Connecting the Dots

In May 2001 the Taliban announced that all non-Muslims in Afghanistan would be required to wear tags identifying that they were non-Muslims. The announcement brought immediate condemnation from nations around the world. India objected because the Hindu minority was being targeted. Christians around the world worried about churches being attacked. Germany objected because it was too similar to the treatment of Jews during the Nazi regime. The Taliban responded that since Afghanistan was under Sharia law that it was necessary to identify non-Muslims to protect them from enforcement of laws that applied only to Muslims. No one really believed them.
Earlier that year the Taliban had destroyed two large Buddha statues because they violated Muslim rules concerning idolatry. These large carvings were considered an international treasure and a great deal of furor was raised over the demolition of these monuments. But beyond the international outcry, nothing happened.

These were isolated events in a foreign nation. The Taliban were in a backward country and lacked the means to be a significant threat to anyone outside of their region. Political pressure was the best way to deal with them and the international community would keep an eye on them. That response was ill advised. In September the world learned how far the Taliban and their ally Al Qaeda could reach.

Fast forward to July 2014 and we see a similar event occurring in Iraq. In Mosul ISIS has ordered that all Christians must either convert to Islam, leave, or die. ISIS members have spray painted the Arabic letter N on the homes of Christians to insure that none are missed. ISIS has also destroyed important Christian sites such as the Tomb of Jonah and converted churches into mosques or outright destroyed them. The international community has been outraged, but little is being done.

There is a pattern that is easily discernible in these events. Fundamentalist Muslims will always seek to identify and mark those who are outside of Muslim. These markings are no different from the Star of David marks used by the Nazis to identify Jews. The purpose is to make it easier to round them up for execution when the final plan is put in place. They will also destroy any historic site outside of their faith. They cannot tolerate the presence, even symbolic, of a different worldview.

The important thing to keep in mind is that a worldview is involved. Al Qaeda, ISIS, and their brethren are never content to keep their beliefs to their region. They will always reach out to challenge any worldview that does not match their own. They truly believe that they are on a mission from God. At the moment ISIS is not a threat to the United States. Many are war weary and do not want to put any effort into confronting ISIS or other radical terrorists. Many, though, will change their minds when a few thousand Americans die in another terrorist attack. Terrorists are ambitious, well financed, and dedicated to a cause. They will not stop with the take over of Iraq or Afghanistan. The Taliban already views the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a victory. ISIS believes that they have chased the US out of Iraq. They will try to capitalize on their victories and expand their borders. We must keep a watchful eye on these areas and do everything in our power to stop them. That does not necessarily mean military action, but military options must be kept within the toolbox of dealing with volatile regions. We need to be proactive with these threats because the cost is too high to deal with them as a reaction.

Why Bullying Won't Go Away

For the past several years there has been a major media campaign to end bullying. From the White House to public service commercials we have been told how bad bullying is and that no one likes a bully. In principle I doubt anyone would object to the aim of the campaign. It is not fun to be picked on and the social media age has amplified the damage that comes from taunting.

In reality, though, bullying is not going away. First, what is often portrayed as bullying is a stereotypical image of bullying that comes largely from TV, not real life. In real world situations it is often hard to distinguish playful banter from actual insults, both by the participants and observers. Traditionally boys always give their peers, especially their best friends, a hard time. Further, the social structure of groups is far more complex than the TV portrayals. The role of bully and victim can change frequently and sometimes within the same day. The child that is bullied one moment may bully someone else the next. For example, borrowing from TV stereotypes, Bart Simpson is frequently bullied by Nelson, but Bart in turn bullies Milhouse even though Milhouse is his devoted lackey. Bart has also turned the tables a few times and bullied Nelson. Milhouse has also bullied Bart and other characters when he was given the advantage. Rarely is there actually one arch-typical bully, but bullies vary on who has the advantage in a given situation.

This past week an example of the lasting spectre of the bully emerged on ESPN. It is a common practice for cameramen to pan across the audience of sporting events. Supposedly they are surveying crowd reaction to certain aspects of the game, but in reality they are looking for silly, funny, or dumb people or events to evoke humor on the broadcast. In other words, they are intentionally looking for people to mock. During a Boston/New York game a cameraman found a gold mine. One fan, Andrew Rector, was caught napping in the stands. Not only did the game commentators mock Rector, but they came back to him more than once to mock him. Rector was then put on ESPN's website for further ridicule and became a highlight on multiple sports broadcasts. Further, comments about Mr. Rector from baseball fans have been visceral and cruel. Mr. Rector has filed a lawsuit, but Major League Baseball and ESPN point out that the back of the ticket warns that if you are hit by a ball or mocked on national TV it's your own fault.

But consider for a moment that this is the textbook definition of bullying. An overweight individual was mocked by a group of athletes. Many justify their insults by pointing out that he fell asleep during a baseball game. I would counter, who hasn't fallen asleep in a baseball game? But that is beside the point. I don't know Mr. Rector, but there are many plausible reasons why he may have fallen asleep. He may have narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Both are common ailments for overweight people. If he is diabetic his blood sugar may have been off and that could also have caused drowsiness. Perhaps he has been under a great deal of stress and came to the game to relax. He may have nodded off due to exhaustion. These are possibilities. Bullies don't care about those reasons because they are not being empathetic. Those broadcasters didn't consider any medical or other reasonable explanation for his dozing, instead their childhood tendency to mock the fat kid arose. Instead of being chastened by the rest of the media, who supposedly oppose bullying, news directors and producers piled on for fun.

I doubt Mr. Rector's lawsuit will go very far. ESPN and MLB have plenty of lawyers and written justification for their behavior. They don't have the moral high ground, but legality and morality are two different realms. Besides, the public, which cries out against bullying, has sided with the jocks. Bullying is not going anywhere.

I don't like Cricket.

Imagine the following conversation:
"You should like Cricket."
"But I don't like Cricket and I don't want anything to do with it."
"But kids love Cricket."
"They have been misled. They should be playing baseball and football."
"Cricket is the most popular sport in the world."
"It's still not popular with me."
"The whole world is focused on the Cricket play-offs right now. A professional Cricket team is coming to your hometown. Cricket is everywhere. Why can't you get excited about Cricket?"
"I find it long, tedious, and filled with rules that make absolutely no sense. Plus, I don't follow a sport because it is trendy. I follow sports that appeal to me."
"You're being close-minded. Have you ever watched a Cricket match?"
"I am being opinionated. And yes, I have watched Cricket matches. It greatly contributed to my distaste for the sport."
"Fine. Then be a dinosaur."
"I like dinosaurs."

Now replace Cricket with Soccer....

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I always enjoy St. Patrick's Day. I try to eat my share of corn beef and cabbage. I listen to Irish music and enjoy reading the history of Ireland. St. Patrick is also a remarkable figure. We actually do not know a great deal about Patrick. Most of the reliable information comes from his own Confession. Beyond that his story has become shrouded in legend and myth. You can check out http://www.timothypauljones.com/2014/03/12/church-history-who-was-the-real-st-patrick/?utm_content=buffercf3a4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer or http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2014/03/17/happy-saint-patrick-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+between2worlds+%28Between+Two+Worlds%29&utm_content=FaceBook to separate the fact from fiction. 

What we do know is that Patrick was a missionary. He was not the first missionary to Ireland, but he was the most successful. He understood Irish culture and knew the language better than previous missionaries. Patrick trained indigenous pastors and teachers. He also kept cultural elements that were not detrimental to the Gospel. Many traditional Irish symbols and concepts were essentially baptized to further the spread of the church. 

So, there are two things that I keep in mind about St. Patrick's Day. First, it is a day to celebrate a missionary. I pray that our current missionaries are as successful as Patrick and we should certainly appreciate their service now. 

Second, it is an immigrant holiday. In Ireland the day has primarily been a religious holiday. The crazy shenanigans were created in the United States. The first St. Patrick's Day parade in New York actually occurred before the establishment of the United States! It was a celebration of Irish immigrants. St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of Irish culture and the impact of Irish immigrants on the US. The first generation of Irish immigrants were integral in building the colonies. However, successive generations fleeing famine in Ireland were met with disdain and hatred. Poor peasants seeking a new life wore clothing styles a century old and spoke a strange combination of Gaelic and archaic English. Signs were placed around major cities declaring no work or vacancies for Irish. New York and Boston eventually closed their ports to Irish ships. Politicians decried the crime brought with these immigrants and newspapers declared that the Irish should go back to Europe. But the Irish did not go home. Instead they stayed and did the jobs that no one else wanted. They worked the mines, built the railroads, and fueled the industrial machine until the next wave of immigrants arrived. Irish Americans now comprise the second largest ethnic group in the US. Several presidents of both parties have Irish ancestors. It is the story of America. Immigrants building and blending into the country while contributing something unique to the American culture. As a descendant of Irish, Scot, and German immigrants I find that worth celebrating.

Ash Wednesday 2014

For most Baptists Lent is something you clean out of the dryer. It is an old joke, but still relevant. Most Baptists do not use the liturgical calendar and traditions such as Lent may seem a little too high church for us. Though it may seem unlikely, the Baptists started out as extreme iconoclasts and the remnants of that mentality remain.
However, I do find value in Lent. Ideally it is a forty day spiritual preparation for Easter. I am pondering the ways in which we can get ready for celebrating the Resurrection. I have not thought about giving up anything, simply because I can't think of something that would have a profound impact on spiritual growth. I have a few habits that I would like to further develop and that will probably be my focus.
I am curious, though, and would love some feedback. What are you giving up for Lent and how will it help you prepare for Easter? Or, even if you are not giving up anything for Lent, are you preparing for Easter and how?

What Does the Kenyan Mall Attack Mean for America?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/22/world/africa/kenya-mall-attack/index.html
The smoke has yet to clear over the mall in Kenya, but there is already some information emerging that there was an American connection. Al-Shaabab, a Somalian terrorist group, has claimed that at least three of the attackers are American citizens. In fact, according to Al-Shaabab at least half of the terrorist strike team is composed of citizens of Western nations like Canada and Britain.

