Christianity

You are currently browsing the archive for the Christianity category.

World Vision in Haiti and Chile

March 4, 2010 in Christianity by Greg | No comments

Earlier this week, an op-ed caught my attention about the mission of World Vision. According to their web site, World Vision is a “Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.”

Chile Earthquake A day after the Chilean quake, the organization assembled tarps, blankets, water and other aide for survivors of the quake. Steve Matthews of World Vision’s global rapid response team,

. . . was quick to allay fears that Chile would turn out to be another Haiti, where a massive earthquake on January 12 killed more than 200,000 people.

“This quake will not be like the one in Haiti,” he said. “Haiti was concentrated, and that led to the challenge of tons of aid and hundreds of aid workers being sent into a small zone.”

He added, however, that it would be extremely difficult to assess the number of deaths and extent of the damage caused by the Chilean quake because of its potential to reach remote areas.1

World Vision is uniquely qualified to provide disaster relief efforts in both Haiti and Chile. They have a presence in over 100 countries worldwide and distribute over 86% of total revenue to programs which benefit people. Here’s a brief excerpt on how one columnist views their mission in political terms:

For most of the last century, save-the-worlders were primarily Democrats and liberals. In contrast, many Republicans and religious conservatives denounced government aid programs, with Senator Jesse Helms calling them “money down a rat hole.”

Over the last decade, however, that divide has dissolved, in ways that many Americans haven’t noticed or appreciated. Evangelicals have become the new internationalists, pushing successfully for new American programs against AIDS and malaria, and doing superb work on issues from human trafficking in India to mass rape in Congo.

A pop quiz: What’s the largest U.S.-based international relief and development organization?

World Vision in Haiti and Chile »»

  1. Hutt, Brian. “World Vision readies emergency response to Chile earthquake”. 289 Feb 2010. Christian Today. 1 Mar 2010.↩

Silencing the Christians Video

February 25, 2009 in Christianity by Greg | 5 comments

Speechless . . . Silencing the Christians is a video series created by the American Family Association (AFA). The following is a brief backgrounder to the series provided by the AFA Journal who interviewed LeAnne Burnett Morse, the executive producer:

AFA Journal: How did the idea for this series come about?

LeAnne Burnett Morse: About three years ago I read a book by David Limbaugh, titled Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity, and I was stunned. We’ve all heard about the “liberal media,” but the average citizen probably doesn’t realize what the liberal agenda has done and threatens to do to our culture. The examples in Mr. Limbaugh’s book had me scratching my head and wondering, “Does anyone else know about this, and where’s the public outcry?”

After reading the book, there was a tremendous burden in my spirit that I wasn’t supposed to just read this and file it away. I felt God calling me to sound the alarm with whatever skills He has given me, which happen to lie in the medium of television [having been a television writer and producer for 17 years]. I started doing research and the more I dug into the subject, the more determined I became that if more people knew about what was really happening they would be shocked by how much we stand to lose if things continue on the current course. I pitched the idea of the show to my programming executives at The Inspiration Networks and, with the help of AFA, a partnership was developed and the show went into production in Fall 2007.

AFAJ: Describe the series.

LBM: Speechless … Silencing the Christians is a rallying call to Christians and conservatives across the country. Through interviews with people who have experienced persecution because of their religious faith, we are showing how personal freedoms are being stolen from us.

AFAJ: What’s the series’ purpose?

LBM: Speechless is to wake up the Christian and conservative population to what is happening and to equip them to take a stand for their rights. We are not seeking to take away anyone’s right to speak or to claim that our rights are more important that any others. But, we are standing up and saying, “If it’s OK for you to stand in the street and say that homosexuality is normal, then it is our right to stand in the same street and say we believe it is a sin.” We’re standing up for fairness, not special treatment, and we’re speaking out against persecution of any kind. Equal should be equal.1

Sources:

  1. Grace, Rebecca. “Series Spotlights Bias Against Christians”. 22 February 2008. One News Now. 24 February 2009.↩

Are Mormons Christians?

November 26, 2008 in Christianity by Greg | 2 comments

“Are Mormons Christians?” has become a common question over the last number of years. In writing this entry, I hope to take a different approach in comparison to the many sources of information which are available on this subject1, and instead focus on Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ talk on Easter Sunday over 23 years ago.2

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane by Hoffmann Obviously, “Are Mormons Christians?” is a very personal subject and goes to the core of my belief as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I reviewed some of the material, I noticed there are widely divergent views with one or more groups attempting to define what it means to be a Christian. From a Latter-day Saint or Mormon perspective, I offer the following as my understanding of what it means to be a Christian or follower of Christ.

