Living in Southern California is a blessing and I’m grateful to the Lord for putting me and my family here. For better or for worse, we are often shielded from many of the atrocities around the world. It makes it easy to focus on the war on Christianity here in America, but we mustn’t forget our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing more than political battles. They are facing existential threats.
Conservatives often take on a paradoxical isolationist perspective. It has been demonstrated many times over the last century that American intervention outside of our borders is required to keep our country’s interests protected. Imagine losing either of the World Wars, something that could have happened without the United States.
The biggest problem that conservatives and most Americans have with intervention today is that we’ve done such a terrible job of intervening throughout the last three Presidencies that it’s natural to believe that we shouldn’t get involved. We shouldn’t have invaded Iraq, for example, but then we made a bigger mess by leaving Iraq too early.
What gets conveniently dismissed are the times when we should have intervened but didn’t. We should have taken out Assad when we had the moral obligation and common support of the world after he crossed the “red line” with chemical weapons. We should have supported the “evil dictator” Hosni Mubarak who may have been bad for his people on the surface but who maintained stability and peace. Now, Egypt is in turmoil while their relationship with the United States and Israel are both in doubt. As bad as Mubarak was, he kept the peace.
The spin by American mainstream media is guided by whatever perspective they want us to hear. That is why the Arab Spring was so widely hailed as wonderful for the Middle East even though it has been shown to be a disaster for most involved. You heard how great it was when it was happening but you probably haven’t heard much about how bad it’s gotten since.
This isn’t a purely political article, though, nor is it a self-righteous history lesson. It’s a call for Christians in America to act with the two best tools we have: prayer and votes. The persecution that we face in the form of declining religious liberties is nothing compared to the torture, slavery, rape, and murder that Christians face around the world. They die because they are Christians.
We must pray for them to maintain their faith first and foremost. Yes, we should pray for their protection against the forces of evil, but that is secondary to the spiritual strength we must offer them in the form of prayer. They are faced with the types of persecutions and threats that can shake their faith. For the sake of their souls, they must be strong and never abandon their love for Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior even if it means losing their life.
The other tool we have is our vote. I won’t politicize this too much even if I believe that Ted Cruz is clearly the candidate who can best choose when and how to have America intervene. You have your own candidates that you support. Make sure they know that you want America to help in any way it can to stop the Islamic State and other terrorist groups while helping the Christians that are persecuted abroad. Before anyone asks, yes, we should help those of any faith who is persecuted, but it’s important to understand that the most vulnerable people right now are Christians facing the Islamic State sword. They need our help first.
Some of us have other tools. We can use our presence in the real world or online to educate and inspire others about the problems faced by our brothers and sisters. Some even have the resources and drive to leave this life of relative luxury to go and physically help. Those who do, whether in the form of American military called to assist or individuals who have volunteered to help, deserve our prayers of support as well.
Here’s a video we made a couple of weeks ago that details the need for true focus on Christian persecution abroad. It doesn’t receive the type of press it deserves here in America. We all must help to change that.
via Soshable http://ift.tt/1WTPOWn
No comments:
Post a Comment