Texas Atheist 'Flabbergasted' by Outpouring of Christian Charity The Story: According to the
Athens Review,
an atheist who had threatened to sue a Texas county over the display of
a nativity scene says he is "completely flabbergasted" that Christians
from that same county provided him financial assistance for a medical
problem.
"My wife and I had never had a Christian do anything nice for us," said Patrick Greene. "Just the opposite."
The Background: Last month Greene, an activist with a
long history of bringing lawsuits related to public displays of
Christian imagery, threatened to sue Henderson County if county
officials allowed a nativity scene to be placed on the courthouse lawn
next Christmas. Greene had intended to represent himself in the lawsuit,
but dropped the threat when he discovered he had a detached retina and
may lose his sight.
"There is no way for me to go up there if I'm blind," said Greene,
who lives in San Antonio, nearly 300 miles from the Henderson County
courthouse. Greene said he has no insurance to pay for an operation that
might save his sight, and can't even pay for the exam that will confirm
the diagnosis. "Why waste the money if I can't do anything about it,"
he told the local newspapers.
When Jessica Cry, a member of Sand Springs Baptist Church in Athens,
read on the Internet about Greene's troubles, she felt compelled to
help. Cry told her pastor, Rev. Eric Graham, who contacted Greene and
inquired about how his church could help with the surgery.
Greene told Graham he had a more immediate need.
"I said, if you really want to contribute something to help, we need groceries," Greene said.
[. . .]
"I told my wife about it," Greene said.
"They're going to help us?" Karen asked.
Greene thought that if anything, he'd see $50, maybe $100.
A few days later, the Christians made good on their promise, and sent a check for $400.
"I said I can't believe it," Greene said. "I thought I was in the Twilight Zone."
The money went to help pay the rent, and provide necessities from the grocery store.
The contributions didn't stop at $400 either, Cry said. More money is coming in.
Greene is so amazed by the generosity of the Christians in Henderson
County, he's sharing the story through the media, and is thinking about
writing a book.
"I'm going to call it the real 'Christians of Henderson County,
Texas,'" Greene said. "These people are acting like what the Bible says a
Christian does."
Greene plans on publishing the work as an e-book.
"I'm dedicating the book to my wife, the young lady who started the idea, and Reverend Graham."
Why It Matters: Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).
But far too often we get bogged down in fighting faux cultural battles
(like the "War on Christmas") and forget that the "enemies" our Lord
commands us to love are also our neighbors. When we take the time to
show concern and charity, as the Christians in my former home of
Henderson County have done with Mr. Greene, it can melt the hardest of
hearts.
"I have decided to show my appreciation to the Christian community
for all their help, and I am going to buy a star for the top of the
Nativity scene," says Greene, " You people can figure out how to plug it
in."