Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A Christian on Ann Coulter’s Ebola Comments: Don't miss the important point in the sassy rhetoric.
Pajamas Media ^ | 08/08/2014 | Walter Hudson

Posted on 08/08/2014 9:47:15 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The always provocative Ann Coulter raised a lot of eyebrows this week with her Wednesday column calling a Christian missionary who contracted ebola in Liberia “idiotic.” Headlines making the rounds on social media do a fair job of highlighting her pointed rhetoric without addressing her thesis. Coulter wrote:

Whatever good Dr. Kent Brantly did in Liberia has now been overwhelmed by the more than $2 million already paid by the Christian charities Samaritan’s Purse and SIM USA just to fly him and his nurse home in separate Gulfstream jets, specially equipped with medical tents, and to care for them at one of America’s premier hospitals…

She goes on to ask, “Can’t anyone serve Christ in America anymore?”

We can debate the wisdom of Coulter’s rhetorical packaging (though it’s fair to bet that, if she did not communicate as pointedly as she does, we would not be talking about her at all). However, the substance at the root of what Coulter wrote proves worth Christians’ prayerful consideration.

Are missions to foreign lands undertaken at the expense of needs closer to home? From a monetary perspective, in Dr. Brantly’s case, the objective answer is a resounding yes. Two million dollars could go a long way toward providing for the spread of the Gospel. But more importantly, there’s a spiritual danger in what Coulter calls “Christian narcissism,” confusing earthly mileage with spiritual accomplishment.

It may be a bit much to presume Brantly traveled to Liberia to stroke his ego, or to somehow put God in his debt. Coulter does not know his heart one way or the other, and neither do we. Only God does. Nevertheless, there remains an object lesson for the rest of us to consider which could give us a moment of prayerful pause before eagerly traveling halfway around the world before first ministering to our nearest neighbors. Sometimes — I think it fair to say most of the time — God has you where He wants you.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: anncoulter; ebola
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-55 last
To: Valpal1

The only thing that troubles me with the ‘plantibodies’ is the population control wackjobs seem to be driving the funding for this.

I’m sure ‘plantibodies’ for betaHCG is somewhere on their ‘to do’ list.

I’m a terrible cynic though.


41 posted on 08/08/2014 11:50:15 AM PDT by Black Agnes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: ansel12

I never said I despise him

And I don’t have the power to condemn anyone


42 posted on 08/08/2014 11:54:01 AM PDT by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Coulter is an attention addict. Best thing to do would be to just ignore here.


43 posted on 08/08/2014 12:01:12 PM PDT by Bigg Red (31 May 2014: Obamugabe officially declares the USA a vanquished subject of the Global Caliphate.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stanne

You seem to be on a one man crusade to destroy these people and their Evangelical Christian work.

Are you Catholic?


44 posted on 08/08/2014 12:06:08 PM PDT by ansel12 (LEGAL immigrants, 30 million 1980-2012, continues to remake the nation's electorate for democrats)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: ansel12

Crusade? Destroy?

No


45 posted on 08/08/2014 12:07:50 PM PDT by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: stellaluna
I’ve been skeptical of these feel good lay person with a family missions for a long time particularly the weekend or two week vacation ones to Latin America.

That's probably because you have never been on one.

Missions do far more for the SENDING congregation than they do for the mission field. In particular, the people who go recognize just how fossilized and messed-up American Christianity has become.

For example, you are worried that a "young family man" is somehow dodging his responsibilities. Guess what - if he prayed about his calling, and was still called, then having a young family, or a pregnant wife, or a dying father is NO excuse not to go. And if you don't understand that, then you have muffed basic Christian doctrine.
46 posted on 08/08/2014 12:16:35 PM PDT by horse_doc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Whatever good Dr. Kent Brantly did in Liberia has now been overwhelmed by the more than $2 million already paid by the Christian charities

Once again, Coulter displays an astonishing lack of knowledge about basic Christian doctrine. Obedience is what is demanded - not results. The Holy Spirit is responsible for results.

