Posted on 07/15/2005 11:29:25 AM PDT by nypokerface
JACKSON, Miss. - A Christian adoption agency that receives money from Choose Life license plate fees said it does not place children with Roman Catholic couples because their religion conflicts with the agency's "Statement of Faith."
Bethany Christian Services stated the policy in a letter to a Jackson couple this month, and another Mississippi couple said they were rejected for the same reason last year.
"It has been our understanding that Catholicism does not agree with our Statement of Faith," Bethany director Karen Stewart wrote. "Our practice to not accept applications from Catholics was an effort to be good stewards of an adoptive applicant's time, money and emotional energy."
Sandy and Robert Steadman, who learned of Bethany's decision in a July 8 letter, said their priest told them the faith statement did not conflict with Catholic teaching.
Loria Williams of nearby Ridgeland said she and her husband, Wes, had a similar experience when they started to pursue an adoption in September 2004.
"I can't believe an agency that's nationwide would act like this," Loria Williams said. "There was an agency who was Christian based but wasn't willing to help people across the board."
The agency is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has offices in 30 states, including three in Mississippi. Its Web site does not refer to any specific branch of Christianity.
Stewart told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that the board will review its policy, but she didn't specify which aspects will be addressed.
The Web site says all Bethany staff and adoptive applicants personally agree with the faith statement, which describes belief in the Christian Church and the Scripture.
"As the Savior, Jesus takes away the sins of the world," the statement says in part. "Jesus is the one in whom we are called to put our hope, our only hope for forgiveness of sin and for reconciliation with God and with one another."
Sandy Steadman said she was hurt and disappointed that Bethany received funds from the Choose Life car license plates. "I know of a lot of Catholics who get those tags," she said.
She added: "If it's OK to accept our money, it should be OK to open your home to us as a family."
Bethany is one of 24 adoption and pregnancy counseling centers in Mississippi that receives money from the sale of Choose Life tags, a special plate that motorists can obtain with an extra fee.
Of $244,000 generated by the sale of the tags in 2004, Bethany received $7,053, said Geraldine Gray, treasurer of Choose Life Mississippi, which distributes the money.
"It is troubling to me if they are discriminating based on only the Catholics," Gray said.
By the way, what about the description of Catholic belief from the Lutheran Church is wrong?
>> I have talked to plenty of Catholics who say Mary is a co-redeemer and co-mediator. <<
Mary's acceptance of God's will was, through God's design and not hers, the means through which mankind was redeemed. To express this fact, many Catholics call Mary "co-redemptrix." While what they mean is true and not heresy, the Catholic Church has rejected that title because it may lead to the very confusions that Protestants are wary of.
Likewise, we who do not know Christ in person can know him only through the mediation of the Church, which has given us the sacraments and scripture. (Or direct revelation, but that's certainly an exceptional circumstance, and even then, we'd need scripture to make heads or tails out of it.)
Therefore, the Church, AS THE BODY OF CHRIST, is our co-mediator. And Mary is the embodiment of that Church.
not my intent or postion.
Think this one has already been dealt with. At least twice.
I'll take it you mean Mark 3:35. But compare that to John 19:26-27: "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own [home]."
And so we disciples of Christ regard Mary as our Mother.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ZOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, go do the laundry.
No, that wasn't the only point. Does this agency ONLY adopt to "Non-denominational" Christians or do they allow Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, et.al. adopt as "Christians"?
If so, then to make a distinction between a Christian agency and a Catholic one is to show your ignorance about Catholicism. Catholics are as Christian as they come!
>Of course not. You can't be a Christian unless you own a copy >of The Prayer of Jabez or have been personally healed by >Benny Hinn
I thought Benny Hinn was a Catholic who did non-denominational services, kinda like Jack Van Impe.
I'm not referring to the doctrine of Mother.
I meant 3:21 and 31. These verses indicate that Mary was not a "perfect disciple" as a poster above stated.
My daughter was married in a Luthern Church and after the wedding we had the reception at a buffet. The Minister came and ate like a pig. I mean he really scarfed down the food. As soon as he finished he came to me and thanked me for inviting him but he had to leave or he would be late for a pot luck at the Church.
try and keep up. You are not taking the comment for what is. you are pulling a Wilson, Schumer, Pelosi and making it what it is not.
Kinton.
Since you asked:
Lutherans believe that Scripture alone has authority to determine doctrine; the Roman Catholic Church gives this authority also to the pope, the church, and certain traditions of the church.
Neither the Pope nor the church can "determine doctrine" in the sense that they can make it up out of whole cloth. They can reiterate, explain, or expand upon the Deposit of Faith, but they cannot contradict it at all. Public revelation closed with the death of the last apostle. All we can do is try to understand its implications.
If you want to see a good exposition of the Catholic view of Scripture, read Vatican II's decree Dei Verbum.
Lutherans believe that a person is saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Nothing in the NT says anything about being saved by faith alone. In fact, the one place the words "faith alone" are used says you are not saved by faith alone. That's in James chapter 2.
The Roman Catholic Church, while at times using similar language, still officially holds that faith, in order to save, must be accompanied by (or "infused with") some "work" or "love" active within a Christian.
This is a completely muddled and confused description of Catholic doctrine.
What we believe is straight from the NT: "Faith without works is dead ... such a faith has no power to save one" (James 2) and "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love" (Galatians 3) and "If I have faith enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians).
I posted it. That was MY point, so, yes, that was the point.
Christian Adoption Agency. Does that say Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Episcapalion, Protestant? No, it says Christian. I didn't say it exclued anyone, YOU DID!
Beautifully stated.
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