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I am doing research for a large donation to charities. Are there any good, Christian agencies under the CRCNA banner that are just doing the work of Christ in the world, without a political bias?

For example, I’m considering World Renew for a donation. Their website says they do “Community Development” and “Disaster Response and Rehabilitation” which both sound great. But can anyone please comment or give me advice on how they go about their “Peace and Justice” Ministry? Is there a political bias there? 

Thank you in advance for any help.

Comments

I am also looking for input on what agency the Office of Social Justice (OSJ) falls under, as I will use that as input to my donation decision.

On World Renew, I know there is a lot of controversy and the scientists don’t agree if man is causing any global warming or cooling.  In the face of this unsettled science, with at least 31,487 scientists (Source: http://www.petitionproject.org/ ) saying man is not causing global warming, can anyone please relate what side, if any World Renew has taken on this issue? I am hoping they have not taken any side, and just let the scientists figure it out and the politicians decide what to do, with World Renew just helping people affected by floods and hurricanes. They do excellent work there.

As an agency of the Christian Reformed Church, World Renew is subject to Synod. The Synodical statement on climate change can be found here http://justice.crcna.org/creation-care-church-speaks

 

The peace and justice work includes widows rights, trauma healing, and more. https://worldrenew.net/peaceandjustice

Good day Peter:

       Yours is certainly a provocative question: "Are there any good, Christian agencies under the CRCNA banner that are just doing the work of Christ in the world, without a political bias?"

       What gets complicated by such a question is that it seems that you are trying to ascertain the area of presuppositions, or the thinking behind the thinking of these agencies.  Take a poll of any Christian agency, CRCNA or otherwise, and ask them if they are adhering to biblical orthodoxy, loving neighbors, and loving Jesus and they will all declare "Yes and amen." However, if one peels back a few layers, then sometimes something else emerges. Here I will use an illustration from my soon to be defended PhD thesis.

     There is an evangelistic method out there that suggests that if one uses the sacred texts of non-Christian religions to "prime the pump" in a pre-evangelistic method, then better results are guaranteed than if one used the Bible in wise ways. Three things appear to be at work behind the scenes of this method. First, is a North American pre-occupation with results and pragmatism. Secondly, the method assumes that these sacred texts (and often an erroneous appeal is made to Acts 17 and the Apostle Paul at the Areopagus using the poetry of Aratus and Epimenides) are neutral raw material that can be utilized to advantage. Lastly, an underlying assumption is that the basic lack of humans is information, and that if information is packaged in user-friendly ways, then they will come.  These three assumptions, for all the declarations of orthodoxy etc of this method, are actually working against Christian truth. The way that this method works is more informed by non-Christian presuppositions influenced by the spirit of the age than Christian presuppositions informed by a Biblical-Christian worldview.

   So how does this apply to your question?  Your question asks for a qualification "without a political bias" and that needs a lot of qualification. Was Jesus being political or a-political when he suggesting giving to Caesar what is Caesar's? Might I suggest that you ask whether an agency, by its actions, passions, publications, and priorities leans towards Christian or non-Christian presuppositions, and to what degree they are being driven by the values of the surrounding culture and the spirit of the age. [Some of my ideas here are also influenced by Michael Kruger's excellent blog series, "The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity"

https://www.michaeljkruger.com/the-complete-series-the-10-commandments-of-progressive-christianity/

Here is a short list off the top of my head of some of the influences of the 'spirit of the age.' 

1. We must show hospitality to all ideas in the marketplace.

2. Respect for the ideas of everyone is more important than respect for God's standards.

3. God's standards are up for negotiation.

4. My negotiation and your negotiation must be affirmed.

5. Wholesale affirmation without judgment must be the new mark of the true church.

5. The true church is characterized by what my views of justice, equality and love look like.

6. My views are sovereign.

etc.

 

Blessings in Christ

John Span

 

 

 

 

 

  

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