The End of an Evil?

The End of an Evil?

by | Mar 19, 2017 | The Church & the World

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Since its inception in 2014 the radical militant group commonly known as Islamic State (IS or ISIS)  has perpetrated continuous, systemic and widespread atrocities against multiple thousands of Christians and individuals of other targeted minorities in the many countries in which it is present. 

The massacres of civilians, beheading of prisoners and hostages, and the rape, sexual enslavement and merchandising of captured women has been constant throughout the existence of IS. Despite its recent loss of some of its territory,  the crimes against humanity continue unabated, although incidences are less frequently mentioned in the media as much of the Western public has tired of the stories and they are no longer viewed as being “newsworthy.”

Some effort has been made by world governments to  curb IS, of course, but the results have been relatively small and slow in coming.   However, the new U.S. government administration has declared Islamic State atrocities to be clear “genocide” and has committed to stopping the scourge of this group.

The United States will host a meeting of ministers from some 68 countries this week to assess the current situation and to discuss strategies to defeat IS completely.  According to the news agency Reuters, the meeting, to be led by new U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, will be held in Washington on Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23.  

This will be the largest gathering of nations opposing the terror group to have occurred to date and an official has stated that the U.S. administration will discuss increased military as well as diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to curb the problem of the existence of IS.
As Christians we are hopefully well aware of the inhuman predations of IS on Christian and other populations within their territory and we are already praying about this situation.  The upcoming meetings give us a new opportunity to renew those prayers, however, and to fervently ask for the success of what may well be the most serious effort to destroy the evil of IS to date. 

We can pray for the success of the military, diplomatic, and humanitarian efforts that result from the meetings and we can pray also that the eyes of many of the IS extremists will be opened to understand the evil that they are committing.   Recent IS attacks in Europe show that as the group begins to lose territory, it is increasingly inciting terrorist activities elsewhere; we can pray for the failure of its attempts to influence more individuals to this kind of activity.
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Many have prayed for the protection of Christians and others persecuted by IS, and the international meetings planned for this coming week may come as close to a potential answer to the problem as has yet occurred.  Now is a perhaps a particularly good time to renew our efforts in urging our governments to act decisively in this situation, to support Christian and other humanitarian groups that are helping those affected by the ravages of IS, and to be fervent in prayers for the end of this unmitigated evil.  ​

Your Family in Africa

Your Family in Africa

by | Feb 7, 2016 | The Church & the World

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We live in a world which always seems to have a war raging somewhere, and problems everywhere else, so it’s easy to begin to lose track of what is happening on all the continents. At this time, most world news headlines relate to the complex and perilous situation in the Middle East, and so it’s especially easy to miss what is happening  elsewhere – but as Christians we do need to notice.

The Africa-based Institute for Security Studies recently released a summary of the problems in Africa as we go into 2016.   The graphic above summarizes this report, and we should notice that it does not consider ongoing problems of famine, disease, malnutrition, human trafficking,  and other issues – simply current political problems. 

Africa is a huge continent (for a graphic representation of just how huge, see our blog post here), and the first thing we need to see is just how widespread the problems are over that massive landmass. According to the ISS, there are crisis hotspots in twelve countries with major problems ranging from ongoing terrorist activity to all-out war.  To put this in perspective, if twelve states of the United States of America were experiencing these levels of crisis and anarchy, most Americans would regard the situation as virtually apocalyptic.

The kidnapping of 276 (still missing) Chibok schoolgirls by the Islamic Jihadist and terrorist organization, Boko Haram, in Nigeria in 2014 resonated around the world (#BringBackOurGirls), but this event was only one of hundreds of ongoing kidnappings, killings and attacks being perpetrated by this and other groups in Africa – many of which never make it into the news in the Western world.
  
The cost for everyone affected by this ongoing violence is terrible, of course, but we need to be particularly aware of its effect on members of the Christian faith.  Christians are the primary target of much of the violence and persecution in many of the crisis hotspot areas – and remember a “hotspot” in Africa is not just a “spot,” it may be an area of thousands of square miles.  In some areas Christians are being attacked daily, with as many as three churches a week being burned and destroyed.  Our prayers for believers in these areas are needed just as much as for those in the Middle East who are suffering in what are often better reported circumstances.

Notice also that the ISS graphic shows the high number of elections in many of the affected countries in 2016, and we can pray that those elections will result in better acceptance and protection for Christians who are endangered by the widespread problems.  Overall the situation in Africa is worse for Christians than it has been for many years, and the problems are growing almost everywhere.
  
