(WSJ Houses of Worship) Aaron Belz–How Calvinists Spread Thanksgiving Cheer

[The] Rev. [Rankin] Wilbourne and his staff created an umbrella agency called Hope for LA in 2008. Since then it has partnered with 18 other programs around Los Angeles, some with religious affiliations and some without. Through Hope for LA, Pacific Crossroads members can choose volunteer opportunities that best suit their interests and strengths. One such ministry is Boxes of Love.

“We got the idea from Here’s Life Inner City, a ministry of Campus Crusade,” says the director of Hope for LA, David Kleinknecht, about the origins of Boxes of Love. “And as the economy went south and they had to cut back in L.A., we took on the coordination of mobilizing well-resourced churches to fill boxes and delivering them with the help of inner-city churches.” No coincidence: The founder of Here’s Life Inner City was Mr. Kleinknecht’s father, who also piloted the Boxes of Love program in New York City in the early 1980s (where it still functions under the name “Box of Love”)….

And so in a city more often associated with Calvin Klein, John Calvin’s teachings provide a basis for hope. In his commentary on II Corinthians 8, the 16th-century Swiss theologian connected Christians’ assurance of salvation with their freedom to give to the poor….

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Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, America/U.S.A., History, Parish Ministry, Poverty, Religion & Culture, Urban/City Life and Issues

5 comments on “(WSJ Houses of Worship) Aaron Belz–How Calvinists Spread Thanksgiving Cheer

  1. David Keller says:

    That’s a nice story; but I must say when I read the headline, I thought it was the title for a Monty Python sketch.

  2. FrCarl says:

    The close reader will realize that “predestination” is not a necessary premise for the writer’s conclusion – but that saving faith is.

  3. William Witt says:

    The headline reminded me of the old Calvinist joke.
    Q. What did the Calvinist say after he fell down the stairs?
    A. Thank God that’s over.

  4. David Keller says:

    #2 FC–Which of course was already decided before he wrote the article.
    #3WW–Ok; now that there’s funny.

  5. Ad Orientem says:

    Re # 3
    LOL