Evangelical charity World Vision to hire married gay Christians

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SHMILY Mar 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) - The prominent Christian relief agency World Vision said Monday it will hire Christians who are in same-sex marriages, a dramatic policy change on one of the most divisive social issues facing religious groups.

Richard Stearns, president of the international humanitarian relief group, announced the hiring change for the United States in a letter to staff. Stearns said the World Vision board had prayed for years about how to handle the issue as Christian denominations took different stands on recognizing same-sex relationships.

"The board and I wanted to prevent this divisive issue from tearing World Vision apart and potentially crippling our ability to accomplish our vital kingdom mission of living and serving the poorest of the poor in the name of Christ," Stearns wrote in the letter.

The agency's new hiring policy was first reported by Christianity Today magazine.

Based in Washington state and started by evangelicals, World Vision now has an international operating budget of nearly $1 billion and conducts economic development and emergency relief projects around the world. Last year, the charity reported receiving 18 percent of its annual funding from the federal government. Federal agencies have for several years faced pressure to require any group that receives federal funding to end any hiring restrictions on gays and lesbians. Stearns insisted the humanitarian relief group wasn't responding to any outside lobbying or concerns about government funding.

"I want to be clear that we have not endorsed same-sex marriage, but we have chosen to defer to the authority of local churches on this issue," Stearns said.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Evangelical-charity-World-Vision-to-hire-married-gay-Christians-252051441.html

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JB1968 Mar 24, 2014

Sad. No more World Vision in my donation giving. However, God is Still on the Throne!

sermonindex Mar 24, 2014

http://asiaharvest.org and http://www.gfa.org are great alternatives.

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RobertW Mar 25, 2014

This is a very sad day indeed.

sermonindex Mar 25, 2014

Robert the "sad day" happened a long time ago. This is just the manifestation that the Holy Spirit had already left.

"WORLD VISION” SUPPORTS POPULATION CONTROL
BY LIFESITENEWS.COM Tue Mar 02, 1999 12:15 EST

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/world-vision-supports-population-control

"A year ago I was challenged to read The Hole in Our Gospel by some Christians who thought it was...important....I was challenged by it but troubled at the same time. I subsequently wrote the author about what I had concluded was "a hole" in The Hole in Our Gospel . [What follows are excerpts from that letter addressed to the leadership of World Vision]:

Many years ago...we supported World Vision. Then I became sensitized to the impression that it was mostly a liberal do-gooder organization with the merest of Christian underpinnings....World Vision's mission statement today [See TBC Extra page, January 2011] fails to disabuse me of that conclusion....While I believe [that] World Vision does an extraordinary work, I believe there is a hole in its vision....

Many luminaries whom you mentioned are clearly not Christian. While I understand that Gandhi can provide us valuable insight on how Christians are perceived, and Bono can perhaps recognize suffering better than I...nonetheless, I question the worldly implications, as well as the partnerships, which World Vision fosters....We are exhorted not be to unequally yoked together. Sure, bread isn't Baptist or Episcopalian, water isn't Seventh Day Adventist or LDS, and recipients see caring, not Catholic or Jewish, eyes. Yes, we must bring compassion and resources to the world and give a cup of cold water...doing it in God's name. But how we mount the effort is equally important. God is honored when we love our neighbors, but He is not glorified unless that labor is also done with co-believers. We can't avoid one of His stipulations in order to accomplish another one....

I stumbled over your citations of guiding lights like Jimmy Carter, whose tremendous bona fides as an advocate for the disadvantaged are eclipsed by his abject failure as a former world leader and questionable pronouncements against Israel and certain fundamental Christian tenets; like Pope John Paul II, who could have single-handedly brought millions to saving faith in Christ yet perpetuated the misuse of wealth, persecution, and falsehood [that] his church inflicts on the poor; like Mother Teresa, the saintliest of souls, who despite her own lifelong devotion to the least of God's creatures, was in fear for her own soul; like the gospel-impaired Katherine Kuhlman, etc. I stumbled over quotations from The Message : no matter how compelling, paraphrasing God's inspired Word is simply another gospel...it is not God's Word. And how can yours be a "Christian humanitarian organization"? Organizations can't be Christian. Quasi-Christian elements, invoking the imprimatur "Christian," having Christians in the organization, sharing Christian principles, does not make it Christian....Words do mean things...and much of World Vision and your opus need to be seen in light of whom you choose to invoke and how you [do] it.

So the hole in The Hole in Our Gospel may be evidenced, implied, or omitted by your mission statement. God must come first and last-and everywhere in between-or it is a false gospel. World Vision should help others to reach their full potential in Christ along with material assistance....The goal should be transforming lives, not communities, for Christ. You should partner with God first and foremost; and while it may be impossible to be in the world and not utilize worldly elements, 1 Corinthians:9:22b aside, you should clearly not align with non-Christian entities no matter how noble or worthy their effort. To do any less is the hole in The Hole ....

There are those of us who applaud your goals yet question some of your means....Your personal testimony is an awesome challenge to me. I do not doubt your personal faithfulness to God's calling and therefore have to question my own possible mis-perceptions of World Vision accordingly. But "building a better world for children" seems strangely hollow despite all its implied goodness and scriptural mandate. DB (email)" Dave Hunt

http://www.thebereancall.org/book/export/html/9004

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Sree Mar 25, 2014

"The board and I wanted to prevent this divisive issue from tearing World Vision apart and potentially crippling our ability to accomplish our vital kingdom mission of living and serving the poorest of the poor in the name of Christ," Stearns wrote in the letter.

