So what, exactly, did World Vision do wrong?

Like most any business or organization, Christian relief agencies have employment standards which are reviewed and revised as a routine matter. Rarely does a change in policy spark the kind of uproar which accompanied World Vision's recent decision to allow the hiring of "Christians" in same sex "marriages." The backlash from the evangelical world was so swift and so virulent that the agency quickly reversed itself and reinstated its former standards.

The initial change in policy, while indefensible, would not have been so controversial if Richard Stearns, World Vision's president, had been more discreet. If he had implemented the change in employment standards quietly and without fanfare, it is likely no one would have known and no one would have cared. Instead, he chose to announce the change with trumpets, heralding it as some kind of boon for "church unity." Such pious pomposity, moreso than the moral repugnance of the decision itself, is what so many evangelicals found offensive.

Stearns did what the hypocrites do, and he got called on it. He has repented and asked for forgiveness. We cannot be anything but gracious toward him, recognizing that his real sin was one which can so easily trip up any one of us.

World Vision admits "mistake," reinstates biblically based employment conduct policy

 

World Vision has repented after making a very ill-advised decision to begin hiring "Christians" involved in same sex "marriages." Sarah Pulliam Bailey reports for RNS:

Christian relief organization World Vision has reversed its decision after announcing this week that it will no longer define marriage as between a man and a woman in its employee conduct manual.

The earlier decision was a groundbreaking change for the Christian institution that came with heavy criticism from evangelicals. After its initial announcement, the Assemblies of God had urged its members to consider dropping support.

The following is the letter the organization sent:

Dear Friends,

Today, the World Vision U.S. board publicly reversed its recent decision to change our national employment conduct policy. The board acknowledged they made a mistake and chose to revert to our longstanding conduct policy requiring sexual abstinence for all single employees and faithfulness within the Biblical covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.

We are writing to you our trusted partners and Christian leaders who have come to us in the spirit of Matthew 18 to express your concern in love and conviction. You share our desire to come together in the Body of Christ around our mission to serve the poorest of the poor. We have listened to you and want to say thank you and to humbly ask for your forgiveness.

In our board’s effort to unite around the church’s shared mission to serve the poor in the name of Christ, we 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. As a result, we made a change to our conduct policy that was not consistent with our Statement of Faith and our commitment to the sanctity of marriage.

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. We ask that you understand that this was never the board’s intent. We are asking for your continued support. We commit to you that we will continue to listen to the wise counsel of Christian brothers and sisters, and we will reach out to key partners in the weeks ahead.

While World Vision U.S. stands firmly on the biblical view of marriage, we strongly affirm that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, are created by God and are to be loved and treated with dignity and respect.

Please know that World Vision continues to serve all people in our ministry around the world. We pray that you will continue to join with us in our mission to be “an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.”

Sincerely in Christ,
Richard Stearns, President
Jim Beré, Chairman of the World Vision U.S. Board

This is welcome news, of course. Forgiveness requested, forgiveness granted; but the hurt caused by the initial decision may take a little time to heal.