As we fired up the grill this Memorial Day, we remember with gratitude those who fought and sacrificed for the freedom and prosperity we enjoy. The newspaper this morning, like too many other mornings, eulogized six soldiers who were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter was presented with a purple heart for his heroic act of falling on a grenade to protect a fellow soldier. Carpenter lost an eye, most of his teeth and use of his right arm from a grenade blast Nov. 21 near Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Many other stories like this could be recounted.
Many have also given their lives for the sake of the message of freedom through belief in Jesus Christ, a freedom and prosperity that endures forever. Beginning with 10 of the 12 apostles who paid the ultimate price, to Nigerian Evangelist James Abdulkarim Yahaya, who was killed by men suspected to be Muslim fundamentalists. This Christian preacher was murdered in the Kado area of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, by four armed men who broke into his bedroom apartment as he slept and shot him. Yahaya was a former Muslim who converted to Christianity several years earlier. Then there's Missionary pilot Nate Saint and his companions who were killed in Equador in 1956 by Waodani tribesmen as they attempted to bring the message of Jesus. Though this tribe was isolated and cut off from civilization, due to the efforts of Christian missionaries, many came to belief in the Savior. Other stories like this could be recounted.
Similarly to the national Memorial Day celebration, Christians remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In our busy lives, do we take a moment occasionally to ask, “Am I living my life in a way that honors His death?” The Apostle Paul, who gave his life for the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, admonished us to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12) and “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). The best way to honor those who have given their lives is to give ours every day.
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Speaking the truth in love?
Well, he went ahead and did it. We reported in an earlier post (9/12/10) that Reverend Terry Jones, Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, had decided not to burn the Qur’an. He apparently had a change of mind and, on March 20th, Jones served as judge in a mock trial of Islam’s holy book, which was found guilty of “training and promoting terrorist activities … death, rape, torture of people worldwide”. [1] The latest news reports indicated that at least 20 have been killed and dozens more injured during protests in Kabul, Afghanistan. Following a sermon at the Mazar-e Sharif’s blue mosque, mobs formed, threw stones and breached the U. N. gates. Protesters chanted anti-American slogans, burned an effigy of President Obama, burned tires and blocked highways in other parts of Afghanistan.
Is Jones responsible for the deaths and rioting? There are two parts to the answer. First, those who committed the violent acts are responsible – not Jones. Humans have a pathological propensity to blame others for our own actions, claiming “I did this because he did that”. The truth is that each of us makes our own decisions to act and no one else is responsible. On the other hand, Jones knew his actions would lead to violence. In fact, he was warned last September by International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance, Geoff Tunnicliffe, whose organization represents millions of evangelical Christians worldwide. He told Jones at that time, “"If you continue with your action and violence occurs, pastors are killed, churches are burnt down, would you actually come with me and sit with widows and explain to them why you had to take the action you did?" [2]
Many prominent Christians have denounced Rev. Jones’ actions and we concur. Whereas a strong case can be made that Islam and the Qur’an have led to much violence from the 7th century and until present times, provocative acts like those of Jones are counterproductive. The Apostle Paul instructed believers in Corinth to proclaim the message of salvation, “giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited” (2 Corinthians 6:3). He instructed Titus to “be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds … dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8). As followers of Christ today, we should consider our actions by the standard: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
[1] Pittsburgh Tribune Review, “Quran protest enrages Afghans”, 1 Apr 2011.
[2] Jerome Socolovsky, Voice of America, “Religious Leaders Appeal for Calm After Quran Burning”, 5 Apr 2011,
Is Jones responsible for the deaths and rioting? There are two parts to the answer. First, those who committed the violent acts are responsible – not Jones. Humans have a pathological propensity to blame others for our own actions, claiming “I did this because he did that”. The truth is that each of us makes our own decisions to act and no one else is responsible. On the other hand, Jones knew his actions would lead to violence. In fact, he was warned last September by International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance, Geoff Tunnicliffe, whose organization represents millions of evangelical Christians worldwide. He told Jones at that time, “"If you continue with your action and violence occurs, pastors are killed, churches are burnt down, would you actually come with me and sit with widows and explain to them why you had to take the action you did?" [2]
Many prominent Christians have denounced Rev. Jones’ actions and we concur. Whereas a strong case can be made that Islam and the Qur’an have led to much violence from the 7th century and until present times, provocative acts like those of Jones are counterproductive. The Apostle Paul instructed believers in Corinth to proclaim the message of salvation, “giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited” (2 Corinthians 6:3). He instructed Titus to “be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds … dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8). As followers of Christ today, we should consider our actions by the standard: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
[1] Pittsburgh Tribune Review, “Quran protest enrages Afghans”, 1 Apr 2011.