So if you are part of the family of Christianity (1 John 3:1-2, Ephesians 2:19-22), think about the responsibility to which our faith calls us – to have concern for suffering members of that family  (1 Corinthians 12:25-26) and to help them (Galatians 6:10). We need to be aware of the situation and remember to pray for and support our family in Africa. 

A New World Watch List

A New World Watch List

by | Jan 14, 2016 | Persecution, The Church & the World

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Yesterday,  Open Doors, the Christian aid organization serving the persecuted Church, published its updated “World Watch List” ranking the top 50 persecuting countries in the world.  The Watch List is an excellent resource for churches and individuals to see where the most intense needs currently are and summarizing the situation regarding the persecution of believers around the globe.

The list is an important, though sobering publication. The fact that there are a top fifty persecuting nations to list is saddening enough, and the top listed nations among the fifty are guilty of persecution in the extreme.  Perhaps not surprisingly, North Korea maintains its top-persecuting rank, and Iraq and the African nation of Eritrea now take second and third place, respectively. 

The report does not just rank the most persecuting nations, however – it shows where there has been an increase or decrease in a given nation’s ranking, and provides other useful information. For example, although most people are aware of the incredible level of persecution being inflicted on Christian populations by Islamic extremists, the report helpfully indicates other aspects of this situation that we might not be aware of – such as the fact that  as  legitimate governments became more fearful of burgeoning Islamic extremism, they themselves are often responding by either boosting nationalism as a counterforce or tightening regulations and increasing surveillance over all religious expression.

There are some glimmers of hope. Some few countries have been downranked – such as Syria, which is down from 4th to 5th place, and Somalia, which is down from 3rd to 7th place – but in a number of these cases the downgrading is a result of the mass exodus of Christians rather than any improvement in conditions.  At least one country – Mauritania – has been removed from the list, but it has simply been replaced by another country where persecution is growing.   

Overall, the picture painted by the new World Watch list is one of growing severe and extreme persecution, and Open Doors is to be thanked for the work they put into carefully monitoring and documenting the escalating situation. The list is itself a powerful weapon in raising awareness and enabling informed reaction to the problem of intensifying worldwide persecution, and we would highly recommend it to every believer.  The Watch List can be freely download from the Open Doors website here , and  we urge you to familiarize yourself with the list and to use it for prayer and action on behalf of the millions of persecuted believers around the world.

*You can read an interview with David Curry, President and CEO of Open Doors, on our sister site, LivingWithFaith.org, here. 

The Gift of Light

The Gift of Light

by | Dec 13, 2015 | Giving, The Church & the World

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Here at TacticalChristianity.org we are always on the lookout for people doing good work that we can recommend and about which we can spread the word. One such project which is well established, but was new to us, is  One Million Lights.
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The project’s website gives two important statistics.  First, 1.3 billion people around the world still depend on kerosene oil for light. The second statistic is that kerosene causes 1.5 million deaths annually.   

​To see that second statistic in perspective, realize that far fewer people die from malaria around the world in a given year, and that the number of kerosene-related deaths does not include the huge number of adults and children badly burned through kerosene fires.

Another, less noticeable – but no less real – aspect of kerosene use is that it causes a number of respiratory illnesses. According to the OML website, kerosene smoke inhalation is equivalent to smoking four packs of cigarettes per day and is related to many cases of asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and cancer in households which are forced to use kerosene as the only source of available light.  Add to these very real health hazards the high cost of kerosene – which means that already impoverished families often spend up to half of their annual income on purchasing the fuel. 

Yet the answer to this little-realized, but widespread cause of death, illness and impoverishment is as close as solar-powered lamps.  That is where the One Million Lights organization enters the scene.  The project has distributed over 59,500 solar lanterns since November 2014, in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.  A map on the OML website shows where these lights have gone and makes it very clear what a tremendous effect the program is having.

The amazing thing is how little these lights cost compared to what they give.  For every $15 donated to OML, members of a family somewhere are protected from possible death and injury, almost certain ill health, and increased poverty.  Giving an impoverished family half its annual income back is, alone, an amazing return on fifteen dollars.   If you choose to donate a light, you can even choose the area to which it will go – a menu lists far-scattered areas of need ranging from countries such as Liberia and Uganda to specific tribal regions and places such as Barwani and Kishanghar that you may never have heard of before. 

But wherever the light goes, it can make a huge difference in people’s lives.  As a Christian, you know that is true spiritually.  In this case, it is true physically as well. So if you would like to let your light shine in this way, consider the work of the One Million Lights project. A little light goes a long way.

Words for a Time of Persecution

Words for a Time of Persecution

by | Aug 9, 2015 | Problems, The Church & the World

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“… persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9).

