The U.S. government declared an “unconditional war on poverty” in 1964. More than 40 years later, it’s safe to say that poverty won the war.

When government anti-poverty programs began in earnest, about 13 percent of Americans met a statistical definition of poverty, and the unemployment rate was about 4 percent. Today, billions of dollars spent have reduced the rate of poverty in this nation only to 12.5 percent, and the federal unemployment rate – though significantly better than during the late 1970s – hovers around 5 percent.

Despite the creation of a massive bureaucracy and the spending of billions of dollars on anti-poverty programs, poverty is a more critical problem in the United States than ever before. It’s incredible, in a country where so many people experience an abundance of material blessings, that so many people do without.

The government’s huge investment in anti-poverty programs not only hasn’t helped, but also have proven to be harmful in many ways:

They’ve contributed to the breakup of poor families. The welfare system encourages a lifestyle of idleness and discourages the traditional family. Fatherless homes are eligible for more aid than intact families are. Under these programs, out-of-wedlock births are generously rewarded, while morally pure women are penalized.

They’ve contributed to a huge, inefficient government structure. Only about 30 percent of the budget allocation for anti-poverty programs go to the people the programs are designed to help. The rest go to overhead and administration.

They’ve sapped the economy. The taxes required to support anti-poverty programs take away opportunities for people to become more affluent, and for businesses to grow and adapt to changes in technology. It’s disheartening to imagine how much industry might have expanded in the last 40 years if not for the burden of taxes they bear. This is especially true for small businesses, which are the major source of job growth in this country.

Clearly, when it comes to fighting poverty, government isn’t the answer, no matter how well intentioned the programs are. Instead, it seems that government involvement in fighting poverty is the problem.

Before the “war on poverty,” the family, the church and private institutions led the way in showing compassion for the poor and offering relief to them. They can again – more efficiently and more effectively than the government can – if given the opportunity.

God’s word makes clear that Christians have a responsibility to care for the poor. Helping poor people is our responsibility, but it doesn’t have to be – and shouldn’t be – accomplished through our government. It’s past time for the church to take its responsibility for fighting poverty seriously, and for the government to shift its focus to supporting anti-poverty efforts that really work.