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The Blaze
July 24 2014
It's Open Season on Christians in Iraq and Around the World and the
West Is Doing Nothing to Stop It
Jul. 24, 2014 9:33am
by John Zmirak, Jason Jones
Jason Jones and John Zmirak are co-authors of the forthcoming "The
Race to Save Our Century," which will be released July 28, the 100th
anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.
For first time in 1,600 years, there were no Christian services in the
ancient city of Mosul, as believers in Jesus were hounded out of the
city with barely the clothes on their backs.
In other parts of Iraq, Christians are seeing their front doors marked
with the Arab symbol for "Nazarene," as Jewish businesses were marked
with a Star of David by the Nazis during Kristallnacht.
Throughout Nigeria, the thugs of Boko Haram ("education is evil") are
kidnapping Christian girls and selling them into slavery.
The Christians of Syria rest their slender hope of survival on the
outcome of a brutal civil war.
Christians were ethnically cleansed from Kosovo by the Islamists whom
the West helped put into power.
There has not been such a widespread, unchecked attack on Christians
for being Christian since the Russian Revolution and the Armenian
Genocide.
And what is the U.S. government under President Barack Obama doing
about these atrocities? Virtually nothing.
It is, however, issuing executive orders to deprive Christian
charities of billions of dollars in federal contracts unless they are
willing to hire avowed homosexuals--which means acknowledging and
insuring their same-sex "spouses." There are some human rights that
are sacrosanct, after all.
The values of contemporary Westerners are so contorted and
self-destructive that they would have baffled our grandparents, and
might well poison our grandchildren. We can't unpack the moral baggage
of modern man in a single column; it would take an entire book. So we
wrote one.
In our upcoming "The Race to Save Our Century," we warn that the
genocides, wars, and tyrannies that bloodied the 20th century might
very well happen again--unless the West wakes up and embraces the core
principles of a truly humane moral code. The first of these principles
is the infinite dignity of the human person, the image of God. Here is
how this principle takes root in the human soul:
We start as absolute solipsists in the cradle, then slowly come to
realize that our mothers are separate human beings. Through patient
discipline, we overcome the primal selfishness that marks every
2-year-old and come to recognize the humanity and the rights of our
parents and siblings.
The next lesson in altruism comes in the classroom, when we are forced
to extend this recognition to strangers in our little tribe of
schoolmates. As we mature and expand our experiences, we encounter
people who look and act quite alien, and must learn to respect them as
well--even (this is the last and highest stage of humanism) to feel
solidarity with human beings as human beings, though they live in
foreign countries and hold opposing views.
Empathy expands like a drop of ink in a glass of water. It is meant to
be "thickest" for our close family, neighbors, friends and fellow
believers--but never to spread out so "thin" that we do not respect the
full humanity of people who are distant and different from us.
So it makes sense for Jews to feel concern about anti-Semitism on
other continents, even more concern than they might about other kinds
of hate and human rights abuse. They are part of an international
family--one which has suffered cruelly over the centuries.
So are Christians. Why don't we realize that and act accordingly? Why
aren't outraged Christians marching in streets across the world,
demanding rescue and protection for their hunted fellow-believers? Do
we feel that Christians in underdeveloped countries, who are racially
and culturally thoroughly "un-American," are somehow second-class
Christians? Would we care more if they worshiped in modern
megachurches, or if they had red hair and freckles and sang their
hymns in English?
It's entirely possible. It is sad but true that ethnic fellow feeling
sometimes outweighs the much deeper solidarity that comes from being
fellow disciples of Christ. Churches throughout American history have
themselves been divided along frankly racist lines--a scandal that we
must acknowledge, and try to heal.
But we can't just leave things like that. If we want the Judge of
Souls to recognize us as His own, we must overcome our shallow, sinful
prejudices and see our fellow Christians for who they are: our
brothers and sisters, who share with us a bond that is deeper than
even kinship. We share the same Blood, which when Jesus shed it washed
us clean, and we must act accordingly.
We are proud to be part of a new movement called "I am a Nazarene,"
which co-opts the symbol of shame and discrimination that Iraqi
jihadists have imposed on believers in Christ. We urge every
Christian, whatever his denomination, to adopt and display this sign
of solidarity with the most endangered Christians on earth--and to
generously support the charities and aid agencies that are working to
create safe places where the persecuted can find refuge and freedom
for faith.
"For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave
me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in." (Matt 25:35)
Jason Scott Jones and John Zmirak are co-authors of the upcoming "The
Race to Save Our Century."
