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Name: Kyle
Interests: good music; theological, philosophical, and general intellectual discussion of random topics; being outside; books; not being involved in drama
Expertise: thinking too much
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
AIM:  Arkyle
Member Since:
12/14/2004
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| Why can't I trust God? I am convinced that He isn't big enough to
handle anything. He proves himself over and over, but I am still
unwilling to wait for him to work things out.
My room is a mess, so I'm going to clean it up right now.
"Oh, my lord, what shall we do?' the servant asked.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are
more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open
his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and
he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all
around.
~II Kings 6:15-17
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| I will tell people what I know is right. I will speak the truth, and I
will not back down because that is not right or safe for me or them.
But I speak in love. If I did not care for people I would not care what
they did. I am not perfect, but Christ is. Let us try together to
become like Him. This means that when you see me doing something wrong,
you should call me out on it. And I will do the same for you.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." ~ Proverbs 27:17
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| So I've had a lot on my mind recently.
One thing I've been thinking about is lots of social justice issues.
There are wars all across the world and various dictators oppressing
their people, practicing genocide, and rebel movements in many
countries around the world. What should our response be to this? We
should be outraged. We should want to help these people in other
countries who are being senselessly killed. As Christians, we should be
seeking out places where there is injustice and working to right those
wrongs. But I have a question about all of this. Why do we (myself
included) think we need to look to other parts of the world (Africa
seems to be a favorite) to find injustice and evil? The latest hot
topic in much of the Christian community is the Invisible Children
campaign. If you haven't heard about it, check out
www.invisiblechildren.com and get informed about what is going on in
the world and find out how you can help. Invisible Children, in my
writing here, will serve only as an example or case study for many other
similar campaigns which focus on everything from Colombia to China to
the Congo. The unfortunate thing about American Christians (I am
included) is that we want to abolish injustice abroad, but we are
content only to manage it here. If there in injustice in America, we
are not so zealous to fight for
its abolition. We don't want to be controversial. What if we fail?
Won't we look stupid? I will explain what I mean.
The war in Uganda, which is the central focus of Invisible Children, is
responsible for 146 deaths per week currently. That death rate is 3
times higher than the death rate in Iraq. The civil war has been going
on for roughly 20 years, not always with a death rate that high, but
there has been significant violence there for quite a long time now.
Let's assume that the death rate in Uganda has been the same 146 deaths
per week for the last 20 years. There are 52 weeks in a year for
20 years is 1040 weeks at 146 deaths per week is 151,580 deaths in 20
years. Now there have been civil wars in Uganda preceding this current
one which are reportedly responsible for over 250,000 deaths. So we'll
add the two which gives us roughly 400,000 deaths in Uganda, many of
them children. We'll go ahead and throw in an extra 100,000 in case I
left something big out and make it a nice round 500,000 deaths because
of a civil war in Uganda. (There is some conflicting research on this topic. InvisibleChildren.com claims that 130 people die per day in Uganda due to violence while the latest UN briefings and news reports that I can find say 146 per week.
I do not know which information is correct or why there is such a large
discrepancy. However, if the death rate is indeed at 130 per day for 20
years that puts the casualties at almost 1,000,000. This is a
significant difference and should be noted.) This is a atrocity and
demands action. The
world is closing its eyes to this injustice. But are the other
injustices that are worse? How could something be worse than that?
There is other injustice in the world. Injustice that is far worse than
the tragedy in Uganda. The injustice is closer to home. It is personal,
and it is being forgotten. It does not have the benefit of cool
bracelets or documentaries made by college students. Abortion has been
legal in America for 33 years and has killed more than 43 million
children. Let me repeat that, 43 million children. We
can compare that real fast to the death rate in Uganda. 43 million
children in 33 years is 25,058 children killed per week. (For
comparison to the second rate mentioned before, that is 3,578 children per day.) Will someone
please tell me which is the greatest social injustice? We wonder how
rebel forces in Uganda could abduct and kill children, but we seem to
have no problem accepting the fact that parents kill their own children
in our country. We are calling for government action in foreign
countries where there is genocide and civil war, but we kill our own
people more quickly then even Stalin did during his reign in the Soviet
Union. We can just leave Hitler in the dust, he's minor league compare
the us, the professionals. We see this injustice an are content to
manage it. We'll try to keep a few women from having abortions, and
we'll be in good shape. How many of us have a vision for the abolition
of abortion in America? How many have the faith that God is capable of
such a great act? The problem is not too big, we are just too scared.
The country that sends the most missionaries abroad is no longer the
United States; it is China. The socialist country which officially
doesn't allow Christianity to exist is sending out more missionaries
and has a faster growing church than the great free country of America.
That is my God, and that God is capable of abolishing abortion, the
greatest issue of social injustice in the entire world.
It is not sinful to have a heart for Uganda. On the contrary, we need
people to go there, to help those people, to send money, and to pray
earnestly for an end to the war and for the poor children. We also need
people who are brave enough to take a stand against abortion, to pray
daily that God will end abortion in our country, and to fight, no
matter how many times we may seem to be defeated, for an end to it.
Pray for one another. Take care of one another. Love each other deeply,
not with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. Love covers a
multitude of sin. You are not an island. You live in community. Deepen
your community and relationships, and you will deepen yourself.
I'll be home in less than two weeks. Come visit. I enjoy getting to
talk to everyone to see how God moves, for He is mysterious, powerful,
and limitless.
"May the god of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant
brought back from the death our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the
sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he
work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to who be
glory for ever and ever. Amen." ~ Hebrews 13:20-21
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| There are a couple things brewing. Stay tuned for I may have time to
write over the next week or so. Just to give you a little sneak peak
into the workings of my brain, my current topics of thought are how
integrity and hypocrisy are related, human rights, and the roll of the
American government in solving the world's problems.
I hope that everyone is well and that you all enjoy your Easter
holiday. Enjoy your freedom in Christ and celebrate it this Easter.
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Support and pray for each other.
"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." ~ I John 3:18
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| We are all slaves to someone or something. Make you are the slave of a good master who will reward your hard work.
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal
life." ~Romans 6:22
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