Responding to Economic Turmoil
October 25, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
Gyrations in the stock market. Banks losing billions. Dire predictions unless Congress does X. Congress does X, yet the situation deteriorates.
What does it all mean? How should Bible-believing Christians respond?
We should respond by trusting in God and in His Word.
Paul tells Timothy to know that hard times are ahead (in his case, from persecution and evil deceivers), but to “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).
Just so for us. Remain steadfast. Remind yourself and others of the truths of Scripture. God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word is our anchor; His promise is our hope, a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
His promise includes these words:
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33).
Our God will give us everything that we need to fulfill His purposes for us, to enable us to accomplish the task He assigns us. At the right time – indeed, at the perfect time – He will take us to Himself, to His eternal kingdom, to our great joy. So do not be anxious.
But while we are trusting in His sovereign rule, what should we think about the turmoil around us?
First: God often uses stress and hardship to expand His kingdom.
Remember the persecution of believers in Jerusalem after the murder of Stephen (Acts 8:1). Our brothers and sisters suffered much in those days. But God used that very persecution to advance His kingdom. In the last sixty years, we have seen something similar in China. Who would have thought that the terrible persecution that followed the Communist takeover of China would in the end result in the phenomenal growth of the church? So pray for the suffering – and pray that God, once again, will use hard times for His good and wise purposes.
Second: All men are sinners – even government regulators.
Some analysts speak as if the solution to this upheaval is increased government regulation. There are indeed areas of additional regulation that will make sense. But too often analysts speak as if government regulators are the good guys and private agents in the financial sector are the bad guys. The Bible tells us that, yes, those private agents are sinners, but so are those government regulators. They too are subject to greed, to pride, to lust for power. Indeed, in the development of the present crisis, failure of existing regulators played an important role.
Third: All men are sinners – even politicians (of both parties).
Particularly in the middle of a campaign, politicians of both parties face tremendous temptations to distort reality when discussing such turmoil. They all are tempted to blame their opponent (or their opponent’s party) for the problems; they all are tempted to say that they know exactly what to do and if you will only elect them (and their fellow party members), all will improve. Furthermore, those holding office at present have a strong incentive to claim that apart from the legislation they’ve passed, the country would be ruined.
In my opinion, politicians from both parties have heightened hysteria and made matters worse through their rhetoric. Frankly, anyone who claims to know exactly what to do to solve the present turmoil is either lying or naïve.
So don’t believe the propaganda. Understand the incentives facing politicians, take account of their sinfulness, and take all they say with several grains of salt.
Fourth: All men are sinners – even those in the news media.
Those in the news media try to attract readers and viewers. If they don’t, in the end they lose their jobs. So they face incentives to hype big stories and, not surprisingly, those incentives drive many stories. Remember that when you read the next story about this turmoil – particularly when you read nonsense telling us why the stock market moved one way or another (read carefully over several days and you will see these explanations are either tautological or contradictory); or when you read that a change in price is an unmitigated disaster (when the price goes up, it’s good for owners and bad for buyers; when the price goes down, it’s good for buyers and bad for owners); or when you read predictions of huge future price changes (if the analyst really knew such things, he could make a fortune in futures markets).
So: Believe in God, and read with discernment. God is on the throne. Trust Him. Labor for Him. He remains at your right hand - even through economic turmoil.
How Should a Christian Vote?
October 17, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
Is there a Christian position on the political issues facing us today?
We have seen that all in the body of Christ are exiles in this present world, citizens of another kingdom. Our primary responsibility in this period of exile is to serve as ambassadors of our King, speaking and living out His message of reconciliation.
At the same time, we are to “seek the welfare of the city” where we are in exile (Jeremiah 29:7). In a democracy, this surely implies voting; for some individual Christians, it might well mean deep involvement in the political process. But our hope is never to be in any political candidate or party; our hope is in our coming Redeemer King.
Here are some biblical principles concerning voting that I commend to you during this political maelstrom.
1) Our political involvement should include voting in a way that we believe will move our society to become more just, merciful, and moral.
God is specially concerned about the weak and powerless. Surely our voting should reflect His concern.
Zechariah 7:9-10 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
This has implications for numerous issues in political debate, from education to immigration, from health care in the US to the AIDS crisis around the world. As I argued last week, the abortion issue is clear, and in and of itself could disqualify a candidate from office. But on many other issues, Christians may well disagree on what public policies are more likely to help “the fatherless, the sojourner, [and] the poor.”
