It seems that some New Yorkers were greeted this morning with a fake (“liberal, happy”) front page of The New York Times, reported from the future date of July 4, 2009. The pranksters allegedly responsible seem to think that “Evangelicals caring about refugees—especially Iraqi refugees—is about as likely as a 100% car recall!” but Ted Olsen at Christianity Today’s Liveblog wants you to know that the “future” is now, and “church members are indeed giving sacrificially to help refugees.”
A bit of an odd note was struck, however, [with] this item: “Evangelicals Open Homes to Refugees: Up to a million Iraqi exiles—nearly half the total—will find sanctuary in Christians homes throughout the U.S., vows the National Association of Evangelicals. Other denominations are expected to follow suit.”
[…]Let’s put aside for a moment the fact that the NAE is not a denomination but a network that includes a number of denominations, among other groups. The parodists seem a bit in the dark about just how much personal advocacy and public policy work the NAE has done on refugee settlement (including and especially Iraq refugees since the beginning of the invasion). But it’s not just public policy work. World Relief, launched by the NAE in 1944, has been working with churches to house, settle, and welcome refugees since 1979. It’s not close to a million refugees yet (it works with about 10,000 refugees a year), and it’s generally settling refugees in their own homes rather than in church members’ homes. But church members are indeed giving sacrificially to help refugees.
Oh, and as for “other denominations expected to follow suit”? Yep, yep, yep, and yep.
Joke’s on you, Yes Men. The future is not yet fully realized, but it’s already here.
Read the full post here.