[2] Jerome Socolovsky, Voice of America, “Religious Leaders Appeal for Calm After Quran Burning”, 5 Apr 2011,
Sunday, August 8, 2010
the least of these
“Be at peace, brother. We will have a happy supper with the Lord tonight.”
John Bradford to John Leaf, England, July 1555. [1]
On Friday August 6, 2010, the bodies of ten aid workers were discovered in the remote northern Afghanistan province of Badakhshan. Six Americans, one Briton, one German and two Afghan interpreters were killed while working as part of a medical mission. The only survivor of the group was a local translator who offered proof of his Muslim faith by quoting the Quran, according to the Associated Press. The Taliban took credit for the executions, alleging the charity workers were proselytizing poor villagers. A Taliban spokesman stated, “They were Christian missionaries and we killed them all.” [2] The workers were part of International Assistance Mission (IAM), “an international charitable, non-profit, Christian organisation, serving the people of Afghanistan, through capacity building in the sectors of Health and Economic Development”, in existence since 1966. [3]
According to the IAM website, all foreign workers are unpaid volunteers, some spending their own money to live and work in Afghanistan. The medical team was en route to Kabul following a 15-day mission providing eye care to rural villagers. Victims who have been identified are New York optometrist Tom Little, Colorado dentist Thomas Grams, Pennsylvania's Glen Lapp and Britain's Dr. Karen Woo. Grams had quit his dental practice in Durango, Colorado, to volunteer full-time, providing impoverished children with free dental care in Nepal and Afghanistan. Woo also gave up her job in London to work with Afghans. Optometrist Little had worked in Afghanistan for three decades, even learning to speak fluent Dari, one of the two main languages in that region. He supervised a network of IAM eye hospitals and clinics around the country. An associate of Grams and Little stated, "The kids had never seen toothbrushes, and Tom brought thousands of them. He trained them how to brush their teeth”. [4]
We commend these brave men and women and pray that those in Afghanistan who were touched by their selfless acts will recognize the love of God shown through their lives. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11)
[1] John Foxe, Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World (Westwood, NJ: Barbour Books, 1989), 124.
[2] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Taliban Strategy: Kill aid workers”, August 8, 2010, p. A1.
[3] < http://www.iam-afghanistan.org/our-mission-values >
[4] MSNBC, “Christian Group denies Afghan Taliban claims over dead workers”, posted 8 Aug 2010, < http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38612681/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/ >
John Bradford to John Leaf, England, July 1555. [1]
On Friday August 6, 2010, the bodies of ten aid workers were discovered in the remote northern Afghanistan province of Badakhshan. Six Americans, one Briton, one German and two Afghan interpreters were killed while working as part of a medical mission. The only survivor of the group was a local translator who offered proof of his Muslim faith by quoting the Quran, according to the Associated Press. The Taliban took credit for the executions, alleging the charity workers were proselytizing poor villagers. A Taliban spokesman stated, “They were Christian missionaries and we killed them all.” [2] The workers were part of International Assistance Mission (IAM), “an international charitable, non-profit, Christian organisation, serving the people of Afghanistan, through capacity building in the sectors of Health and Economic Development”, in existence since 1966. [3]
According to the IAM website, all foreign workers are unpaid volunteers, some spending their own money to live and work in Afghanistan. The medical team was en route to Kabul following a 15-day mission providing eye care to rural villagers. Victims who have been identified are New York optometrist Tom Little, Colorado dentist Thomas Grams, Pennsylvania's Glen Lapp and Britain's Dr. Karen Woo. Grams had quit his dental practice in Durango, Colorado, to volunteer full-time, providing impoverished children with free dental care in Nepal and Afghanistan. Woo also gave up her job in London to work with Afghans. Optometrist Little had worked in Afghanistan for three decades, even learning to speak fluent Dari, one of the two main languages in that region. He supervised a network of IAM eye hospitals and clinics around the country. An associate of Grams and Little stated, "The kids had never seen toothbrushes, and Tom brought thousands of them. He trained them how to brush their teeth”. [4]
We commend these brave men and women and pray that those in Afghanistan who were touched by their selfless acts will recognize the love of God shown through their lives. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11)
[1] John Foxe, Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World (Westwood, NJ: Barbour Books, 1989), 124.
[2] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Taliban Strategy: Kill aid workers”, August 8, 2010, p. A1.
[3] < http://www.iam-afghanistan.org/our-mission-values >
[4] MSNBC, “Christian Group denies Afghan Taliban claims over dead workers”, posted 8 Aug 2010, < http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38612681/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/ >
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