Today is World Aids Day. There are up to 36 million people living with HIV or AIDS and Christians are doing very little about it.
That's why Purpose Driven Ministries[1] held its first AIDS conference in the US, called Disturbing Voices, says Purpose Driven's Kay Warren.
"We've called this conference a wake-up call and a kick in the butt."
Because evangelical churches, especially, are doing little about AIDS.
Warren hopes pastors will go home, "Having repented of not caring, of being apathetic. We want them to go home full of enthusiasm for beginning an HIV ministry in their own church." The conference presented ways churches can have an impact on AIDS victims, and not just physically. "We want every person to come to know Jesus Christ. But, it's very difficult to introduce people to Jesus Christ when you're pushing them away. We've been given the task of making the invisible God, visible. How do we do that? (We do it) by our arms of love, by our compassion, by our acceptance." That provides a platform to share the Gospel.
Full Story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/8040
(a related story)
Believers are acting on AIDS to save a generation.
Continuing our focus on World AIDS Day, AIDS has not lessened its grip in sub-Saharan Africa. But, World Vision's[2] Steve Haas says what's alarming is that the epicenter of the pandemic is shifting East to Russia and India. In spite of the bad news, Haas says
this is a great opportunity to fulfill the mandates of Scripture. "When
we look at the situation of AIDS, the greatest creator of orphans is AIDS.
The greatest creator of widows is AIDS. The issue that seems to find itself so closely akin to the poor is AIDS infection. The church was made
for moving against this disease." Haas explains that World Vision has
come around the pandemic with an effective multi-pronged approach.
"We're watching students become alive to the issue. We're also watching businesses get involved course we're also watching churches, many of which are not only becoming alive to what's happening on this issue, but they're getting their congregations involved."
Full Story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/8037
(both stories from Mission Network News)
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To see where this inability or uncompassionate response comes from, we need only look at those who are most susceptible to AIDS/HIV.
ReplyDelete1)Intravenous drug users.
2)Promiscuous people with multiple sexual partners.
3)Male Homosexuals (pardon my illustration, but there is a lot of blood and semen involved with anal sex - skyrocketing risks of infection.)
4)Prostitutes
5)People in 3rd world countries who do not have access to or choose to utilize basic hygienic needs in hospitals and doctor’s offices. Do you know a surgical scalpel can be used on up to 12 different individuals sometimes in the poorest countries of the world without even being wiped clean?
6)People who smoke crack are now at risk, too, it’s been found. A lot of people who smoke crack use metal or glass pipes. These pipes become heated, and dry out the lips of individuals who frequent the drug. These lips crack, peel, and BLEED. Pass the pipe to the next person … viola! Welcome to HIV.
I’ve had to teach STD awareness classes to individuals where I work. Some of the atypical responses?
These are just a few …
“AIDS is God’s punishment on the world for being involved in sexual imorality.”
“You only get AIDS if you deserve it.”
“AIDS is a disease to kill homosexuals”
Great attitudes.
How many people, if they knew a person had AIDS or HIV would even offer to hold that individual’s hand? Give them a hug? … It’s so much safer to pray for them from a distance, yes?
I guarantee in this AIDS-educated society we live in, there are still people in our immediate lives who would not even want to be breathing the same air as the afflicted individual.
Unfortunately, medicine is also one of our worst enemies as well. Now, a person who contracts HIV can live a long life without worrying about the disease becoming full blown AIDS. This medicine is readily handed out and made available now to anyone in the US through various medical assistance funds, grants, Medicade, etc.. Now AIDS/HIV can be an American afterthought since it is now a 'liveable' disease.
Plus, we are dealing with a group of people who do not start to even show symptoms until YEARS later, but can still proactively spread HIV to others.
1980 - 31 people in the United States died of what is later determined to be complications of AIDS.
2001 – Worldwide, 40 million are infected with HIV. 21.8 million people have died from AIDS.
At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS, with 24-27% undiagnosed and unaware of their HIV infection.
Nearly a million more cases of AIDS were reported in 2004 than the previous year. Most of the increases are occurring in Eastern Europe and Asia, but the United States is having a resurgence of the disease as well.
Who is the most at risk? OUR YOUNG PEOPLE! TEENAGERS HAVE THE HIGHEST INFECTION RATE NOW!
- something to nibble on.