The apostle Paul knew a few things about being persecuted for one’s faith.   After turning from his role as persecutor of the Church, Paul was himself frequently attacked and assaulted for his beliefs and teaching.   The harassment was not just verbal. The apostle tells us he was physically beaten numerous times and that “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes” (2 Timothy 2:9). He was even, on one occasion, stoned and then dragged away and left for dead (Acts 14:19).

It was not only the leaders of the early Church who underwent persecution, of course.  In his epistles to the Thessalonians, Paul provides an example of a whole congregation that was experiencing  persecution:  “… you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6 ESV). “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV).  We don’t know all the details of how the Thessalonian Christians were being treated by those around them, but it is clear that they were facing discomfort and persecution.  

But Paul doesn’t just commend  these people as an example of those who are persecuted for their faith; he helps them realize where much of the spirit of persecution comes from, and he also offers them hope.  Notice what he told them: “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV).  In saying this, Paul foreshadows God’s help to persecuted Christians through the ages – stressing the fact that God either strengthens or protects his people, depending on his will, and sometimes he does both. Paul found this frequently. Sometimes he was rescued (2 Timothy 3:11) and sometimes he was not (2 Timothy 2:9, 2 Timothy 4:6-8).  

We have only to look around the world today to see that many – possibly the majority of – Christians are still living in some degree of discomfort in terms of societal or official pressure and persecution. Many are suffering intense persecution, and God still protects his people or strengthens them to endure. But why do some suffer and some escape? The testimony of history and current events both show that God works despite the persecution of his followers. It is in times and places of persecution that Christianity grows the most – both numerically and spiritually.  Not only does persecution and societal lack of approval help believers grow closer to God, but also it often gives them unique opportunities to be a better light to others. 

It is no coincidence that Paul told the Thessalonians that they were a  model to all the believers in the surrounding areas (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8).  The persecuted Thessalonians were, he tells us, especially effective in spreading the gospel  throughout their surrounding region (vs. 8) through their “work produced by faith,” their “labor prompted by love,” and their “endurance inspired by hope …” (vs.3). As a result, the Thessalonian Christians were both a powerful witness to other believers and to those outside the Faith.

Paradoxical as it may seem, Paul  reminds us that the more uncomfortable it becomes to be a Christian, the more Christian committed Christians become.  Nevertheless, we need to pray for the persecuted.  Pray for the persecuted Church!

We recommend Jonathan Petersen’s excellent article on this topic on the BibleGateway.org site here. 

Should You Fear Conspiracy?

Should You Fear Conspiracy?

by | Jul 26, 2015 | The Church & the World

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In films such as “Conspiracy Theory” (1997), “Enemy of the State” (1998) and a number of others, leading actors like Mel Gibson and Will Smith have portrayed individuals struggling to survive despite governmental or corporate conspiracies that threaten to destroy them.   

Movies of this type have produced wryly humorous  lines such as  “It’s not paranoia If they really are out to get you,” but many people view the threat of conspiracies aimed at the control of society as not at all humorous and all too real.

For some, conspiracy lurks behind every movement of the stock market, every government announcement, every corporate merger. The threat of conspiracy affects not only how they see the world, but also how they live in it.  In some cases, fear of conspiracy leads to everything from not using credit cards to not drinking tap water.  

Even some Christians fall prey to worry over conspiracies based on things people think they see going on in the world, but ironically the apostle Paul indicated quite clearly that there really is a conspiracy against humans that cannot be seen and which is far greater than the real or imagined conspiracies of governments and mega-corporations:  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

But whether we think of physical or spiritual conspiracies, the Bible makes it clear that these are not things we should fear.  The prophet Isaiah stated this emphatically: “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,  he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread” (Isaiah  8:12-13).

Isaiah’s words are interesting on two levels. He certainly does not deny the existence of conspiracies, but he clearly suggests that people see more conspiracies than actually exist.  More importantly, Isaiah stresses that it is not some shadowy “they” we should fear, but the One who is far greater than any human power.  The prophet’s words were reinforced by Jesus himself in saying: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

So the Bible does not deny the existence of conspiracies in the world in which we live, and certainly not within the world we do not see, but it categorically directs us not to waste our lives in fear of such things.  This is not to say that we should ignore evidence of conspiracy and corruption, or that we should not fulfill our social duty of fighting it where it may be fought, but Christianity does preclude apprehension that affects our lives or fear that begins to form our behavior.

For the believer, even the worst of hidden conspiracies need not be feared because every power, seen or unseen,  is ultimately subject to the One who guides history and who promises his servants protection according to his will.  Living by that understanding is an important part of how we see God – that he is the only “unseen power” that matters.  To freely paraphrase Isaiah, it is more important to maintain a truly reverent respect for God than to worry about the tap water.