Written by: Chris Giovagnoni
I stumbled across this post this morning, thanks to Google. More than the honesty the author writes with, I am impressed with the sincere desire that I perceive in his words - the desire to do good for the right reasons.
I strongly encourage you to read one man’s experience with us, even though his experience isn’t rah-rah.
I’m posting this because I am committed to creating a forum for authenticity and honest discussion
I’m also posting this because we, as an organization, have made these commitments.
Read Losing Compassion for Compassion International at the Protestant Blog Ethic.
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(4.75 out of 5)
September 10th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I’m impressed that you shared this. I agree with him in some respects — I don’t sponsor a child to get an automatic trip to heaven. But what I wish he did get is what the experience can do for both the child and the sponsor. He seems very hung up on how it’s “sold” to newcomers. Ah well, to each his own.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
It sounds as though he is not as upset with Compassion (and the kids) as he is with personal convictions and Biblical truths. At the end of the day, God’s mandates to His people to take care of those who can not take of themselves (orphans, widows, the poor and needy, etc.) is the same, regardless of denomination affiliation.
Denominations in general break my heart because I don’t think division was what the Lord had in mind for His church, His bride. Instead of doctrines and theological interpretations, just gives us Jesus! No religious traditions or rituals… Just Jesus.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I also agree with Jonathan, or perhaps Shaun rahter, that there is no need to have homosexuality a barrier for helping children in need. I feel that a Christian is a Christian, bottom line. Why discriminate over where the $32 is coming from? While I recognize that not everyone is sane, no one in their right mind would send a sponsored child *anything* that had sexual content. Why even mention that?! Seriously!
Thanks Chris, for maintaining complete transparency — that means a lot as a sponsor/donor.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
An interesting post. I find it sad that he’s “calling” Compassion on their not allowing sexual language thing for the children. It seems like such a little thing to be picking nits over, especially as Shaun pointed out that it would be inappropriate to share anything sexual with a child.
I think Compassion is in the right since I don’t agree with this stance on homosexuality. But that’s for him to decide and if he feels that’s a deal breaker then hopefully he will at least go away in peace.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
This is one thing I love about Compassion — nothing is swept under the rug; it is all open for inspection. That’s because we have nothing to hide. I pray for Jonathan in his decision, and have posted my own comments to him on his blog. I appreciate his openness; only wish he had spoken up sooner if something was bothering him.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Thanks for the link, Chris. That was thought-provoking on many levels. Plus, the comments back to him were as good as the post.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Wow! That stirred some emotions in me. Thank you Compassion Advocates for your clear responses to Jonathan in his blog.
I heard much of Jonathan’s relationships with musicians, friends and Lutheran’s, but unfortunately, I missed the important relationship connection in Jonathan’s blog; his relationship with Christ and the relationship with the child that he has sponsored, Emily.
In a Compassion Sunday event held at my church, I was moved to sponsor a child; her name is Clarisse. I started sponsorship in 2005. Having health issues and not much energy, I thought this would be a good ministry fit for me. Clarisse said in her first letter to me, “Your country is so far from mine, would you like to pay my country a visit someday?” Really, I’ve never had a desire to travel, I don’t even remember if I responded to the question. Her third letter stated, “I am praying that God would enable you to come to visit my country”. Not long after that I emailed Compassion asking if they would be having a trip to Burkina Faso, they said yes, it was about to be posted to the website and to watch for it. Well, you guessed it, I signed up and the Lord provided, He provided funds, passport, a visa just in time, and the elusive Yellow Fever vaccine (US shortage at the time). By that time I had sponsored Marceline in the same country, so I would be able to see them both. I think of that visit every single day, literally. I think about the precious children in the projects that we met, the faces of those that stood outside the gates of the projects with a longing to be a part of what was going on inside, the gracious families that allowed us to come and visit their homes and meet their families, the committed Compassion Staff and the efforts that they made to see that our visit was special, and what they taught us about their culture. I think about the time I spent with Clarisse at the park and then meeting Marceline and her family. I think about the blessings that we have living here in the United States, options, choices, clean running water, various modes of travel, jobs that pay a decent wage, agencies available for us when we need a hand during hard times, the homes that we have to live in, and the fact that we have better facilities for our cars than these families have to live in! The Lord has put us here for a time and a purpose; we are each answerable to what we have done with what we have been given. Personally, I am thankful for all that Compassion does. I have seen the work first hand and believe in the work they do. I am thankful that the Lord stretched me beyond my comfort zone to travel to Africa to meet my sponsored children. I hope that they will remember that they are loved and truly special not only to me, but by Jesus. Ghana was so wonderful that I came home and sponsored a little girl there, and just recently a young man from Ethiopia, whose first letter I received today. A priceless gift to come home to that leaves me with a heart of compassion for Compassion International.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Interesting reading and comments!!