I find the problem here. The leader wants to preserve the ministry more than preserving the testimony of Christ. Jesus Christ is not interested in ministry alone, he is more interested in people who take a stand for him. If we give more importance to our ministry than our personal walk with Christ then we risk the danger of falling from our stand for the Lord.

For example if Apostle Paul was offered financial help by a richman for his ministry of taking the Gospel to Gentiles. But in return he wanted to dilute the Gospel then Apostle will never accept him or his offering. He would rather lose an opportunity to improve his ministry for the sake of watering down his stand for the Lord.

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KingJimmy Mar 25, 2014

I've been remotely familiar with "World Vision," but never directly affiliated with them. My question is, to what degree, if any, have they been anything other than simply a charity organization for feeding hungry and thirsty people? Have they always held themselves out as a conservative Christian ministry?

sermonindex Mar 25, 2014

http://www.wvi.org/our-history

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KingJimmy Mar 25, 2014

Personally, as much as I believe homosexuality is a sin, I think it would be wrong to cease giving to a charity that helps destitute people just because the organization hires a sinner. Living out Matthew 25 and acting in grace and mercy are weightier matters of the law.

sermonindex Mar 25, 2014

I personally believe many organizations that have had Christian roots can become so non-christian that they are not doing it in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God anymore.

There are many other godly smaller organizations that will do the giving to the poor in the name of the only Son of God who died for sinners and makes a narrow way for believers to follow Him to eternal life.

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KingJimmy Mar 25, 2014

They've probably been hiring unbiblically divorced and remarried people for decades now. How is this different?

sermonindex Mar 25, 2014

There is a difference between winking at something and publicly endorsing something. Now I say both positions to be wrong, but there is a difference. The difference is that so many ministries simply cannot or will not stand up and face into the cultural winds that are now blowing at hurricane strength. This is only a category 1 hurricane though, the pressure is only going to increase.

So, God is shaking all that can be shaken. It is an exposing of what lies behind so that there can be no excuse. If there are multitudes in the valley of decision , then they will make that decision with their eyes wide open......bro Frank

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KingJimmy Mar 25, 2014

I think here they aren't endorsing it, as they even said they aren't. They seem to simply hire whoever wants a job.

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MaryJane Mar 25, 2014

by appolus on 2014/3/25 15:20:45

There is a difference between winking at something and publicly endorsing something. Now I say both positions to be wrong, but there is a difference. The difference is that so many ministries simply cannot or will not stand up and face into the cultural winds that are now blowing at hurricane strength. This is only a category 1 hurricane though, the pressure is only going to increase.

So, God is shaking all that can be shaken. It is an exposing of what lies behind so that there can be no excuse. If there are multitudes in the valley of decision , then they will make that decision with their eyes wide open......bro Frank

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Greetings Frank

Good post. What we are seeing is more and more compromise by those in the religious system who want to hold on to what they have.

God bless
mj

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noone Mar 26, 2014

Why does everyone pick on this sin?

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MaryJane Mar 26, 2014

Greetings Noone

you said:by noone on 2014/3/25 18:16:46

Why does everyone pick on this sin?

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If I man ask you a question, which sin would JESUS allow us to remain in? Which sin would HE tell us not to repent of or not to warn others to repent of?? Which sin should we look the other way and be silent about??

mj

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ginnyrose Mar 26, 2014

I have been looking at this issue as well. Coupled with it our SS lesson on Sunday includes Matthew 5:39-42: (NASB)

39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41"Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

And I have to teach it. SIGH

Yet, when I look at the context how Jesus healed folks, fed them, he addressed the sin issue when there was one present. If the hiring of a person is done knowing full well he/she will be called upon to minister the mercy and grace of God, how can one justifiably hire someone living in overt sin? Can we do any less then that and have the blessing of God upon us?

It is easy to indulge in humanitarian work without addressing the spiritual needs of the recipients. The end result is that you will end up feeding an entitlement mindset. The reality is that needy folks do not want the spiritual needs addressed. I know - worked for a charity when we shared physical goods with our clients.

My opinion and experience.

ginnyrose

EDITED

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Lordoitagain Mar 26, 2014

"by KingJimmy on 2014/3/25 18:24:54

I think here they aren't endorsing it, as they even said they aren't. They seem to simply hire whoever wants a job."

KingJimmy,

If they were making it clear that it didn't matter what type of sin that an individual is involved in, then you might have a point, but that is not the case at all. They make it very clear that their unmarried workers are to be living in abstinence, and their married workers are to be living in fidelity ... and that their gay workers must be married and living in fidelity to their spouses. By having guidelines that require that a person be a Christian and stipulating other actions that they recognize as Christian they are making a bold clear statement to all that they consider married gay people Christian people!

They are simply joining the rest of the perverted world in declaring that homosexuality is OK. If they were to state that "Christian pedophiles" could work for them as long as they adhered to certain guidelines ... how would you take it?

M

mattf12486 Mar 26, 2014

http://www.christianpost.com/news/world-vision-reverses-decision-on-gay-married-employees-we-made-a-mistake-116871/

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noone Mar 27, 2014

So, will they hire someone with a serious pride issue? How about a person that gossips or is selfish or doesn't love their spouse the way they should or lives in unforgiveness or bitterness or un loving towards everyone? There is a myriad of sins that "christians" live in knowingly...