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/its-open-season-on-christians-in-iraq-and-around-the-world-and-the-west-is-doing-nothing-to-stop-it/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
July 24 2014
It's Open Season on Christians in Iraq and Around the World and the
West Is Doing Nothing to Stop It
Jul. 24, 2014 9:33am
by John Zmirak, Jason Jones
Jason Jones and John Zmirak are co-authors of the forthcoming "The
Race to Save Our Century," which will be released July 28, the 100th
anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.
For first time in 1,600 years, there were no Christian services in the
ancient city of Mosul, as believers in Jesus were hounded out of the
city with barely the clothes on their backs.
In other parts of Iraq, Christians are seeing their front doors marked
with the Arab symbol for "Nazarene," as Jewish businesses were marked
with a Star of David by the Nazis during Kristallnacht.
Throughout Nigeria, the thugs of Boko Haram ("education is evil") are
kidnapping Christian girls and selling them into slavery.
The Christians of Syria rest their slender hope of survival on the
outcome of a brutal civil war.
Christians were ethnically cleansed from Kosovo by the Islamists whom
the West helped put into power.
There has not been such a widespread, unchecked attack on Christians
for being Christian since the Russian Revolution and the Armenian
Genocide.
And what is the U.S. government under President Barack Obama doing
about these atrocities? Virtually nothing.
It is, however, issuing executive orders to deprive Christian
charities of billions of dollars in federal contracts unless they are
willing to hire avowed homosexuals--which means acknowledging and
insuring their same-sex "spouses." There are some human rights that
are sacrosanct, after all.
The values of contemporary Westerners are so contorted and
self-destructive that they would have baffled our grandparents, and
might well poison our grandchildren. We can't unpack the moral baggage
of modern man in a single column; it would take an entire book. So we
wrote one.
In our upcoming "The Race to Save Our Century," we warn that the
genocides, wars, and tyrannies that bloodied the 20th century might
very well happen again--unless the West wakes up and embraces the core
principles of a truly humane moral code. The first of these principles
is the infinite dignity of the human person, the image of God. Here is
how this principle takes root in the human soul:
We start as absolute solipsists in the cradle, then slowly come to
realize that our mothers are separate human beings. Through patient
discipline, we overcome the primal selfishness that marks every
2-year-old and come to recognize the humanity and the rights of our
parents and siblings.
The next lesson in altruism comes in the classroom, when we are forced
to extend this recognition to strangers in our little tribe of
schoolmates. As we mature and expand our experiences, we encounter
people who look and act quite alien, and must learn to respect them as
well--even (this is the last and highest stage of humanism) to feel
solidarity with human beings as human beings, though they live in
foreign countries and hold opposing views.
Empathy expands like a drop of ink in a glass of water. It is meant to
be "thickest" for our close family, neighbors, friends and fellow
believers--but never to spread out so "thin" that we do not respect the
full humanity of people who are distant and different from us.
So it makes sense for Jews to feel concern about anti-Semitism on
other continents, even more concern than they might about other kinds
of hate and human rights abuse. They are part of an international
family--one which has suffered cruelly over the centuries.
So are Christians. Why don't we realize that and act accordingly? Why
aren't outraged Christians marching in streets across the world,
demanding rescue and protection for their hunted fellow-believers? Do
we feel that Christians in underdeveloped countries, who are racially
and culturally thoroughly "un-American," are somehow second-class
Christians? Would we care more if they worshiped in modern
megachurches, or if they had red hair and freckles and sang their
hymns in English?
It's entirely possible. It is sad but true that ethnic fellow feeling
sometimes outweighs the much deeper solidarity that comes from being
fellow disciples of Christ. Churches throughout American history have
themselves been divided along frankly racist lines--a scandal that we
must acknowledge, and try to heal.
But we can't just leave things like that. If we want the Judge of
Souls to recognize us as His own, we must overcome our shallow, sinful
prejudices and see our fellow Christians for who they are: our
brothers and sisters, who share with us a bond that is deeper than
even kinship. We share the same Blood, which when Jesus shed it washed
us clean, and we must act accordingly.
We are proud to be part of a new movement called "I am a Nazarene,"
which co-opts the symbol of shame and discrimination that Iraqi
jihadists have imposed on believers in Christ. We urge every
Christian, whatever his denomination, to adopt and display this sign
of solidarity with the most endangered Christians on earth--and to
generously support the charities and aid agencies that are working to
create safe places where the persecuted can find refuge and freedom
for faith.
"For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave
me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in." (Matt 25:35)
Jason Scott Jones and John Zmirak are co-authors of the upcoming "The
Race to Save Our Century."
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/its-open-season-on-christians-in-iraq-and-around-the-world-and-the-west-is-doing-nothing-to-stop-it/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress