Orthodox Unity … | Autonomous Orthodoxy isn't an oxymoron. It's the fulfillment of a different kind of American dream. (July 1, 2004)
Q&A: Karekin II | The leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II visited the U.S. in October to support a resolution condemning Turkey's 1915-1917 Armenian genocide. (November 26, 2007)
Death Watch | One of the world's earliest Christian cultures totters on the edge of extinction. (January 1, 2003)
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Thank you, Ameer, for your thoughtful comments of March 10. I agree with you that much of the violence is not necessarily against true followers of Jesus Christ, but in reaction to what the word Christian has come to mean in the Muslim world.
Instead of seeing a reflection of the values of Jesus, the world views Christian America as an arrogant, war mongering, immoral bully willing to kill the innocent for it's own selfish benefit.
As a Christian, I would like to believe that this isn't true, but my husband and I know many Muslim and non-American friends who view the USA this way. We are thankful for the privilege of knowing them and hearing their viewpoint and pray they can see a true reflection of Jesus Christ in our flawed but honest lives.
Gordon
Posted: March 11, 2008 11:32 PM
Regarding Brother Andrew's ministry to members of Hamas, see his valuable book Light Force [ http://tinyurl.com/2ryafx ], which describes in some detail his outreach to its members over many years.
The situation in Palestine is unfortunate and surely there's plenty of blame to go around, but in simple humanitarian terms, American Christians need to understand it would be hard for any group of people to remain in limbo for so many decades. When my wife and I visited Israel/Palestine in 1985, the refugee situation was already four decades old.
It's hard to believe it's now been another 23 years since, and a whole other generation has grown up in these camps and jammed into Gaza. Violence is certainly not the answer, but I can't help feeling concern for the young people, in particular, who desperately need something to hope for.
Robert
Posted: March 11, 2008 1:36 AM
Perhaps CT would like to take another look at that lead article they published about a year ago featuring
Brother Andrew telling us how brave he was going and preaching to Hamas, and rebuking all others for being so afraid. He told us that Hamas was actually very open to listening to the gospel. I found this to not only be perplexing, but naive, if not a total distortion of reality. I don't know how Brother Andrew got cozy with Hamas, but I suspect that he was probably bringing along with him some sort of aid package from his organization, and they gave a benign tolerance to his message. The Baptist church in Gaza, the only light of the gospel in that whole country, has been ministering authentically to all the people around them, but now only 10 believers can muster the courage to go to church on Sundays. Maybe they need an inspirational message from Brother Andrew.
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