Thursday, March 27, 2014

A World Vision retraction reaction



Within 60 hours, World Vision went from:

 "Changing the employee conduct policy to allow someone in a same-sex marriage who is a professed believer in Jesus Christ to work for us makes our policy more consistent with our practice on other divisive issues…” - World Vision: Why We're Hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages



To… "We cannot defer to a small minority of churches and denominations that have taken a different position."- World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians in Same-Sex Marriages



OK, so World Vision retracted their decision to hire same-sex marriages. Is it because they received such backlash and fire from conservative evangelicals, or was World Vision (WV) testing the waters to see if they could get away with believing  the majority of believers would say nothing about their decision to hire same-sex couples? In addition, did the WV leaders converse with well-known evangelical leaders prior to their decision on Monday? It would appear that this organization thoroughly considered their decision to announce their stance prior to Monday and that this announcement was not done in haste. 

I would like to believe that WV is truly repentant by the indications of their letter on Wednesday. If they truly are repentant, then forgiveness is in order. However, I know the compromise of marriage has already arrived in the church and this retraction may be more about tolerance for the cause, than ignorance of the inerrancy of God’s word on the sanctity of marriage.

 I question, would WV write this letter on Wednesday if only a handful of evangelicals rebuked them on Tuesday? If World Vision reported more than 2000 children dropped from sponsorship after the announcement, as Wednesday's article would indicate, would this mean that the leaders of World Vision care more about children, social justice, the sanctity of marriage, the inerrancy of scripture, or more about losing their own jobs? Let us be honest. Was Monday's decision to appease a certain community of people who believe that homosexuality is not a sin and same-sex marriage is OK, all the while believing that the evangelicals as a whole would not respond in force? By their own statements on Monday, WV believed that professing believers could remain in a homosexual relationship called same sex marriage. Yet, nearly 60 hours later this same organization claims they cannot defer from the word of God?   

 It is as if World Vision was playing a game of pluralism and tolerance for the sake of strengthening their cause.If they knew that there was going to be a backlash by the conservatives, and if they could get any amount of tolerance by this group to accept their decision, they would also get the support of the homosexual and their liberal backers.Regardless of why they chose to make these decisions, they have distanced themselves from some conservative evangelicals and most of the professing Christian LGBT community.

.The conservative Christian will say that the homosexual has to twist scripture to validate same-sex marriage, yet these very same Christian leaders tolerate the many remarriages in their own congregations. I know that many pastors read scripture and this scripture convicts them that divorce and remarriage is adultery, but they fear the outcome of preaching such a thing. If these pastors preach the permanence of marriage by teaching Luke 16:18, Mark 10:11,12, Romans 7:2,3 and 1 Cor 7:39, and allow no loopholes for divorce and remarriage  they know that they may lose nearly half of their congregation. Also, consider that a congregation sponsors or employs the pastor. The moment you tell your congregation that you will preach the truth about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, you stand the chance of losing your job, your church, and your reputation.

Therefore, the issue is how we tolerate the word of God. Should we pick and choose which scripture suits our desires or should we allow the Holy Spirit to convict and direct us even if this opposes the majority? If scripture is clear that homosexuality is sin and same-sex marriage is not a marriage, then what does this say about the church or organization who believes that homosexuality is not a sin and that same-sex marriage is not a marriage? We would call this church apostate.   

Unfortunately, this 60-hour scenario leaves another black stain on the name of Christianity. Homosexuality and same-sex backers win a battle for the definition of marriage in World Vision’s recent decisions. They win this battle because the enemy not only backs their wicked agenda of marriage destruction and their sinful lifestlye; they win because the enemy has already infiltrated the professing church through the tolerance of divorce and remarriage.

The professing Christian homosexual cares nothing of biblical authority and their agenda is to destroy the sanctity of marriage and the Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is all too easy to understand. It all started in the Garden of Eden when the serpent said, “Yea, hath God said?...”  If an organization does not know the difference of what defines marriage, a church, and sin on Monday, how can we be sure that by Wednesday they repented of their ways? If their error into believing that tolerance is the key to success and instrumental in appeasing everyone for the sake of the cause, did they really repent or were they testing the waters for an outcome that is sure to occur?  

The English writer and Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton once made this quote:  “Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”

I will not tolerate ignorance of a sacred institution, and neither should any believer in the body of Christ. World Vision and every evangelical congregation need to make a step in the right direction, and not one-step forward and two steps backwards. A big step forward begins with the permanence of marriage. Marriage definition by the body of Christ from this day forward is between a man and a woman until death. Divorce is not an option and remarriage is adultery. No excuses, no exceptions, and no more tolerance for the sake of a cause, so help me God.

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

In Christ’s love,

Neil

1 comment:

Judith Bond said...

A good report. Thanks for standing and promoting Gods truth.
Keep the fire burning.