World Vision Sees The Light

World Vision Eyes Policy Change

Anyone who bought the media's line that Christians don't care about the
issue of marriage found out yesterday just how wrong they were. The church
not only cares about marriage -- it remains a priority for Bible-believing
Christians. Every American, no matter where they stand on marriage, was
stunned when World Vision -- one of the largest charities in the country --
walked away from 60 years of moral tradition by agreeing to hire same-sex
"spouses."

Fortunately, they hadn't walked out of earshot, as thousands of Christians
jammed phone lines and email boxes with messages of shock and dismay. Some
of the most influential Evangelical leaders weighed in publicly and
privately, while supporters took their outrage directly to the
organization's executives. Some churches were already making plans to
redirect fundraisers to other groups when word broke that World Vision had
reconsidered. Barely 48 hours after departing from the straight and narrow,
President Richard Stearns released a statement officially reversing its
short-lived plan to bring about "unity" in the Church.

After an emergency meeting of the World Vision Board, Stearns offered a
profuse apology for the betrayal felt by so many supporters. "We have
listened to you and want to say thank you and to humbly ask for your
forgiveness. ...[W]e failed to be consistent with World Vision U.S.'s
commitment to the traditional understanding of biblical marriage and our own
statement of faith, which says, 'We believe the Bible to be the inspired,
the only infallible authoritative Word of God.' And we also failed to seek
enough counsel from our own Christian partners... We are brokenhearted over
the pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends, who saw this
decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to biblical authority."

For Christians across America, who continue to be disappointed by the
compromise of Christians on biblical marriage, this should be a source of
encouragement. Like so many people relieved by the course correction, we
welcome World Vision back with open arms. It takes a lot of courage in this
culture to own up to a mistake of this magnitude and apologize.

Unfortunately for the organization, even short-term failings can have
long-term consequences. Even as they reconcile and reengage the ministry,
plenty of people will have questions about how a Christian organization
could take such a radical departure from biblical teaching without someone
sending up a warning flare. To them, it's not an issue of forgiveness -- but
trust. How could World Vision get it wrong on something so fundamental as
biblical sexuality? In many ways, this is a teachable moment for the entire
Christian community -- and an opportunity to every ministry, pastor, church,
and spiritual leader to refocus themselves on the transcended truth of God's
word. The Psalmist wrote, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light until
my path." This is the moment for every Christian ministry, every Christian
church, and every Christian home to make sure that God's Word -- and not the
"good" of the world -- is what lights our way.

Pastor Terry K. Hagedorn
Calvary Baptist Church
PO Box 282 Reedsville, WV
Ph. 304-864-3870
MOUNTAIN MANNA, 96.7 FM, Sundays 9:30am
http://mountainmanna.com
http://mountainmanna.sermon.net/
"Pointing Mountaineers to Mount Calvary."

...[W]e failed to be consistent with World Vision U.S.'s commitment to the traditional understanding of biblical marriage and our own statement of faith, which says, 'We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God.' And we also failed to seek enough counsel from our own Christian partners...

HA, once a hypocrite always a hypocrite ..... and only admitting to that fact simply because their source of revenue is "cut off" makes their actions even more dastardly.

And if they had "to seek counsel" on that issue ..... then only the Devil knows what all they have actually been expending past or previous donated revenue on or for.

Education is costly, ..... but Biblical believers never seem to learn anything .... no matter how much of their money they give away.