A recent trip to Greece, Turkey, and Israel has left me with several impressions that may or may not be valid.
The Israelis have made tremendous progress since I was there three years ago. I doubt that there is any possibility of their giving up possession of the Golan Heights or the left bank of the Jordan. The people appear prosperous, their morale is high, and their patriotic devotion to the Israeli state is obvious. Their agricultural production is fantastic. New cities and high-rise apartments in old ones dot the landscape. Israel is here to stay.
Turkey is a poorer land than Israel but has fertile soil and tremendous potential. Its youth are not satisfied with the Muslim faith or the Koran. They appear wide open to the Gospel; spiritually the fields are white unto harvest. But as so often happens, the laborers are few. Here is a great challenge to the Christian Church.
Much criticism has been leveled against the present Greek government, one that is hardly democratic. But the situation is stable, the people seem contented, the streets are clean, and the cities are safe for women even at night. The Greek Orthodox Church is tightly tied to the government, and non-Orthodox agencies engaged in religious work find the going rough. But progress is being made.
Perhaps North Americans could learn a few things from these countries, negatively and positively.