- Some may believe that cutting taxes on the rich will generate a more dynamic economy that will help the poor through job creation; others may believe that raising taxes on the rich and using that money to provide public services to the poor is a better option.
- Some may believe that US military power can be used constructively as a force to save lives, advance freedom, and prevent genocide around the world; others may believe that any exercise of military power will inevitably lead to abuse of power, deaths of innocent civilians, and a consequent stain on this country.
- Some may believe that the best, most humane way to deal with illegal immigration is to enforce border security while simultaneously streamlining and expanding the visa application process; others may believe that the emphasis should be on providing a clear path to citizenship for those already in this country with a track record of honest hard work.
- Some may believe that vouchers for use in any type of private or public school would improve substantially the education of children from poor families; others may believe that this would divert needed resources from public schools that already serve the vast majority of the poor, and would thereby make most of the them worse off.
These and other disagreements could well lead Christians to vote for different candidates. But surely the passages quoted above and the overall thrust of the Bible should lead all of us to vote not for our economic self-interest, but for the candidates that we think move our society towards greater justice.
2) Our political involvement should include voting for candidates who have the character to make wise decisions when facing the unexpected crises and challenges that will arise in the years ahead.
Political campaigns put a lot of emphasis on specific policy proposals to solve problems facing the country. But most politicians end up governing quite differently from the way they campaign. In some cases, this is simply deceit; the candidate says whatever he thinks will get him elected. But in very many cases, the most important decisions politicians make concern unexpected, unanticipated challenges.
Thus, when voting we need to look past specific policy proposals and to the character of each candidate. For character will be necessary when facing the unforeseen challenges ahead.
But discerning character isn’t easy. We certainly can’t listen simply to what the campaigns on either side say. Instead, we can often discern much about a candidate’s character by looking more at what he has done in the past rather than what he says. Has he displayed a heart of genuine compassion? Has she been firm when under attack?
Here’s one piece of data on character: The candidates for president and vice-president have all tried to convince us that they really care about other people. They all have many ideas about how to use taxpayer money to help the country. Question: How much of their own money do they voluntarily contribute to charitable causes? The answer is disappointing: None of the four is exemplary. From 2000 to 2004, the Obamas gave an average of less than 1% of their income to charity. From 2005 to 2007 they gave 5.5%. The Bidens were worse, giving less than one quarter of one percent of their income to charity from 2000 to 2007. The Palins gave about 2.3% of their income to charity in 2006 and 2007 (and have released no earlier returns.) While at first glance John McCain looks considerably more generous, he and his wife Cindy file returns separately, and she earns the vast majority of the couple’s income. The information released is not sufficient to calculate the McCain’s total charitable giving, but in 2006 it was definitely more than 2 percent and almost certainly less than five percent of their combined income.
3) Our political involvement is no substitute for our personal involvement.
We do not discharge our responsibility to love our neighbor as ourselves by voting in an election. Nor do we do so through advocating a particular political position. By all means, contemplate the issues. By all means, inform yourself. By all means, discern what you can about the candidates’ character. By all means, vote. And by all means, display kindness and mercy personally. By all means, help the sojourner and the widow personally. By all means, spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples personally.
God is advancing His kingdom. We have a key role to play in that advance. We also have a minor but important role to play in making this country more just through our involvement in the US political process. Keep the key role in view – even while you play that minor but important role. Please vote.
(As a follow-up to last week’s devotion: Two articles written by Robert George of Princeton University this week address last week’s topic of abortion. The first helps substantiate my point 6, that Obama is the most extreme candidate on this issue ever nominated by a major political party. The second addresses Obama’s comments on abortion during the third debate.)
Abortion and the Election
October 10, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
On November 4, we will decide who will serve as the next President of the United States. Two weeks ago, I wrote about our biblical role as citizens of the kingdom of heaven temporarily exiled in this country. Over the next couple of weeks, I will write about some important issues in this election. Today: Abortion.
Abortion is one of the clearest issues separating Obama and McCain. What does the Bible say about abortion? Where do the candidates stand? How much importance should we assign to this particular issue?
Today, I want to briefly outline answers to these issues for readers who believe the Bible is the Word of God, and thus has supreme authority. For those of you who would like to see this issue addressed without appeal to the Bible, I recommend Randy Alcorn’s book, Why Pro-Life? (available for free as a pdf file) and the Abort73.com website.
Consider these seven points:
1. Abortion is an assault on a person
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). He leaps in the womb when the pregnant Mary comes to visit (Luke 1:41). In that latter verse, Luke uses the same Greek word to refer to the unborn John as he later uses to refer to the newborn Jesus (Luke 2:12). Furthermore, David writes that we are sinful from the moment of conception (Psalm 51:5). A piece of tissue cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. A piece of tissue cannot be sinful. Only a person can be sinful.
2. Abortion is an affront to God
This point is more fundamental than the true statement that if the unborn child is a person, abortion is killing a person, and God commands us not to do that. Think of it this way: God’s first and greatest commandment is to love Him, to delight in Him, to trust Him. When we abort our children, we are saying, “I don’t believe you, God! You are not sufficient for me! Unless I get rid of this pregnancy, my life will be a mess! I do not trust you to exercise your sovereign control and work this out for my good!” See my sermon and John Piper’s sermon on James 3 and 4.
3. Abortion is a central public policy issue facing our country today
There are about 1.2 million abortions annually in this country. To get an idea of the magnitude of that number, consider: How many murders were committed in the US last year? Answer: About 16,000. That is, there are 75 times as many abortions as there are murders every year. Nationwide, about one out of every four pregnancies ends in abortion; in some locations, the ratio is three out of every four. Meanwhile, couples have to wait endlessly for infants to adopt. Since the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, almost 50 million babies have been aborted in this country. That decision, based on the justices discovering a previously unheard of “right to privacy” in the constitution, has effectively barred states or Congress from passing almost any legislation that limits and regulates abortion. A number of legal scholars on both sides of the abortion issue believe that that decision was improperly decided. Four Supreme Court justices appear to be ready to overturn the decision.
4. The next president can have a major impact on the number of abortions performed in this country for decades into the future
With one justice who supports Roe v Wade now 88 years old, the next president almost certainly will have the opportunity to affect the majority opinion of the court. A vote to overturn Roe v Wade would not end abortion in the US, but would return control of the issue to state legislatures. Many would pass laws restricting abortion; some might ban it. The number of abortions nationwide would certainly decrease significantly – indeed, it would decrease by many multiples of the number of murders annually in this country.
5. John McCain has been consistent in his opposition to abortion
See this link. No one disputes this fact.
6. On this issue, Barack Obama is the most extreme major party candidate for president ever.
His campaign website downplays this issue, saying only that Obama “has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in that case.” But follow this link to listen to Obama himself speak on abortion before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, July 17, 2007. Among other statements, in that speech he strongly asserts his opposition to the ban on partial birth abortions. Furthermore, consider the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, which passed the US Senate 98-0. This legislation mandates that infants born alive during a botched abortion must receive medical care and be treated as any other infant. John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, among others, voted for this bill. While Obama now claims that, had he been in the US Senate at the time, he would have voted in its favor, in his role as chair of the Illinois Senate Health and Human Services Committee in 2003, Obama effectively killed the identical bill (see this record from the Illinois state senate and this summary for more on the complicated history of the bill).
7. Is the abortion issue alone important enough to determine your vote?
Clearly, a president’s responsibilities are far broader than the abortion issue. One might well disagree with a candidate on abortion, and yet agree with the same candidate on a host of other important issues. Obama has tried, with some success, to reach out to abortion opponents on that basis. Surely, some argue, a presidential candidate’s positions on the economy, on health care, and on foreign policy should have greater weight than abortion.
But think of it this way. A candidate’s position on any single issue should not determine your vote in his favor. But a candidate’s position on a single issue may well disqualify him from office, and thus determine that you cannot vote for him.
This is the way marriage works. A young Christian man considering potential spouses will likely consider a broad array of characteristics in the women he knows. But any woman who is not a Christian should be disqualified immediately, no matter how strong and attractive her other qualities.
Or imagine yourself in Germany in 1937. Hitler has been in power four years. You speak to a friend who supports the fuehrer. He says, “Look at all Hitler has done! In 1932, our economy was a mess, with high inflation and high unemployment. Now inflation is under control and the economy is booming! Almost every German is better off! Furthermore, no one in the world looked up to us back then, and we Germans had no pride. Now, all that is changed! We’re proud of our country, proud to be Germans. Of course, Hitler is wrong on the Jews. That’s regrettable. But Jews constitute less than one percent of our population – surely the benefits to the rest of us outweigh the costs to them!”
That friend would be wrong. Hitler’s words and actions against the Jews disqualified him from office – no matter how great the positive impact of his other policies in those first four years.
So the question for each of us is this: Do you believe that abortion is an assault on a person and an affront to God? Do you believe that it is a central public policy issue that the next president will quite likely affect? Do you believe that this issue is important enough to disqualify a candidate from office?