If Brantly prayed about his calling, and was still called, then it doesn't matter if it cost a TRILLION dollars. His obedience is all that counts. That's a Christian worldview, and Coulter doesn't have one.
47 posted on 08/08/2014 12:28:44 PM PDT by horse_doc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

There are plenty of missionaries in America. FWIW, every Christian is tasked with evangelism. There is no reason for anyone, in the US to claim they haven’t heard the Gospel, i.e. that we are all sinners in need of a savior, that Jesus is that savior, and anyone can receive Him by prayer. It is a free gift.

Having said that, there is a bit of narcissism in thinking that God is using you to advance His kingdom. I’m a missionary outside of the US. I do get honored when I visit churches and it does feel good to my ego. However, that isn’t my primary reason for being here. The good feelings I get from people in the states is often outweighed by the challenges and sacrifices of living here.

So, Coulter’s point that America needs missionaries is true. Trouble is, missionaries are in the US. Listen to them.


48 posted on 08/08/2014 12:42:50 PM PDT by Jemian (Kidney infection, malaria and dengue all in the same week)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PGR88

So am I. You, perhaps, just didn’t receive quite the same order as I.


49 posted on 08/08/2014 12:48:53 PM PDT by Jemian (Kidney infection, malaria and dengue all in the same week)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind



Ann brought out some excellent points:

Can you disagree with this?

"Can't anyone serve Christ in America anymore? -- because we're doing just fine. America, the most powerful, influential nation on Earth, is merely in a pitched battle for its soul.

About 15,000 people are murdered in the U.S. every year. More than 38,000 die of drug overdoses, half of them from prescription drugs. More than 40 percent of babies are born out of wedlock. Despite the runaway success of "midnight basketball," a healthy chunk of those children go on to murder other children, rape grandmothers, bury little girls alive -- and then eat a sandwich. A power-mad president has thrown approximately 10 percent of all Americans off their health insurance -- the rest of you to come! All our elite cultural institutions laugh at virginity and celebrate promiscuity.

So no, there's nothing for a Christian to do here."

Or THIS?

"If Dr. Brantly had practiced at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and turned one single Hollywood power-broker to Christ, he would have done more good for the entire world than anything he could accomplish in a century spent in Liberia. Ebola kills only the body; the virus of spiritual bankruptcy and moral decadence spread by so many Hollywood movies infects the world. "

Or this?

"If he had provided health care for the uninsured editors, writers, videographers and pundits in Gotham and managed to open one set of eyes, he would have done more good than marinating himself in medieval diseases of the Third World.

Which explains why American Christians go on "mission trips" to disease-ridden cesspools. They're tired of fighting the culture war in the U.S., tired of being called homophobes, racists, sexists and bigots. So they slink off to Third World countries, away from American culture to do good works, forgetting that the first rule of life on a riverbank is that any good that one attempts downstream is quickly overtaken by what happens upstream. " America is the most consequential nation on Earth, and in desperate need of God at the moment. If America falls, it will be a thousand years of darkness for the entire planet. Not only that, but it's our country. Your country is like your family. We're supposed to take care of our own first. The same Bible that commands us to "go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel" also says: "For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'"

Or this?

"Right there in Texas, near where Dr. Brantly left his wife and children to fly to Liberia and get Ebola, is one of the poorest counties in the nation, Zavala County -- where he wouldn't have risked making his wife a widow and his children fatherless.

Or this?

"Today's Christians are aces at sacrifice, amazing at serving others, but strangely timid for people who have been given eternal life. They need to buck up, serve their own country, and remind themselves every day of Christ's words: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."

__________________

As she said, 'charity begins at home'.

This country is in bad shape, we are broke, there are too many sick and needy of our own to care for before flying off to Africa to care for their needs. And cut off government aid to foreign countries who hate us:

The average American hasn’t a CLUE how much of our tax money Obama has sent down Muslim sh*t holes while he plans to slash the military, CUTS MEDICARE and threatens to withhold senior’s social security checks!

BILLIONS FOR JIHAD! Obamas 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and passed by the full committee. It gives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies. http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2009/05/1...

Read the summary from David Obeys office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.