It’s made me think so here goes:
I am one person and I can help one child and I will do it through Compassion. I don’t know of another organization that allows me to build such a strong relationship with an individual child. And I don’t know of another organization that ministers to the whole child and provides me with choices about helping the family too.
We are also Lutheran and part of our giving is through LWR and part is through Samaritan’s Purse and part is through our local community, to name just a few. There are many needs and there are many places to help and we give as we can.
I will have to answer to God about helping the “least of these” and I know that I will meet Him because of grace. No one else will make me feel guilty or honorable because my relationship is with God, through Jesus Christ, and it’s not for me to judge others either.
I appreciate your openness by posting this. It made me solidify some thoughts I had. And I was influenced to come to Compassion by Shannon and Sophie, fellow bloggers, so the Christian artists weren’t part of the equation.
Thanks for asking / listening!
September 10th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I do think there is a charitable organization for everyone and it’s a matter of finding one that is a good fit for you. There are a lot of organizations out there that do great work.
What I LOVE about Compassion, though, is that you have the freedom to develop your sponsorship experience in whatever way you choose, with a few guidelines. You decide when you write, what you write, what you send, what you donate, whether to visit, whether to become an advocate, whether to attend conferences, whether to become a blogger, etc., etc.
So I think people who look into Compassion need to understand all of the myriad of ways their involvement can play out — and appreciate the wide-range of things you can do, outside of just sending $32 a month “to get into heaven!”
I do think it’s important that we hear people’s criticisms of the organization — we need to be willing to hear them out and either change what needs to be changed — or in some cases just say, “You know what, this is who we are as an organization.”
September 10th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Very well said Lisa!
September 11th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Its not the comments a gay couple will make but the mixed messages it will send to the child when they recieve pictures of the couple and then in return the questions they will ask in their letters.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:27 am
As a sponsor of three children I am bewildered that someone would find the speed bump in the road to child sponsorship to be a Compassion statement regarding sexuality. It is unthinkable that a sponsor could find a valid reason to communicate to CHILDREN about sex. I must presume that some children assisted by Compassion have been sexually abused outside of their projects [we know that 1 in 6 children in the US have been], so communicating to children about sex without intimate knowledge of the child and his circumstances is totally out of line.
That applies to communication regarding sex in general, Even though the comment is about “homosexuality” or any sex “outside of marriage” — I would extend it to any discussion of sexuality with children as young as 5 and usually not older than 17.
Certainly there is no reason that a Lutheran should prefer giving to Compassion to giving through their own denomination. But to disparage Compassion as “not compassionate” because it doesn’t regard “tolerance” or even give a tacit endorsement of homosexuality (or heterosexual promiscuity) as the measure of compassion is a distortion — one shared by some who go by the name of Christian. It would appear that some Christians have bought into the secular idea that greatest cultural value is “tolerance” — and have mistaken it for genuine compassion.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Bob, you have expressed some of my most inarticulate thoughts, in response to Jonathan’s post. Mark, I had the same thought about photos. I appreciate all of the comments here, and the post, although it unsettled me.
The bottom line, for me, is that a child may be cast aside, because her sponsor has an issue with conservative values (I read that all the way through Jonathan’s post) and with one of the few restrictions on our communications with our sponsored children. I would rather a person would never sponsor a child through Compassion than to be too cavalier about ending that commitment. A child is not a thing to be picked up and tossed away at will.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
For those of you who had difficulty leaving comments on this post, I apologize. Our spam filter was keying off certain words and not letting the comments through. I’ve made some adjustments.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I’ve got a few thoughts about this.
On the issue of what Tony Campallo said regarding Matthew 25, I feel that that would be a misrepresentation of what the Scriptures teach. Salvation is by grace through faith and not of ourselves. It is a gift of God, so that no one should boast. (Eph. 2:8,9). The Bible teaches very clearly that it is not by anything that we can do ourselves, but it is totally by what Jesud did on the cross. If we had to pay for our sins ourselves, we’d have to spend an eternity seperated from God. No number of children sponsored would ever bring us one step closer to being in heaven. Compassion doesn’t teach that good works will get one to heaven. It’s a misinterpretation of Matt. 25 to think that it contradicts the rest of Scripture, which teaches clearly that good works can never get us to heaven.
On the homosexual issue: The Bible is pretty clear about this issue too. See I Tim. 1:10, and Romans. chapter 1. Also of course the Old Testament law is pretty clear on it. Those aren’t my words. That’s right in God’s Word. He does maybe have a point in the sense that you wouldn’t write to a child about heterosexual things either. Maybe it could be reworded as saying that Compassion wouldn’t want to have the sponsors write about sexual things. Although I think what Compassion probably means is that one could write about how they are married to someone of the opposite gender, but not of the same. If that’s the case than that makes sense to me. In other words, my dad could write about how he is married to his wife, but a homosexual couldn’t write how they were married or living together with someone of the same gender. In some of the countries where Compassion works, a lifestyle like that would be very offensive. The main thing though is that Compassion is Christ based and as such what the Bible teaches about this is paramount.
