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Sam Childers

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Sam Childers
Sam Childers arriving at a book signing of Another Man's War
Sam Childers arriving at a book signing of
Another Man's War
Born1963 (age 60–61)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksAnother Man's War
Notable awardsMother Teresa Awards
Children2

Sam Childers (born 1963), also known as the Machine Gun Preacher, is an American motorcyclist, author, and humanitarian. A member of the Highwaymen Motorcycle Club, Childers became well known after Dateline NBC broadcast a profile of him by Keith Morrison and Tim Sandler that documented his interactions with Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in 2005. Childers subsequently dedicated his life and resources to rescuing children in the war zone of South Sudan. Childers and his wife Lynn founded and operate Angels of East Africa, the Children's Village Orphanage in Nimule, South Sudan, where they currently have around 185 children in their care. Childers also has orphanages and homes in Uganda and Ethiopia with another 160 children in his organisation's care.

In 2013, Childers received the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.[1][2]

Early life

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Childers was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the son of Paul Childers, an ironworker and former Marine.[3] Childers had two older brothers, Paul Jr. and George. He also had a sister, Donna, who died of a heart problem before she was a year old. While he was growing up, his parents moved the family from place to place, following construction projects.[citation needed]

In the spring of 1974, shortly before Childers turned 12, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Going into seventh grade he discovered cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol and heroin, which led to many years of drug addiction, drug dealing, and alcoholism. Childers also developed a love for motorcycles and the lifestyle that led him to become a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.[4][5][6][7]

Childers married a woman named Lynn before converting to Christianity, and had a daughter (Paige) and a son.[citation needed]

Career

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Childers converted to Christianity in mid-1992, with the help of his 1st wife, during a revival meeting at an Assembly of God church. That same evening Childers' pastor allegedly prophesied that he would go to Africa. At the end of 1997, Childers made his first trip to Sudan. In that first trip and the many that followed, he was exposed to the acts of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA),[8] which he described as atrocious.

Not long after his first trip to Sudan, Childers and his then wife Lynn founded the Angels of East Africa, the Children's Village in Southern Sudan.[9] The Children’s Village currently houses and educates over 180 (figures update 2021) orphans,[10] with over a thousand children rescued since its conception.[11] The staff at the Children's Village are primarily Sudanese orphans and widows themselves.

Childers details the events of his life and his experiences in Africa in his book Another Man's War.[12] The book bears the endorsement from South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit: "The Reverend Sam Childers has been a very close friend to the government of South Sudan for many years and is a trusted friend."[13]

In November 2009, Childers appeared on Debra Peppers' television show Outreach Connection in Quincy, Illinois. He revealed that he also rescues children abducted in northern Uganda.[citation needed]

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In 2011, Relativity Media released a biopic about Childers entitled Machine Gun Preacher, which was based on Childers' book Another Man's War. The film was written by Jason Keller and directed by Marc Forster. The cast featured Gerard Butler in the title role, Michelle Monaghan as Childers' wife Lynn, and Michael Shannon as his best friend Donnie.

In 2014, a documentary with the same title was produced by Angels of East Africa, and filmed/edited by Australians Kevin Evans and Zac Simpson. It was released globally by Heritage Films in Australia and in North America by Vision Films (US).

Childers did a speaking tour of UK churches, organisations, businesses, rehab centers, and prisons in 2018. He was interviewed on video in Tamworth, UK.[14]

Criticisms

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Childers has faced criticism over his actions and representation of himself. Foreign Policy cast doubt on Childers' stories of rescue, stating that "[i]t would take a miracle for all of Childers’s claims to be completely true." It also asserted that the operations of other aid workers are imperiled by Childers' actions. Additionally, the SPLA distanced itself from Childers, stating via a spokesman that "The SPLA does not know Sam Childers."[15]

In 2014, Childers' home and ministry properties were the subjects of a raid by the FBI and the IRS.[16][17] In 2019, Childers was cleared of all charges by the FBI and the IRS.

Other criticism includes allegations that orphanages started by Childers have been poorly run, and that Childers has not made a visit in years.[18][19] A Vanity Fair profile compared Childers' demeanor toward some villagers as "bullying."[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Harmony Foundation to host Mother Teresa awards on Nov 9". dna. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Mother Teresa Awards given to promoters of social justice". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Machine Gun Preacher - About Sam". machinegunpreacher.org. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
  4. ^ Morrison, Keith (2006-09-26). "In war-torn Uganda, kids only emerge at night – Dateline NBC – NBC News". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  5. ^ 'Machine Gun Preacher' Sam Childers tours Australia SBS World News (August 19, 2017)
  6. ^ “Machine Gun Preacher” to visit Faith Community Fellowship Church in Aiken Anthony Scannella, The Post and Courier (November 7, 2018)
  7. ^ “Machine Gun Preacher” to visit Faith Community Fellowship Church in Aiken Anthony Scannella, Associated Press (November 9, 2018)
  8. ^ "World Missions New Sudan". Boyerspond.com. 2009-06-27. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  9. ^ "Angels of East Africa". Angels of East Africa. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  10. ^ "Missionary Fights for Children of East Africa – Christian World News – CBN News – Christian News 24-7". CBN.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  11. ^ "Angels of East Africa". Angels of East Africa. Archived from the original on 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  12. ^ "Another Man's War | Book Videos, Interviews & Podcasts from B&N Studio". Media.barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  13. ^ Childers, Sam (2011). Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 9781418573492.
  14. ^ Video Interview with Sam Childers by ,JAMedia-UK (2019-07-24), Sam Childers The Machine Gun Preacher, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2019-07-24
  15. ^ Keller, Brett (22 September 2011). "Machine Gun Menace". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  16. ^ Steffan, Melissa (11 February 2014). "FBI, IRS Investigate Machine Gun Preacher's Property". News & Reporting. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  17. ^ "FBI Raids 'Machine Gun' Preacher's Home". CBN News. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  18. ^ "The Machine Gun Preacher: Saint or Scoundrel?". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  19. ^ "Machine Gun Preacher Under Fire". News & Reporting. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  20. ^ Urbina, Ian (27 April 2010). "Get Kony". The Hive. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
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