I will be praying for you as you answer these questions for the glory of God. May we indeed all work together for the welfare of the country where we live as exiles, as ambassadors of the kingdom.
Christians and Politics
September 25, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
What is the relationship of the Christian to politics?
As we move towards November’s election, what should role should Christians play?
As a church, we explicitly say in our vision and values statement: “We are not tied to any political party. We value speaking biblical truth to the issues that confront our society, regardless of what parties might be made uncomfortable by the proclamation of that truth.” Over the course of the next several weeks I will address issues facing us this election. My goal is to do just that: to bring out the ways that biblical truth sheds light on the issues discussed in this election.
But prior to looking at specific issues, we need to understand our fundamental role. To that end, consider some key biblical texts:
Peter addresses his readers as “elect exiles” (ESV), or “God’s elect, strangers in the world” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV). He later refers to them as “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11); similarly, the author of Hebrews commends Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah for realizing that they were “strangers and exiles on the earth.”
The point: This world is not our home. This country is not our homeland. Instead, we are “fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19 NIV). We are united with Christ; He defines who we are. We are truly united with all His people. Our loyalty is to Him above all. Our home, our country, ultimately is in His presence. For all our time in this world, we are ambassadors from a distant country, representing our Sovereign, proclaiming His message.
Our situation, therefore, is similar to the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The great city of Babylon was not their home. Indeed, the Babylonian army had destroyed Jerusalem, had torn down the temple. But God had a purpose in sending them to Babylon, and He instructed them through the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). So Daniel and his friends served Nebuchadnezzar faithfully, advancing in the civil service, doing all the king asked – up to the point where there was a conflict between loyalty to God and loyalty to the king. At that point, they disobeyed the king.
How do these scriptural principles apply to our role in the election?
We too should “seek the welfare of the city” where God has sent us. We too should participate in ways that will improve the lives of others in this country. Thus we should pray for this country and its leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2); we should inform ourselves of the issues, analyzing them from a Christian worldview; we should vote wisely. We may choose to campaign; we may choose to run for office.
But our hope is not in any political candidate. Our security does not rest in any political state. We know that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:32). We know that nations rise and fall, and that should Jesus delay His return, the United States, like other great world powers, will fall from its preeminent position.
So register to vote, if you have not yet done so. Invest some time in understanding the issues. Vote in such a way that you are seeking the welfare of this country, this state, this city.
But do not despair if your candidate loses. And do not entertain particularly high hopes if your candidate wins. God is sovereign. He is in control. He is our King. We are citizens of His country. So our hope is in Him.
Seven Years On
September 13, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
This week marks seven years. Seven years since the towers fell. Seven years since terrorists hijacked four planes, aiming to kill tens of thousands of innocent people. Seven years since they succeeded in killing almost 3,000. Seven years.
In God’s providence, the Bible reading plan I developed eight years ago schedules for the 11th reading in September Jeremiah 39 and 52 – the accounts of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. In the following days I read the Psalms that look back on that event – Psalms 74, 79, and 94 – as well as the book of Lamentations. On September 11, 2001, I read of Jerusalem’s fall without much feeling in the morning; that evening, knowing of the attack and the destruction of the towers, I reread the account, and continued to read these psalms and Lamentations – and wept.
Today, much of our visceral reaction to that attack has faded from memory. Newspapers this year used more ink talking about lipstick on pit bulls and pigs than they devoted to remembering 9/11.
But we must remember. We must remember.
What must we remember?
First: The crime is horrendous, and justice demands that it be recompensed. As the psalmists say:
They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” (Psalm 94:5-7)
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! . . . Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! (Psalm 74:10-11, 22-23)
O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! (Psalm 94:1-2)
This is not vindictiveness. This is a righteous call for justice. Those who planned and carried out the brutality of the destruction of Jerusalem, those who scoffed at God as they did it, deserve to experience His wrath. Those who planned and carried out the brutality of the destruction of the World Trade Center likewise scoffed at God and likewise deserve His wrath. God is just. We are right to call upon Him to exercise that justice.
Second: Our sins are horrendous, and justice demands that they be recompensed. Again, consider what these same psalmists say:
Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! (Psalm 79:8-9)
The psalmist is not saying that the sins of the Jews are morally equivalent to the sins of the invaders. He’s not comparing sin to sin. Instead, he is confessing that the people sinned – and they did, horribly, turning their backs on God and His prophets, mocking His messengers who called them to repentance. The psalmist knows that the Jews too deserve God’s wrath, that God has brought this destruction upon them, and that unless He atones for their sins, they have no hope. Furthermore, he knows that the only basis for that atonement will be God’s glory, His name’s sake.