As far as Ted Haggart is concerned, I’m a little confused. He said that he shouldn’t bring up. He scratched it out, then he posted it. That doesn’t seem sincere, unless he’s never figured out how to use the backspace key, which I seriously doubt. I would be the last person to say that all Christians, who believe in something don’t fall into the very sins that they are condemning. The Bible even warns us that if we think we stand to be careful that we don’t fall. But again the standard is not Ted Haggart, it is God’s Word. That’s why the Bible tells us not to compare each other with one another. It is foolish.
Well, that’s what I honestly believe on those topics.
Kees
September 11th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
On the cele-brity type of issue. I’ve worked with a lot of cele-brities and many times I found that the cele-brities will get involved in a charity, because their publicist will think it is a good idea and many times, they get paid by the charity to get involved. It’s very sad, because when I think of the pharisees how they did their works before men to be noticed by them, I think how that Christ really condemned it. The celebrities make the pharisees look nice, because the pharisees just got credit, but many cele-brities do this to get credit and to get money!
It’s been a while, but I checked into this, because I got some cele-brities involved with Compassion and I felt that the motivation was very important, because of what I had witnessed in the past with cele-brities. I was very impressed with Compassion.
I was talking to an artist the other day, who really wanted to be a spokesperson for Compassion. When I asked him if he sponsored a child right now, he wasn’t interested. I suggested that that was a good place to start. Overall, I think that Compassion handles this wonderfully. From what I remember, I don’t believe that any artist gets paid to do so.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Vicki,
I feel the same way about the situation. The child does not know what the problem is. They can experience it as a personal rejection. It is sad. On the other hand, maybe the child gets another sponsor, who will really care for them.
Kees
September 11th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Good point, Kees, thank you. We can certainly pray for that end.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I’m not sure what else I can say, but I will most definitely be praying!
September 11th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Kees, I agree with you on the points you made and with your statement that the standard is God’s Word. We do the best we can with the insight and discernment God gives us into His Word.
One caveat: I read Jonathan’s post, but I don’t really know exactly what Tony Campolo said, let alone what he meant. We have that information filtered through Jonathan’s memory and understanding. I have heard Campolo refer to Christ’s asking each of us, “What did you do for the least of these?” but I doubt he would support the idea that we can buy our way into heaven by sponsoring a child or doing other good works.
But the bottom line for me remains the same: the child. I pray that God will do whatever He needs to do in order for her to find a sponsor who will love, nurture and cherish her.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Hi, Vicki,
That’s a really good point. Yes, I can not come to a conclusion on Tony Campolo’s teaching based upon what this person said. I’ve had people misinterpret what I was teaching too.
One thing that this all reminds me of is that when we look for sponsors to really look for sponsors that really want to sponsor a child and not to try to “talk” or “sell” them into the idea. I think finding a sponsor, that quits within a short time or that doesn’t want to write can be very painful to the child, I would think. I’ve talked people out of sponsoring a child, when they said certain things. I remember one guy telling me that he would never write. A while back, I also was talking with a sponsor that I helped find a child to sponsor for. He told me that he felt that God doesn’t care if children are starving in poverty and that the only reason, he sponsored the child is because of his commitment towards me. Of course I disagree with this totally, but I felt that maybe I shouldn’t have encouraged him to sponsor the child. I’m glad that his daughter is writing the child, so I’m not too worried about it, but I could see a sponsor like that dropping the child, which I think could feel like a rejection for the child.
I love these children very much and I can maybe worry too much about them. I have to realize that God is still there Shepherd and will also in their lives work all things for the good.
Kees
September 12th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I became involved with Compassion after hearing Tony Campolo speak at the Howard University Chapel Services about 4 years ago. I didn’t get the message that he was trying to sell Compassion as a ticket to heaven. He stressed that as Christians who are blessed we need to give back to the community. We need to help someone instead of focusing on ourselves and our own world. Then Tony said that this could be done locally or internationally by tutoring, volunteering in hospitals or children’s centers, nursing homes but do something. Then he stated that one way to help internationally was through Compassion. I didn’t leave with feeling that Compassion was a ticket to heaven. I felt that I needed to get off my behind and stop focusing on my problems.
I know that some gay people do sponsor children through Compassion. It is because they have a heart for the Lord and desire to serve him. Although they wished that other Christians would understand that one could be gay and Christian they didn’t let the literature written in the Compassion pamphlet stop them from helping someone in need.