$3.6 BILLION, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces

$400 MILLION, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces

AFGHANISTAN: $1.52 BILLION, $86 MILLION above the request WEST BANK AND GAZA: $665 MILLION in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

JORDAN: $250 million,$250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance

EGYPT: $360 MILLION, $310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance,$50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance

PAKISTAN:$1.9 billion,$591 million above the request

IRAQ:$968 MILLION,$336 million above the request

Oversight: $20 million,$13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

Lebanon:$74 million

International Food Assistance:$500 MILLION,$200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis

REFUGEE ASSISTANCE:$343 MILLION,$50 million above the request, including humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)

Disaster Assistance: $200 MILLION to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia

Peacekeeping:$837 MILLION FOR UNITED NATIONS peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic

Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

OBAMA GIVES YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO REBUILD MUSLIM MOSQUES AROUND THE WORLD! http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/... #

ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL GIVE AWAY NEARLY $6 MILLION OF AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS TO RESTORE 63 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES, INCLUDING ISLAMIC MOSQUES AND MINARETS, IN 55 NATIONS. See the State Department document here. http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/office-...

And THAT’S just the tip of the iceberg.

THIS will blow your mind!! http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/ They should have 2010 up, but they don’t. That’s where you’ll find Obama’s largesse towards Muslim countries really go off the charts.

http://www.foreignassistance.gov/DataView.aspx charts: http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/data/fast-facts.html .

____________________________________________________

Obama Increased Foreign Aid 80%; Spent 76% More on Foreign Aid Than Border Security cnsnews

CNSNews.com) - From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2011, according to the U.S. Treasury, the federal government increased spending on foreign aid by 80 percent and, in fiscal 2011, spent 76 percent more on foreign aid than it did securing the borders of the United States.

In fiscal 2008, the government spent a total of $11.427 billion in international assistance programs, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. In fiscal 2011, according to the statement, it spent $20.599 billion—an increase of $9.172 billion, or 80 percent, from 2008. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-increased-foreign-aid-80-spent-76-more-foreign-aid-border-security

Just think what we could do for America and our own people if these billions poured into sh*thole countries who hate us were kept at home to help our own ! !




50 posted on 08/08/2014 2:05:29 PM PDT by patriot08 (NATIVE TEXAN (girl type))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Resolute Conservative

They could probably find desperately struggling families in their own neighborhoods, as well. But I don’t see Coulter or Hudson or anyone being in a position to challenge a decision made by Dr Brantly and others over a very long period of time. Were it not for Western and Christian missionaries, all of Africa would be Muslim by now.


51 posted on 08/08/2014 2:16:53 PM PDT by EDINVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

If her point is that there are folks closer to home that we can minister to, I’m with her.

We have church groups, generally kids, that go to places like Scotland and Ireland, etc. on “mission trips”.

I suggest that there are less “sexy”, but just as meaningful places to go on “mission trips” here in our own borders.

Possibly within our own cities.

But, that wouldn’t draw as many kids, probably.


52 posted on 08/08/2014 3:15:37 PM PDT by Chasaway (Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colonel_Flagg
Coulter’s column is ridiculous and presumes to speak for God.

Did you even read her column? Or just attacking her acerbic wit of it instead of the facts?

These people in Africa chose their own fate. They want socialism, kleptocratic governments whose leaders enrich themselves off of foreign aid while the people starve and die of diseases or warfare.

Sorry, my sympathy has expired. If they can't figure it out, then eff them.

53 posted on 08/08/2014 4:05:27 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Colonel_Flagg

*snork*


54 posted on 08/08/2014 4:54:51 PM PDT by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!l)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: MarDav; SeekAndFind

You know, its true that Brantly could find plenty of people here to minister to without risking his life to go to Liberia.

But, on the other hand, there aren’t that many people in a position to take off to Liberia at risk of their lives. There are plenty of people here to do the work here, there are churches all over town in fact, Christians up and down every other street. Coulter is available, for example, if she is worried about them. You and me, too.

There are lots of us who can’t go to Liberia who can take care of the work here. Not too many people like Brantly.

There are many tools in the tool kit. Coulter has her role to play, you and I do too, and Brantly has his. I don’t have to be Coulter or Brantly because they already have that covered. I just have to do whats in front of me.


55 posted on 08/08/2014 5:33:53 PM PDT by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-55 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson