected by classism, Tizon 

writes, “a collective prejudice [is] formed into a system 

of inequality based on socioeconomic stratification … 

undergirded by embedded cultural narratives 

concerning the poor, and then instituted by powers that 

be at the expense of the poor” (xxii).  

Tizon addresses not only personal poverty, but 

also the organizational and institutional elements 

involved in classism, which is closely linked with the 

institutional foundations of racism that date back to 

historic colonization movements (80). In other words, 

poor people cannot simply pull themselves out of 

poverty when its roots are structural in nature. 

Colonization led to structural barriers that undergird 

classism. Therefore, according to Tizon, we are still in 

need of reforming societal structures today. Indeed, it 

is up to those of us who have wealth to awaken to 

compassion and to work diligently toward sharing our 

time, talent, and treasure such that we advance Jesus’ 

agenda over our own. We are to seek first the kingdom 

of God and his righteousness. As Tizon argues, “When 

we are side-by-side in solidarity with the poor, we are 

side-by-side with Jesus” (119). He quotes Micah 6:8, 

and offers the caveat that “Classism poisons the soul 

and creates a society that runs horribly contrary to the 

kingdom of God…the church needs to identify, 

confront, repudiate, and dismantle classism to be 

faithful to its mission in the world” (161). 

One of the major attributes of this book lies in the 

six “life altering movements” the author proposes we 

seriously reflect on: From awakening to compassion; 

self-gain to generosity; accumulation to simplicity; 

proprietary rights to hospitality; savior complex to 

friendship; and safety to solidarity. Tizon provides short 

self-assessments in the Appendix for each of these six 

areas. These help readers pinpoint concrete steps that 

can be taken over time to move more in the direction 

of generosity and ultimately solidarity with the poor 

among us. Tizon also shares details of his own personal 

journey toward solidarity with the poor, as well as 

others’ stories including those of Dorothy Day, Gustavo 

Gutierrez, John Perkins, Gerard Thomas Straub, Nikki 

Toyama-Szeto, Raineer Chu, and Princess Kasune 

Zulu. Each of these stories inspires the reader to think 

beyond self, and envision what might be if we each were 

to make other choices. Tizon’s message challenges us 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 5(1),  Summer 2023 

Moody, Book Review  107 

  

toward “conscientization,” asking, “are we not stewards” 

(89)?  

Reminders of structural impediments created by 

classist societies beg for more than personal tithing 

alone. Tizon suggests there is a need for organizational 

tithing. Perhaps this could be considered as a form of 

corporate social responsibility (CSR). Other faith-based 

literature has pointed us in the direction of CSR, and 

even toward socially responsible investing. Amy 

Domini speaks to social investors’ commitment to 

community development, and the positive impact 

corporate behavior can have on disadvantaged 

communities. Domini reminds us that shareholders can 

“raise issues in a formal, structured way through the 

annual meeting of the corporation” (Domini 2001, 88). 

Tizon’s reminders harken back to those who have 

gone before, reminding us to find ways to remove 

structural barriers in society that keep us from achieving 

true solidarity with the poor. Bringing the world’s 

economically poor into full communion and citizenship 

with the world’s economically rich will depend not only 

on our personal commitments to change, but also on 

organizational commitments to change. Decolonization 

means making structural progress toward solidarity with 

poor. 

Tizon gives Christian development practitioners 

impetus to reflect personally and to envision new 

possibilities brought about by working toward 

decolonization through overcoming the inherent 

racism and classism that have invaded our modern 

psyches. What did Jesus teach? Tizon argues that it is 

all about love in action. As he says, “We must be careful 

to use our education to advance Jesus’s agenda among 

the poor and oppressed and to steer clear of advancing 

ourselves up the social ladder of prestige, power and 

wealth” (38). Tizon’s book points us all, and perhaps 

especially those working in development, toward a 

spiritual pathway of real and lasting change. 

 

References 

Domini, Amy. 2001. Socially Responsible Investing: 

Making a Difference and Making Money. 

Dearborn Trade, a Kaplan Professional 

Company. 

de Graaf, John, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor, and 

Annie Leonard Affluenza. 2014. How 

Overconsumption Is Killing Us—and How to 

Fight Back. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler 

Publishers. 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cynthia M. Moody teaches management and 

leadership at the College of Central Florida. She is a 

returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Mozambique ‘14) 

and former I-TEC volunteer who is passionate about 

Christian approaches to international development 

work that strive for world peace and solidarity. 

 

Author email: moodyc@cf.edu 
 

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