by Allan Wall
Demonstrators in New York City brandished “Help not Hate” signs
Who were the “haters” they were protesting?
New York City Mayor (and former presidential candidate) Bill de Blasio spoke of the same group, calling their presence “very troubling”.
What exactly was this group of “haters” doing that was so “hateful”?
They were treating coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.
The group, Samaritan’s Purse, is a Christian organization that holds to orthodox Christian beliefs and morality.
In 2020, that can get you into trouble.
Samaritan’s Purse, headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, works in 100 countries. Its current president is Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham, world-famous evangelist.
The name Samaritan’s Purse is derived from a story Christ told – “The Good Samaritan”. It’s recorded in the Bible, in Luke chapter ten. The group thus emulates the Samaritan in the story, who helped someone in need.
Samaritan’s Purse organization, in partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, recently set up a field hospital in New York City’s Central Park, to treat COVID-19 patients.
The field hospital consisted of 14 tents and 68 beds, including 10 ICU beds with ventilators. It’s attended by over 70 medical personnel including doctors and nurses.As of April 14th, this field hospital had treated 130 coronavirus patients.
I’m sure the coronavirus patients appreciated their work, but a number of prominent politicians and activists slammed Samaritan’s Purse.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the group’s presence “very troubling”. That’s a private group treating coronavirus patients for free.
Jay W. Walker of the “Reclaim Pride Coalition”asked “How was this group ever considered to bring their hatred and their vitriol into our city at a time of crisis when our people are fighting a pandemic?”
So what has Jay W. Walker done to help fight coronavirus? Has he done more than Samaritan’s Purse?
Four members of Congress, Democratic representatives of New York, wrote a letter to Mayor De Blasio, Governor Cuomo and the president of Mt. Sinai. The letter expresses their concern about Samaritan’s Purse and asks demanding questions. [You can read the letter here].
The four representatives were Jerrold Nadler (District 10), Carolyn Maloney (District 12), Adriano Espaillat (District 13) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (District 14).
Representative Nadler tweeted that “Samaritan [sic] Purse has a long history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.”
Oh really, like what? Can anybody show an example of Samaritan’s Purse turning away an aid recipient who happens to be a homosexual?
I’ve never seen any such proof.
It’s true that Samaritan’s Purse does not support the recent innovation of “same-sex marriage”, which has appeared in the last twenty years in a number of Western countries.
Franklin Graham explained the issue on Facebook entry (see here).
Quoth Graham: “While so many have expressed their appreciation and support, sadly some New York officials and a special interest group have expressed concerns or outright opposition to the presence of Samaritan’s Purse and our field hospital in Central Park….These groups share a common objection to the Statement of Faith which Samaritan’s Purse requires its employees to sign and generally asks its volunteers to support.”
The Statement of Faith includes this: “We believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”
Note that the group’s employees– not its patients – are required to sign the Statement of Faith.
Graham explains the distinction: “…for 50 years, we have asked our paid staff to subscribe to a Statement of Faith—but we have never asked any of the millions of people we have served to subscribe to anything….as a religious charity, while we lawfully hire staff who share our Christian beliefs, we do not discriminate in who we serve. We have provided billions of dollars of medical care and supplies, food and water, and emergency shelter without any conditions whatsoever. Our Christian faith compels us—like the biblical Good Samaritan—to love and serve everyone in need, regardless of their faith or background.”
What’s really going on here?
Nobody has produced any evidence that Samaritan’s Purse has turned away an aid recipient for any reason whatsoever.
The attack on Samaritan’s Purse is really an attack on Christianity and Christian morality.
In the future, will legal action be taken against a group like Samaritan’s Purse?
What about your local church, will it be safe?
Christians really need to be aware of what is occurring in our society and they need to consider how the church should deal with it.
© 2020 Allan Wall – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Allan Wall: allanwall39@gmail.com