I hope that Jonathan doesn’t give up on his sponsorship of Emily. Telling a child that you will sponsor them and then saying “Oops, I changed my mind” can be hurtful to him/her.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I feel I should have left out “Oops, I changed my mind”. But it can be hurtful to a child who is depending on you and you don’t follow through. Although I do understand that Jonathan should or needs to find an organization that fits his values.
September 13th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I read Johnathans blog and I don’t find it all that thought provoking. I actually found it upsetting and quite selfish on his part.
I don’t mind he critized Compassion International. He can do that all he wants. But,does he understand what sort of cultures these children live in? How would one explain the situation to a child?
Most African Christians and other Christians in “third World” countries are extremely conservative and would find a picture(no matter how innocent)of a gay couple or letter mentioning a gay partner very very offensive! Compassion also has Muslim children in in program and in Islam there’s no tolerance for homosexuality. The only thing that happens is the gay man’s death.What if a church leader or imam found the picture or letter and there were reprecussions on the child or the childs family? What if the child were beaten or the family heavily fined?
Imagine if the local religious leaders decided to pull all the children out of the program or forbade the parents of the child to keep the child in the program?? They would probably think “If Compassion promotes this,we can’t have anything to do with them”.
If Johnathan truly cares about this child he should keep supporting her and get over his selfish,theological differences.I support the One campaign and I don’t always agree with everything they do.
September 14th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I feel the acceptance of homosexuality is very “trendy” in American culture these days and so trying to have sponsors exclude such references (and we aren’t talking about blatant sexual overtures, but wording like ‘my partner and I’ or something like that) about this lifestyle are totally appropriate.
Afterall, aren’t we supposed to be expressing the message of Christ, not exporting the views of our popular culture to a child? I personally feel that the Bible is pretty clear about homosexuality (it is a deviance from God’s plan for relationships)and that our modern, secular culture is influencing the American church, instead of the church influencing the culture.
What the “Losing Compassion for Compassion” post says most clearly is that there is a culture war in the United States that has little to do with what God says, and everyting to do with what man says.
Let’s not drag something as honorable as helping children in poverty be sullied by our own divisive culture. If we want to impact the world, we need to follow God’s lead, not our own cultural impulses.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I agree with you, Jamie, and with others who have expressed much the same idea: God’s Word is paramount, not our cultural “correctness.”
My struggle, tho’, often comes from wanting to speak truth, but remembering that too much “salt” is not a good thing, and too much “light” is blinding. How do we speak the truth in love and not in judgment?
Or is it necessary for us to speak to this issue, beyond the statements Compassion has already made? If God truly calls someone to sponsor a child through Compassion, someone who wants only to share his/her love and resources with the child and will guard his/her communications with the child so as not to raise such sticky questions, do we really need to say anything? Can we leave that person to God and love the heart that cares for the child?
September 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
There are so many excellent comments here and many have said what I wanted to say, so I will not repeat them. I do want to say how thankful and proud I am of Compassion for standing up for Biblical truth on these and other issues and not being swayed by culture or misguided beliefs. We must be salt and light and be loving at the same time, but never water down what the word of God says. There is a fine line of coming across as judgemental, so we need to rely on the Bible. It is Jesus that speaks out against false teachings and the such. If someone thinks you are giving too much salt, point them to the Bible and clearly explain where Jesus speaks of these things. It is up to the Holy Spirit after that to touch the hearts of others and bring them to a clear understanding.
September 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Hi, Vicki,
One passage that came to mind is found in I John 5:2 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands.” I’m also thinking about how that the greatest commandment in Matt 22:37 is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. Then the second is like it and that is towards people. Loving God is always above loving people, otherwise we would resort humanism.
One thing that I really like about Compassion is that we release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. The real poverty is lack of Jesus. Once that is set, then most other areas are relatively small. We are to love them in those areas too, because we need to meet each other needs, but by far the greatest need of poverty is the lack of Christ. That’s why I feel most of the Compassion children are richer than the wealthiest socialites in Hollywood. The big difference is really shown 200 years from now.
During the interview that I had with Dr. Wess Stafford, he mentioned to me that child sponsorship is also child discipleship. I remember that really affected me and it helped me understand the importance of writing the letters too. So, now, when I look for sponsors, I keep that in mind, i.e. — will this person be able to disciple a little child? It helps me at times to encourage some people not to sponsor a child with Compassion. (That’s not to say that I’m extremely picky, but I do look for some basic things like being saved and having a desire to submit themselves to God’s Word and obey it.)
Kees
September 16th, 2008 at 8:28 am
When I was teaching Freshman Composition, I tried to drill into my students the need to avoid trying to make a point by posing questions that were left unanswered. I violated that principle, with my last comment on this thread.