Compelled by a desire to right the wrongs inflicted upon God’s creation through deceit and manipulation, a group of like-minded individuals galvanized their resources around the central theme of Truth…. the truth of who God is, the truth of His unconditional love, and the truth of humanities indisputable equality and worth in the sight of our Creator.
We have grown weary of the well-meaning, yet debilitating and dehumanizing images of God’s beautiful children in less-than-favorable conditions. These images are often used to garner support for honorable causes, but, unfortunately, reinforce the narrative of who is deemed superior and who is doomed to a status of less than and inferior.
What started as a faint whisper eventually became a booming command. Nothing I did could silence the voice of the Lord telling me to do something about the image that was serried in my memory. The image of an emaciated, unkempt, fly-swarmed African child on the cover of a Christian organization’s magazine. This image of pain and suffering has become all too familiar across the world. An image that strips people of dignity, self-respect, and hope. As a researcher, I was keenly aware of the impact images have on the mental health, well-being, and narrative of individuals as well as groups of people, namely, the marginalized.
Being led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Affirm Ministries was born to share the love of Christ with regard to the dignity of those who are being ministered to and to counter the negative narrative created by decades of less-than-favorable images of God’s creation.