Taking Upon Us the Name of Christ and Becoming a Christian

In “Taking Upon Us the Name of Christ”, Elder Oaks referred to the “sacrament of the Lord’s supper, which many call communion”. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are commanded to partake of the sacrament each week. (D&C 59:9, 12). When we partake of the bread and water – which represents the body and blood of Christ (Mark 14:22-14) – we signify to our Heavenly Father that we are “willing to take upon [us] the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].” (D&C 20:77; Moroni 4:3).

Elder Oaks then stated:

Our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ has several different meanings. Some of these meanings are obvious, and well within the understanding of our children. Others are only evident to those who have searched the scriptures and pondered the wonders of eternal life.

Read the rest of this entry »

  1. See for example, Robinson, Stephen E. Are Mormons Christians? Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991; Millet, Robert L. A Different Jesus? The Christ of the Latter-day Saints. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2005.; “Are Mormons Christians?“. Light Planet. 26 November 2008; Abrams, Cooper. “Are Mormons Christian?“. Christian News and Views. 28 November 2008; and, Kennedy, John W. “Are Mormons Christians?: Checking the Credentials of the ‘Saints’“. 15 June 1998. Christianity Today. 28 November 2008.↩
  2. Oaks, Dallin H. “Taking Upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ“. May 1985. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 26 November 2008.↩

Claiming Christ

November 14, 2008 in Christianity by Greg | 1 comment

Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate is a book written by Robert L. Millet1 and Gerald R. McDermott.2 The book follows up where Stephen E. Robinson and Craig L. Blomberg left off in How Wide the Divide?: A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation. Although I have not yet read Claiming Christ, aquinas at Summa Theologica appears to have written a masterful review at An LDS Perspective on Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate. Here is an excerpt:

Claiming Christ by Millet and McDermott

Morehead’s Musings: This book presents an academic discussion of theological issues. But while such theological frameworks may appeal to Evangelicals who approach their faith and interactions with those of other faiths with this priority and framework in mind, it runs the risk of missing the mark in communicating meaningfully with Latter-day Saints. This is not to dismiss the importance of worldview and doctrine which are surely related to ethics and praxis, but what might be the (even assumed) frameworks that Latter-day Saints begin with, and how might Evangelicals begin from these starting points and then bridge the way to their concerns over theological discussion? 

Aquinas: This is a great question. We really need spend more time learning each others metaphors. I think McDermott “breaks” Latter-day Saint metaphors by projecting and imposing criteria and meaning from Evangelical metaphors. I’d like to offer three examples of this. First, McDermott makes the argument that the LDS Jesus doesn’t transcend the cosmos (Claming Christ, 75). The Latter-day Saint metaphor is that God creates by bringing order out of Chaos. Cosmos is order. Chaos is disorder, unformed the unorganized. God speaks to Chaos and it obeys. So, what McDermott really means is the LDS God doesn’t transcend Chaos because Chaos exists when God creates. However, this breaks the metaphor because the metaphor only works when Cosmos and Chaos are opposites. The metaphor doesn’t care or it doesn’t make an issue of Chaos pre-existing as a challenge to the absoluteness of God. The point is not who exists before: God or Chaos. The point is that it is God who is creating by speaking to the waters. The point in this metaphor is that God is God because of his creative powers. The Holy Ghost broods over the waters and brings forth heaven and earth from the primordial waters in Genesis. That is one example.

Read the rest of this entry »

  1. Robert L. Millet is Professor of Ancient Scripture and the Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University.↩
  2. Gerald R. McDermott is Professor of Religion at Roanoke College.↩

Mormonism

November 3, 2008 in Christianity by Greg | No comments

“Is Mormonism Christian?” is the title of an article written by Bruce D. Porter1 and Gerald R. McDermott in last month’s First Things: The Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life.2 Elder Porter introduced this subject by writing:

Mormonism has been much in the news over the past year. The presidential campaign of Mitt Romney was the principal reason, though there were other causes as well: the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to become the fourth-largest denomination in the United States, for instance, and the prominence of Harry Reid as Senate majority leader. The total number of news articles devoted to the church in the past year more than doubled the previous high, reached during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. For all this, there has been more smoke than light, particularly about the fundamental question of what Mormons actually believe.

The following is a podcast of Russell R. Reno’s3 interview of Elder Porter regarding the article “Is Mormonism Christian?”.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8610222787554092657

Sources:

  1. Elder Bruce D. Porter was called as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in April 1995. In April 2003 he was called to serve in the First Quorum of the Seventy.↩
  2. Porter, Bruce D. and Gerald R. McDermott. “Is Mormonism Christian?“. First Things. 3 November 2008.↩
  3. Russel R. Reno is Professor of Theology at Creighton University, a Catholic Jesuit university based in Omaha, Nebraska.↩