We too have sinned. We too must acknowledge that we deserve His wrath. We too have hope only on the basis of God providing atonement through the blood of His Son, our Savior, Jesus.
Third: God is sovereign, and He alone is our hope.
Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. (Psalm 74:12-17)
God has always controlled all forces. All times and all powers are in His hands. Nothing is hidden in the night from His sight; He limits the waters, the night, the seasons – and He similarly limits evil men. Perpetrators of evil are responsible and deserve wrath; yet God is fully able to stop any sinful act by any man.
Acknowledging God as sovereign provides neither an excuse for sin (“God didn’t stop me, so it’s really His fault!”) nor a rationale for being lackadaisical (“Since God is sovereign, we need not capture the terrorists or improve airport security.”) Instead, God’s sovereign goodness provides us reason for hope in the midst of disaster and carnage. He is just. He is good. He is gracious and merciful. He is completing His plan of redemption. His Son will rule for all eternity; He will right all wrongs. His blood covers the sins of all who come to Him, weary and heavy laden, of all who come to Him with broken and contrite hearts.
So on this seventh anniversary, let us remember:
- There is terrible evil in this world, but God will judge it.
- There is terrible sin inside each of us, but God’s Son will cover it, if we have faith in Him.
- There is tremendous mercy, grace, and sovereign power in our Lord and God, and He will shower all that on His people. We will respond by praising Him forever: “We your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise” (Psalm 79:13).
Tony Snow, Death and Life
July 12, 2008
Tony Snow died of colon cancer this morning at the age of 53. He is best known as President Bush’s former Press Secretary.
But Tony and I first met 35 years ago, when were freshmen at Davidson College. We both loved philosophy, and had several courses together. Tony was a voracious reader, a quick thinker, and a prolific writer. Full of energy, full of ideas, adventurous in spirit, he clearly had an interesting life ahead of him. I took a year off between our junior and senior years, going to Kenya to teach secondary school. That year changed my life, as I focused for the next two decades on issues of economic development, spending several years overseas. Tony corresponded with me while I was in Kenya, and, intrigued, decided to go himself the next year. He taught at the same school.
But he didn’t remain long. Development was not his issue. He returned to begin a PhD program in philosophy, but decided that that was not the right fit for him either. Two years after graduation he found his niche in journalism, and rose rapidly, eventually serving in the White House of the first President Bush, writing a syndicated op-ed piece, and anchoring Fox News Sunday prior to joining the White House a second time.
Tony’s faith in Christ deepened through marriage, children, and, ultimately, cancer. As he wrote last year in Christianity Today,
Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. “It’s cancer,” the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. “Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.” But another voice whispers: “You have been called.” Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter—and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our “normal time.”
I last corresponded with Tony in April last year, after the news came out that his cancer had returned. Linda Longbrook had just died of ovarian cancer. I sent him my sermon from her funeral, and prayed that God “might sustain you and your family emotionally and spiritually; that He might enable you to hope in Him throughout the coming battles; that He might use even this disease, even this enemy, for His glory and ultimately for your good.”
I don’t know if Tony read those words - as a well-known public figure, he must have received thousands of notes and letters. But as the Christianity Today article shows, God answered that prayer. May His glory continue to shine through this man’s life and death, as we too embrace God’s call upon us, and focus on the issues that matter.
Genocide and Forgiveness
April 11, 2008
Fourteen years ago, the genocide in Rwanda was at its height. See this link for a fascinating account - in the New York Times of all places - of the impact of the Gospel on reconciliation and forgiveness between perpetrators and relatives of victims. Here’s an excerpt: Words spoken by Jean Baptiste Ntakirutimana to the man who murdered his mother:
By the time he started explaining how he killed her I partly lost consciousness. I prayed to God to give me His spirit to revive me and give me more strength to continue, as I felt it was His mission I was on. Miraculously I felt warmth from my head to my feet, I felt like a big rock melting from my chest and my head. I felt very refreshed, cleaned up my tears and carried on the conversation tremendously relieved from my whole being. I then told him that I have personally been forgiven all my wrong from God and that it is in the same spirit that I was coming to him offering him pardon myself. Then it was like a huge veil off his face he started smiling with a lot of words of gratitude. He started holding my hands and telling me many other things I couldn’t expect about himself and the reality around the genocide. He agreed to go and see other people for whose family members he killed.”
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!
