World Vision to Hire Married Gay Christians
By Julio
Severo
The prominent
Christian relief agency World Vision said Monday it will hire Christians who
are in homosexual marriages, a dramatic policy change on one of the most
divisive moral issues facing Christian churches.
The organization
previously required its some 1,100 employees at the American branch to abide by
a policy that required fidelity within marriage and abstinence outside of
marriage, and only recognized marriage between a man and a woman. However, now
World Vision is allowing gay Christians in legal homosexual “marriages” to be
hired.
The agency’s new
hiring policy was first reported by Christianity Today magazine.
In short: World
Vision hopes to dodge the division currently “tearing churches apart” over
homosexual relationships by solidifying its long-held philosophy as a
parachurch organization: to defer to churches on theological issues, and focus
instead on uniting Christians around serving the poor.
World Vision
philosophy: For the sake of the poor, homosexual and non-homosexual Christians
should get united.
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 U.S.
government, which requires any group that receives federal funding to end any
hiring restrictions on gays and lesbians.
Stearns felt
that the new policy of his organization is not an endorsement for homosexual
“marriage.” He said, “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.” So if a local liberal church chooses to send a homosexual to work
in World Vision, it is ok for them.
World Vision
requires employees to affirm, through the agency’s statement of faith or the
Apostle’s Creed, that they follow Christ. Stearns said the agency will continue
to follow that policy. So it will be enough for gay employees to remain faithful
to this statement of faith. World Vision says it hires staff from many
Protestant denominations with different views of homosexuality.
The staff of
World Vision draws from over 50 Christian denominations, some of which have
allowed homosexual “marriage” within the church, included the United Church of
Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and
the Presbyterian Church (USA). Stearns cited the multi-denominational nature of
World Vision employees as a reason for the switch.
In a new
release, Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association, stated:
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.
My dear friend, Bob Pierce, the founder of World
Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, would be heartbroken. He was an evangelist who
believed in the inspired Word of God.
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.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the
Scriptures consistently teach that marriage is between a man and woman and any
other marriage relationship is sin.
Apparently, the
U.S. World Vision is not alone in its involvement in controversies. The
director of World Vision Brazil, Ariovaldo Ramos, was involved in the
controversy of having praised Hugo Chavez and his “service” to the poor. Ramos
has also lamented publicly the death of the Marxist strongman.
Everything for
the sake of the poor.
With information from The Washington Post, The Huffington
Post, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Christianity Today.
Portuguese
version of this article: Visão Mundial vai contratar cristãos
gays “casados”
Source: Julio
Severo in English
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