Jonathan Merritt: New Yorkers are Right to be Skeptical of Samaritan’s Purse

Apr 11, 2020 by Jill

by Chelsen Vicari, Juicy Ecumenism:

On April 1, the Evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse opened a 68-bed emergency field hospital in New York City’s Central Park to care for Coronavirus victims in partnership with Mount Sinai Health System. Even among the COVID-19 crisis and rising death toll, Progressive Christian columnist Jonathan Merritt finds fault with the Evangelical Christian relief organization aiding the suffering.

In Merritt’s latest Daily Beast column, he writes, “New Yorkers have plenty of good reasons to feel uncomfortable about this new coronavirus hospital.” And though Merritt is careful to strike a measured tone by briefly noting some of the organizations’ good deeds abroad and nods towards the brave doctors and nurses hard at work, he sets out on a mission to undermine the integrity of the organization and, especially, its President and CEO Franklin Graham.

Here is some of what Merritt had to say:

Of chief concern is the person overseeing the Central Park ward: Samaritan’s Purse’s president and CEO Franklin Graham. He is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham and a spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump who has a surprisingly long history of controversial comments and hate speech.

He then examines comments made by Graham referring to same-sex relationships as “detestable” and Islam as an “evil and wicked religion,” among other things.

“That’s the man running Samaritan’s Purse’s coronavirus hospital, so yes, Muslim New Yorkers are right to be skeptical,” declared Merritt.

[…] No matter the crisis or compassion shown, progressive Christians like Merritt will continue to fault Evangelical Christians who uphold traditional sexual ethics. Because, in my opinion, that is what Merritt is really worried about.

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