Walking a fine line in Haiti
February 5, 2010
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February 4, 2010
When night falls in Port-au-Prince, thousands of homeless Haitians find shelter beneath weatherproof plastic sheets emblazoned with the logo of Samaritan's Purse, a group that's zealous to spread Christianity worldwide.
The 20-by-20-foot sheets offer a tangible way to demonstrate God's love for people regardless of their beliefs, said Barry Hall, director of program support at Samaritan's Purse, a North Carolina-based relief organization headed by evangelist Franklin Graham.
And though the logos don't add warmth, they may still help local churches on the ground get credit for distributing the plastic sheets, along with similarly marked blankets and personal hygiene kits.
"It may have our name on it because we supplied it to them, but it's the local church that these people see meeting their needs," Hall said. "We try to leave that church in a better position" to evangelize.
As faith-based relief agencies work to help Haitians manage an epic crisis after the Jan. 12 earthquake, most are taking pains to give aid according to need, not creed, and disavow proselytizing.
World Vision, for example, a massive relief group based in Washington state with nearly 800 aid workers in Haiti, makes sure those who distribute aid aren't simultaneously trying to win converts.
But even after decades of responding to emergencies, members of the Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations are still wrestling with how best to proclaim the gospel, offer spiritual support and advance other organizational goals in disaster zones.
Some Christian outreach efforts in Haiti have already sparked controversy. Last week, Haitian officials detained members of Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, for allegedly trying to leave the country with 33 children, some of whom may not be orphans.
Meanwhile, some in Haiti's large voodoo community fear Christian relief groups are pursuing ulterior motives. Max Beauvoir, Haiti's chief voodoo priest, has already accused foreign Christian groups of "trying to buy souls" and said Haitian Christians "grab" scarce resources and receive preferential treatment.
Relief ministries tend to follow strict protocols in disaster zones to ensure the vulnerable aren't exploited. But protocols vary according to each group's understanding of the risks at hand.
Last September, more than 20 religious institutions, from Scientologists to Buddhists to Catholics, agreed to a set of guidelines that urged relief groups to refrain from imposing moral values or engaging in inappropriate evangelism.
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