i know that this article is pure satire, but sometimes satire strikes us as a little to true…Â for me, this strikes a little to close to home as once upon a time in a ministry situation i was not allowed to raise money for a christian relief organization because they didn’t give away bibles….
Poverty-Stricken Africans Receive Desperately Needed Bibles
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Since I serve with a Bible translation org, you can imagine that this article strikes me as more than a little simplistic (as satire often is by definition). I am very sympathetic to your situation. There has been a history of some followers of Christ forgoing all humanitarian aid in favor of church plants and literature distribution. I don’t believe that’s wise.
I do think though that these situations are not quite so common or naive as often portrayed by the followers of Christ who support humanitarian efforts with very little thought of spiritual teaching.
I don’t expect the Onion to understand the nuances of a situation like this, but I continue to hope for greater understanding on both sides of the issue among followers of Christ, especially when these things can be complementary. (e.g. translation programs that bring a base language to produce clear and intelligible health and literacy efforts that combat poverty, hunger, unfair trade and AIDS or humanitarian efforts that serve as a foundation for sharing faith after a relationship has been developed.)