We live in a time not too dissimilar than the 1930’s. The propaganda in the Middle East is strong, very strong. They have created a culture much like Hitler manufactured during the 1930s in Germany.
The objective is the same, create a supreme race (this time based on Islam). Make other races less valuable based on ethnicity or religion, and exterminate them.
The world is in trouble anytime people feel justified in the extermination of others and classify it as a “good deed.” We are all in much greater danger today due to the proliferation of information, and the development of destructive technology. Dictators and extremists have the ability to reach any nation at any time. The Middle East is a tinder bundle ready to ignite and engulf western cultures.
The war crimes being inflicted everyday on innocent civilians in Syria is incomprehensible. Over 100,000 people have died in Syria since the inspection of the war. Even more tragically there are 140,000 people in “prison” for resistance to Assad’s regime. These prisons amount to nothing more than concentration camps where people are tortured regularly, or exterminated.
During World War II Christians and the organized church were primarily, and sadly dormant. Except for a few brave souls such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his people who started the Confessing Church in Germany, there was precious little involvement from Christians in the resistance movement against Hitler.
I recently had an opportunity to meet Minister Of The Interior, Karim Sinjiri from the Kurdish Regional Government. As a moderate Muslim, he had chaired a committee to provide aid to Christian refugees fleeing to Northern Iraq for protection. In his efforts to build support for these Christians he found none of their kind willing to step up and help.
As we sat and discussed the ongoing crisis of Syrian refugees in Kurdistan, and their need for assistance, he mentioned the solicitation of Christian church denominations within Kurdistan to help, and precious few are stepping up.
It is an inditement against the body of Christ, the apathy displayed toward such world issues as the current refugee crisis. This crisis stands as an open door of immense opportunity for the church to unite and demonstrate the love of Jesus in a tangible way to Muslims who are being slaughtered daily. The world needs a proactive body of believers, not one that sleeps while Evil engulfs innocent victims.
During the American revolution Edmund Burke proclaimed, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to talk to one of my heroes, “Uncle Ed” Strother. I thanked him for his service as a Marine platoon leader during World War II. His response wasn’t self glorification, it was a call to action.
“You still have an opportunity to make a difference.”
As we run to the battle, I pass that same charge along to you. We have an opportunity to change how the church responds to world crisis. This time the outcome could change the course of history.
