Connoisseur for Christ: Roberta Green Ahmanson
What inspires the art enthusiast to give millions away?
[ posted 1/19/2011 9:33AM ]
Roberta Ahmanson is a force of nature. She brings intelligence, passion, conviction, and energy to the projects she pursues, and yet, she is defined even here in terms of Howard; with characteristic mirth, she declares she is amused by this fact. "Well, I am his wife and it's a very important part of my life," she offers. But she is so much more.
Christine A. Scheller is a CT contributing editor and writer living in New Jersey.
Note: An editorial change has been made to this article.
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Christine Scheller also contributes to Her.meneutics.
Previous CT stories about philanthropy include:
Give to Street People? | Christian thinkers weigh in on whether Christians should always give money to people o the street who ask for it. (January 13, 2010)
Philanthropist Sir John Templeton Dies at 95 | Presbyterian investor promoted the scientific study of faith. (July 9, 2008)
Patrons of the Evangelical Mind | Why has evangelical scholarship soared in the last few decades? Native intellectual talent is one reason, to be sure. But an infusion of cash didn't hurt. (July 8, 2002)
A Fractured and Beautiful Faith
How songwriter Audrey Assad transcended "positive and encouraging" to create music for the church.
Streaming This Weekend, May 24, 2013
What to watch this weekend (hint: don't make a huge mistake).
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Horace Jeffery Hodges
"Ahmanson is equally unflinching in her defense of Rushdoony, controversial in part for his belief that the Levitical laws should be applied in modern society. Roberta claims he wasn't 'the ogre' he was made out to be and explains his theodicy as a response to his family's flight from the Armenian genocide in Turkey." Is "theodicy" a misprint for "theocracy"? The application of Levitical laws to society would be the latter. Jeffery Hodges
D Robson
Dutch Rikkers makes a very good point. We live on a beautiful world, but have done a poor job as stewards. Regarding intelligent design: There are different permutations -- one can believe a creator set the processes in motion which created the universe and all within it, without contradicting scientific discoveries. But when intelligent design is offered as science, it must fit within the methodology of science, which is to say its theory must be capable of being tested by repeatable experiment, and must be capable of falsification -- as all theories in science are, from gravity to molecular particle behavior. Remember that in scientific terminology a "theory" means something different than the usual meaning -- it is not a "guess." Rather, a scientific theory is an overarching explanatory framework that is supported by all available facts. Millions of scientists in many fields use evolutionary theory as a basis for research and understanding.
Dutch Rikkers
Just wondering what one has to do or be to be "worthy" of Ahmanson support. Great to see that they support intelligent design research, but do they also recognize that the intelligently designed earth is being un-intelligently abused, polluted, and depleted. Many of the "conservatives" they have supported are anti-conservation and blatantly oppose Christians who are seeking to make creation-care (mankind's original job) once again a priority with followers of Christ.