Somali refugees have been given asylum in the West since images of starving Somali children flooded the TV in the 1990s. America temporarily got involved in trying to fix Somalia until our own troops started dying in a conflict that we didn't really understand. While we could not fix the country, we opened our doors to help as many as we could. Many Somalis embraced the American dream, but others maintained their connections to their homeland. In fact, American intelligence sources suspect that some of the Somalis radicalized and returned to Africa to fight with groups like Al-Shaabab. At this moment we cannot be sure if Americans were involved in the attack, but that scenario is certainly plausible.

If there are people living in the United States willing to attack a shopping mall in Kenya, why not here? Unfortunately an attack on an American shopping mall is not merely a fictional plot device (though it did happen in a Tom Clancy novel), but a real concern. With the Christmas shopping season just beginning, packed malls will provide an enticing target for those who want to create mayhem and bloodshed.

It is not my intent to be an alarmist. I simply want to acknowledge the potential of a serious threat and to consider what we should do in response. We should not turn to religious intolerance or racial discrimination. A Medieval crusader mentality will accomplish nothing but a continuing cycle of bloodshed.  There are some real steps that we should take in anticipation of terrorism on American soil.

First, we must be vigilant. Individual citizens can no longer turn a blind eye to suspicious behavior in the hope that someone else will respond. If you see someone acting suspiciously or something that does not look quite right, it is okay to notify mall security. If you doubt the competency of mall security, then contact local law enforcement. This does not mean that we panic over every Taco Bell bag abandoned on a table at the food court. Simply keep your eyes open and use your best judgment to make note of potential problems. Keep in mind that most malls are gun free zones (not something that I necessarily agree with) and flagrant displays of weapons is probably a danger sign (legitimate gun owners are not going to brandish weapons at JCPennys).

Second, know how to respond to a crisis. Of course, this step assumes the fruition of the worst case scenario. The first priority in a crisis is not to take photos with your phone for Twitter. Instead of reading your Facebook feed as you enter a store or office, it would be better to take note of emergency exits and resources like fire extinguishers. Unless you are a trained Army Ranger, or your name is John McClane, your primary goal in a terrorist attack is to evade and escape from the terrorists. After you have gotten to safety contact law enforcement to give them as many details as possible before you look for the news crews.

For Christians there are a few more things we must do. Above all else we must pray. Pray for safety and for peace. Pray for the salvation of those who claim to be our enemies. We must love our neighbors and be kind to those who threaten us. True Christianity when threatened does not respond with violence, but with love. With humility and respect we must share the Gospel and support those promote the Gospel. The world is a dangerous place and while we must be vigilant, we must also respond in faith.

Military Action in Syria

It appears inevitable that the U.S. will engage in some degree of hostilities in Syria. The United States opposes the use of chemical weapons, especially against civilians. There has been overwhelming evidence that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against both military and civilian opposition. Morally, many would argue, the U.S. must intervene to end the use of inhumane weapons of mass destruction.

I am not sure to what extent the U.S. should be involved in Syria. Many of the rebels are just as bad as the Syrian government. Many of the rebels are Mujaheddin cut from the same cloth as the ones we trained in Afghanistan that later carried out attacks against America. The human tragedy, though, that is occurring does call for international intervention. Unfortunately, the international community lacks the will or direction to bring any sort of resolution to the calamity. I don't see a change to the situation any time soon.

I am also not sure what the U.S. can do in the current situation. I doubt a barrage of cruise missiles is going to make any difference. The presence of the chemical and biological weapons is a grave concern and a potential threat to the U.S. and its allies. Dealing with those weapon stockpiles is just as complex as the entire question of intervention. It would take prolonged and extensive military operations to secure and properly dispose of the weapons. The U.S. at this time is not willing to commit to that.

I do know that the U.S. will soon act. I also know how many conservatives will respond. Many conservatives will argue that according to the Constitution only Congress can declare war. That is true, but they must also take the War Powers Resolution into account. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the President can take military action as long as he gives Congress 48 hours notice. He does not need Congressional approval for the initial action so long as he notifies them of the action. The military action is limited to 60 days with a 30 day withdrawal period, unless Congress approves further involvement. This act has been controversial since it passed and many have argued that it violates the War Powers Clause of the Constitution.However, it is the law and will remain so until the Supreme Court overturns it or Congress repeals it.

I am a conservative and I do not support the current administration. However, the War Powers Resolution has been used by both Republican and Democratic Presidents. Reagan used it on several occasions. There will be many conservatives who supported Reagan's use of these powers that will quickly condemn Obama for doing the same thing. It will sound more like partisan bickering than actual concern over the situation. Conservatives must be careful in this situation not to let their animus for Obama overrule the need for prudent action.

Again, I don't claim to have all the answers for this situation. I think that the best thing that we can do is to pray. We need to pray for wisdom for our leaders. We need to pray for true peace in the Middle East. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in the war zone. We need to pray for doors to open for evangelism. Our calls for prayer should be greater than our criticism for the President. And that is true not only for this particular situation, but for every challenge that we face as a nation.