Yesterday, we reported that World Vision, one of the world’s largest Christian charities, which focuses on social justice issues like poverty and the welfare of children, would now be willing to hire married gay Christians in their American branch. World Vision is not part of any particular denomination, and is supported by members of many denominations, so their decision reflects the fact that the Christian church is no longer of one mind on issues of LGBT equality.
Of course, the usual wingnuts are telegraphing that they hate gays a lot more than they care about suffering children, and they’re pitching the expected fit. Joe.My.God has been collecting their reactions — collecting “sadz” is one of his favorite things to do — and he’s found some jewels:
Oh no, surrendr!
And for a fuller explanation of why poor, dying kids are less important than being bizarrely fixated on other people’s marriages, here is Matt Barber:
“When faced with a choice to either go with the path of least resistance and embrace the lie of the world and the lie of the father of lies – versus embracing the truth of Christ and the truth of scripture and standing firm on the Word of Life, World Vision has chosen to take the path of least resistance,” he tells OneNewsNow.
“Just because you say you’re not an official wing of the church or that you’re a para-Christian organization does not release you from the command to adhere to biblical truth and biblical reality as it pertains to sexual morality,” he maintains. “So that is a cop-out – and anyone with a clear understanding of scripture can recognize it as such.”
“This very dramatic, counter-biblical, apostate move by World Vision shows where they stand,” he concludes. “They have destroyed their credibility as a Christian organization with one fell swoop – and it’s heart-wrenching.”
And Franklin Graham:
“I was shocked today to hear of World Vision’s decision to hire employees in same-sex marriages. The Bible is clear that marriage is between a man and a woman …. World Vision maintains that their decision is based on unifying the church – which I find offensive – as if supporting sin and sinful behavior can unite the church.”
And hate group leader Tim Wildmon:
“The first chapter of Romans is very clear [on the definition of marriage]. World Vision has abandoned the warning of Paul and compromised the integrity of a minsitry supported by Christians who regard Scripture as the final authority on the issue. Christians who support World Vision should stop as should all of the artists and authors who raise money for them. There are many other organizations that sponsor children around the world who remain true to the gospel.”
In short: “We don’t give a f*ck about those kids, God hates fags.”
Evangelical Christian writer Brandan Robertson reacts to these reactions with a post about the “sad state of American Evangelicalism,” first quoting Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics Coalition, who said this:
“At stake is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If sexual activity outside of a biblical definition of marriage is morally neutral, then, yes, we should avoid making an issue of it. If, though, what the Bible clearly teaches and what the church has held for 2000 years is true, then refusing to call for repentance is unspeakably cruel and, in fact, devilish…Children will suffer as evangelicals lose trust in and withdraw support from World Vision in the future. It will take time for evangelicals to start new organizations that maintain historic Christian concepts of sin, faith, and repentance. In the meantime, children will suffer. Needlessly.”
“Needlessly” = God hates fags more than we love those kids. You can almost hear Brandan’s head hitting his desk, before he collects himself and responds:
It is easy to see that over the coming weeks thousands of Evangelicals will withdraw their support from World Vision. And Dr. Moore is absolutely right. As this begins to take place, thousands of children will suffer because of the lack of funding from their former sponsors who decided that this theological and political issue was more important than their life. It is a tremendously sad day when followers of Jesus Christ will chose to make a theological/political point by withholding funds from children who are in life and death situations. Can you imagine trying to explain to one of the children who lose their sponsor why exactly they no longer have support? Because the President of their organization chose to allow a demographic of people to work at the organization that their sponsor didn’t agree with?
[…]
We are living in a day where we as Evangelicals value our political positions and doctrinal systems over real, living people. Children whose lives are stake. Children who rely on our simple donation of $35 dollars a month to sustain them and give them a hope and future. And yet we, in our waywardness, are willing to withhold this simple act of charity from these children in order to make a political point. And we justify it by saying this is an issue of “the Gospel”. But in the words of Brian McLaren, “If the Gospel we preach is not first and foremost good news to the poor, then it isn’t the Gospel of Jesus.” We in American Evangelicalism seemed to have misplaced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Gospel that calls us to radically love and extend grace, justice, and mercy to every human being regardless of their political, theological, or sexual orientation. We have instead chosen to sacrifice children’s lives on the altar of Evangelical politics. And that is shameful. More than that, it is the height of depravity. Because not only are we sacrificing these beloved children in third world countries on the altar, but we are once again sacrificing Christ himself. For when we withhold mercy to the poor, we withhold justice from God. When we chose to remove our support from a faithful Christian social justice organization that has given life and hope to millions of children globally because we disagree with who they employ, we are removing our support from the hands and feet of Jesus. What an absolute shame. We are entering in to some very dark days in Evangelical Christianity.
As Jeremy points out, the far right is absolutely stunned that they’ve lost this war, and they don’t know what to do with themselves. They’re so blinded by anti-LGBT hatred, and all the anti-scientific “facts” that they use to justify it, that they’re quite willing to throw the kids who rely on this huge, well-oiled charity for their very existence, directly under the bus.
And they dare to consider themselves the “moral” element of our society. How ridiculous.
