So I've been sitting here for the past few days reading about World Vision. It hasn't been an all-encompassing type of thing, but I've read various articles as they have come in through social media, email, and blogs that I typically follow. I've read reactions to the decision to change the employment policies and reactions to the change back because of the initial reaction. I've seen people "rally the troops" for both sides of the argument. I've seen applause and disappointment almost everywhere I went.
Now, I must admit that some of it made me a little upset. After all, World Vision is first and foremost a Christian organization. I know that someone is going to say that it's about the kids first, but I'm just telling you what World Vision says about themselves. I read posts and articles about people who were openly non-Christians or wouldn't give God a name (i.e. "a higher power") that were going around and applauding the decision, only to then cry foul after WV changed their policy back.
Then, I started to run across articles that played the sympathy card. Now I know that I'm not winning any friends with this statement, but I really don't care. If someone tells me that Christians ought to be ashamed of themselves because of their withdrawing sponsorships of children from WV because of doctrinal reasons, then that really gets under my skin. Statements that indicate (or even blatantly say) that Christians have forgotten Jesus' command to care for the children and poor are about a accurate as a teenagers view of what life will be like twenty years down the road.
There are numerous organizations out there just like WV. There are some that are Christian based and some that aren't. My wife and I happen to support one of them (Compassion International), and have for years. I can honestly say that if Compassion started using policies that did not align with our religious beliefs, then we would stop sponsoring our child (we're on our third child now).
But here's where everyone needs to listen and listen carefully. We would stop our sponsorship with Compassion, and WE WOULD FIND A NEW ORGANIZATION. We wouldn't feel that the decisions of the board at Compassion relieved us of our responsibility to care for the widowed, orphaned, and the poor. We would simply find another avenue for doing so. So, just because so many have stopped their sponsorship through WV doesn't mean that they don't care about children, it means that they have stopped sponsoring WV. Before anyone goes off talking about the children that will suffer because of the loss of money, let them first go and see how many other ministries along these lines have grown as a result of WV's decisions.
If it really is all about the children, then what does it matter if I choose to support an organization more aligned with my theological beliefs. But then again, we all know that much of the outrage has nothing to do with the children...or theological beliefs. I know that my words offend some, but I really just don't care any more. As faithful stewards of what God gives to each of us, we have a responsibility to use our "gifts" to glorify God's kingdom. And I for one, don't think that I (or anyone else) am bringing about great glory for His kingdom by funding an organization that is not willing to take a stand for the biblical definition of marriage.
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