PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MAR-A-GAZA: conceived in cultural ignorance
It appears that President Donald Trump views every situation through the real-estate lenses of Mar-a-Lago, his luxurious 126-room, 5,810-square-meter mansion in Florida. According to Mr. Trump, the solution to the Gaza conflict, which has now claimed nearly 50,000 lives, isn’t based on mercy, as Bishop Budde urged, but rather on transforming Gaza into a Middle Eastern Riviera—a “Mar-a-Gaza,” if you will. This notion not only oversimplifies the complexities of a region entrenched in conflict, but it also highlights the profound ignorance of Western leaders who approach the Middle East with NO understanding of its cultural worldviews. Here are 6 to consider.
EMOTIONAL GENOCIDE: the hidden statistics of the children of GAZA
While political warlords, Presidents, and Prime Ministers vie for power, and theologians discuss the legitimacy of Israel, millions of children, the weak, and the vulnerable are fighting for survival in a war that will leave scars few can foresee and nobody wants to predict.
THE BACONIAN FALLACY OF GAZA: and the death of human compassion
Satan loves to destroy a heart of compassion by “inoculating” us with just enough of the truth that we become immune to the Father of ALL compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3). We get so caught up in the KNOWN KNOWNS, the facts and figures that we research so diligently and hold on to so tightly, that we lose sight of the way that the KNOWN KNOWN Redeemer has shown us.
GAZA, LEBANON and SYRIA: the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb?
What if the darkness in Syria is the darkness of the womb and not the darkness of the tomb? What if the darkness in Gaza is the birth pains of something so beautiful that only God can comprehend it. What if God, in His sovereign goodness and His desire to seek and save the lost, can use this darkness to birth a nation, to raise a people, and to establish His presence through the beauty of His church. What if this is the darkness of the womb and not the darkness of a tomb?
ANOTHER NATION, ANOTHER WAR – Can beauty save our world?
“Beauty will save the world” These words by Russian philosopher, Fyodor Dostoevsky can be easily dismissed as hopelessly naive, considering all that is happening in the world today. But for Dostoevsky “beauty” seemed to transcend aesthetics, and is what inspires the best in us, our aspirations for what is good and true, and what connects us to each other. Sadly, for many Christians, truth has replaced beauty. It is so much easier to demand submission to the teachings of Christ than it is to radiate the beauty of Christ. Judging people is a lot easier than loving them and condemning sinners is a lot easier than forgiving them.
THE DEATH OF COMPASSION – the birth of barbarism
Hannah Arendt once said that the death of human compassion is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism. These are sobering words in a season where the war in Gaza has exposed one major weakness within Western Christianity—the obsession of being right at the expense of being compassionate and kind.
A HEART FOR THE ENEMY – Consider the Christ
Where did Jesus announce, for the first time, that He is the Messiah? Take a deep breath… In enemy territory, to a single woman of reputation. The greatest announcement in human history is “wasted” on a Samaritan prostitute. Press the pause button there for a moment and consider the presence of Christ in Gaza, Beirut and even Tehran. A woman of reputation from a culture group viewed by Jews as half-breeds, is the first person to whom Jesus openly reveals himself as the Messiah. Think about that.
FROM TRAGEDY TO ATROCITY: Standing with the Church in Gaza and Lebanon
If we don’t share the pain of Christians in Gaza and Lebanon, we are either not part of the body of Christ or we suffer from diseases called spiritual leprosy and spiritual AIDS.
COMPLICIT CHRISTIANITY: How Gaza is shaping missions in the Middle East.
Complicit Christianity, pro-Israel advocates who support the military engagement in Gaza, will ultimately lead to the extinction of the Palestinian Church, the increase of persecution for local believers and a decrease in regional mission activities. The influence of Western Christian leaders and their vocal commitment to the destruction of Gaza could be compared to the Crusades which started in the 11th century, and will be equally devastating for the future of missions endeavours in the Middle East.
LEBANON: The People’s Reaction to the War.
At diaLOGOS (www.dialogos.co.za) and The Third Way, we are grateful to have friends, partners, and co-workers in regions that are impacted by the current conflict in Gaza. One of our partners currently serving as a diaLOGOS field journalist in Lebanon, wrote the following report: