Making a Difference: Changing the World One War Criminal at a Time, Part II

So, in the last post I shared my concerns with Kony 2012. I hope I didn’t come across as cynical. Passion for justice and good should always be affirmed. But I also feel it is right to remind ourselves of the deep danger that lurks underneath our good intentions, as well as our bad.

I was struck by the similarities to our study in Exodus. In the beginning of Exodus, Moses is a powerful man. He has access to privilege and wealth. In Exodus 2, when he sees injustice, he is deeply offended. He sees an Egyptian slave master beating an Hebrew slave. In anger, Moses kills the Egyptian. There is something so satisfying about this moment. He sees injustice and he ‘takes it out’.

I believe God has given us an innate sense of justice. That’s why Kony 2012 is so moving. It taps our desire to be agents of justice. It’s visceral. Why should we care about this issue thousands of miles away? It’s because we want to be good and noble, in the deepest sense. We are made in the image of a God who hates injustice.

But the Bible is more nuanced than that. The next day, Moses sees two Hebrew slaves fighting. Immediately we see that the world is more complex than bad Egyptians and good Israelites. The slaves are now fighting each other. Moses tries to break it up, but one turns on him and says “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Moses is confronted with the truth that we in America need to face. He may have power, but that does not give him the right or the ability to fix a situation. Who made us prince and judge? We desire justice and we desire good. But we cannot be just or good in any absolute sense.

The world is more complicated. We are more complicated! Good intentions or righteous anger do not always lead to doing real good. Exerting our power for the sake of the needy may lead to unintended consequences.

Moses must be changed himself. He must be humbled, and he must meet a God who owns justice in a way that we never will. He must be sent back to Egypt on a mission, not of revenge but of rescue. And it will not be a personal fight. It will be the declaration of a God who fights for the right.

What does that mean today? It means that for any attempt to do good in this world, we must be prepared for spiritual (not just emotional) upheaval.

I actually think that the Invisible Children guys were deeply called to serve the children of Northern Uganda. But I don’t think the Facebook millions are. They want righteous anger on the cheap. We want change in the world, but in most cases we are not willing to be changed ourselves.

This is why Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. Loving our neighbor means loving the person, not hating the problem. It means being known as well as knowing. It’s so much harder to love our neighbors than it is to hate the evil people. It’s so much harder to love the person who knows us than it is to send help anonymously.

I do think the people of Northern Uganda are our neighbors. But if you feel called to help them, then know them, love them. You do have power, time, wealth and choices – more than most people in the world. But you will have to spend those to make a difference. Spend them on getting to know someone. You won’t feel as strong or as victorious. But you will be a part of changing the world.

I have 4 very good friends in Northern Uganda. They are men of integrity and courage. It is not easy to be in relationship with them. They are different from me. But I see in them – not 60 million Western college kids – the hope for Northern Uganda.

One of these men is Captain Moses. Captain Moses is the very opposite of cool. He effectively wears what looks like a boy scout uniform. But he loves the youth of Northern Uganda. He has adopted 13 children. I am not worthy to untie the straps on his sandals. I am glad to be aware of Capt. Moses. But I am more moved by our relationship.

So, instead of Stop Kony, I recommend Love “Insert Neighbor Here” 2012. Not as sexy I know. But, hey, it comes from a post with an even greater readership than facebook!

Making a Difference: Changing the World One War Criminal at a Time

Yes, one more blog entry on the facebook/twitter phenom.

Stop Kony 2012 is a video seen by 20, no, 30, no, 60 million people. This internet phenomenon has grabbed headlines not only for its content but for its massive popularity. The goal of KONY 2012 is to raise awareness of Joseph Kony (pronounced Koin by Northern Ugandans) and the LRA and it has done that spectacularly well.

Invisible Children, who made this video, are passionate advocates for the victims of a 20 year conflict in Uganda and other central African nations. Joseph Kony has I was deeply moved by the video. I have followed the work of Invisible Children for a number of years now and they have done good work. They have established aftercare programs in Northern Uganda and raised -awareness about a war criminal who remains at large.

It is in large part because of the LRA conflict that I was lucky enough to go to Northern Uganda in 2006. It was an incredible trip and I remain in contact with several friends there. (Carlos Corro also found a wife!) I am by no means competent to speak on this issue with any authority, but some of you have asked me to reflect on the phenomenon.

The best articles on this issue I have found are here, here and here.

I have mixed feelings about this situation. Of course, Kony is a criminal who deserves to be brought to trial for his crimes. And raising money to help victims is surely a good thing. I think Invisible Children is right for highlighting the issue. However, they do more than this. They are advocating for specific policies, communicating information and promoting certain behaviors. This is where I find myself more critical of Invisible Children.

Some people have criticized the organization for its budget. Only a third of the money raised goes to direct program (about which I have heard good things). This is a little unfair. I think IC is clear about its purposes – awareness and advocacy are a part of their stated goals. Folks just need to know that their money is going to help Ugandans, and the broader advocacy/promotional work of IC.

My concerns go deeper. Underlying this video is a vision of ‘making a difference’ that is self-important and simplistic. Do the recommendations, goals and perspective of Kony 2012 tend towards the greatest good? Do we understand this situation?

What do Ugandans want?
Obviously, Ugandans want justice to some degree. But I think it can be said that many are more interested in recovery and reconciliation. This single focus on retribution and bringing to justice is a much more Western approach. It doesn't take the complexities into account. Imagine a situation where little children are captured and then turned on their own families. How do you help those children who have committed horrible crimes reconnect with their communities? What if these child soldiers have taken child brides, and they have kids? (I have seen this situation in Lira.) How do you bring that horrible situation? Demonizing a single person with a simple good guy/bad guy dichotomy is not helping this. Here is a great video blog post from a native Ugandan that expresses this complexity well.

What is the 'War' about?
This is where things get much more complicated. As you can imagine, there are lots of players at work here. One of the biggest concerns I heard in Northern Uganda is that the LRA was becoming a rationale for the southern tribes which include the president to increase militarization of the country, and crack down on political opponents in the North. The former president is from the North, so there is a lot of conflict between the two. I can say that I have been in Lira which is the sight of one of the worst massacres in the LRA campaign. Over 400 people killed during one raid. I also got to know some of the people there were more anxious about the president's forces than they were of the LRA.

“Furthermore, the crisis in northern Uganda is not seen by its citizens as one that is the result of the LRA. Yes, you read that right. The conflict in the region is viewed as one wherein both the Government of Uganda and the LRA, as well as their regional supporters (primarily South Sudan and Khartoum, respectively) have perpetrated and benefited from nearly twenty-five years of systemic and structural violence and displacement." Mark Kerston in the blog, Justice in Conflict

The video does state that Kony has moved to DRC and Sudan, but it doesn't effectively say that to all extents and purposes, the north is safe and flourishing again. It imagines a crippled and terrified region that no longer exists. This does not help or respect the people of northern Uganda.

What Does Awareness Do?
Awareness helps. But I feel like it only works on a small scale. Awareness on a large scale is not awareness. It is just enough knowledge to be dangerous. It will lead to smashed expectations. It will lead to increasingly viewing Africa as 'Problem' and not as a group of self-determined people. It will fuel our self-righteousness and arrogance. True servanthood requires not simply awareness of a need, but awareness of our own weaknesses and an awareness of the resources already at work.

What is KONY 2012 Suggesting?
Over time, this has become the most concerning aspect to me. This group is advocating specific foreign policy - that is, please send troops to do this job. I don't think sending troops to get the bad guy is good foreign policy. Isn't that Iraq, just on a smaller scale?

Don't get me wrong. I would love for more people to travel to Northern Uganda (or Sudan or wherever) and get involved on the ground. We would be welcomed, if we came as partners. That's what our wealth and time should be spent on. We should get involved in people, not capital P problems.

But --- the question always remains…. Who are we throw stones? What have we done with the issues and needs that we have seen? In the next post, I want to talk about our response in light of Scripture and our resources. How should we respond to what we have heard from Kony 2012.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 9th

Hebrews 10:1-18

God sent Christ to put an end to sin once and for all on behalf of his people. The true sacrifice, Christ the Just, laid his life down for us, the unjust. The innocent Lamb of God dies in the place of God's chosen but guilty people. The Savior dies in the place of Sinners. This presents both the ugly and the beauty of the human experience and the call to bow to Christ. It shows us the difficulty and the delight of Gospel Theology.

THE DIFFICULTY: We are sinners who cannot save ourselves. Someone else will get all the Glory for our salvation. That's the hard part, at my core I would rather be glorious than to give glory to another. I would rather be independent and self-reliant then to have to depend and rely on another. I would rather lead than follow. Being a sinner implies that in the economy of God I am bankrupt, lacking, unable, rebellious, fallen, an enemy and under the just judgment of a holy God who has sovereign rights over my life. Yes, ultimately we are his and not our own. See it's hard to swallow, the fact that someone else has the final say over my life and how it’s to be lived. But it’s true.

THE DELIGHT: Inspite of what I am, a sinner. And inspite of what I'm not, a perfectly obedient child of God, who has always loved God more than anything else. God has acted in Christ to make things right between us. Without anything from me he has gone ahead of me and accomplished a way that a sinner can be saved that the wrath the he so rightly deserves. This is the theme of scripture and this is the purpose of Christ. He ushered in the new and living way, sinners saved not by doing something but by trusting in something. We are saved not by offering a sacrifice but by trusting in the SACRIFICE, Christ the Savior who was offered for us. Now this tastes good…The fact that God has the final say in my journey. I am so grateful that He brought me to know Christ.

PRAYER: Father may we taste and see that Lord is Good. Teach us to delight in and treasure the work of Christ on our behalf. Our redemption was costly. The price of the ransom to deliver our wayward souls was costly. But Jesus paid it all. Helps us to surrender to him and honor him with words and deeds. Amen...

Through the Deep Waters -- March 8th

Jeremiah 31:31-37

Oh’ the depths of the wisdom of God, in relating to his people. He states in our passage way back then that the days were coming when he would establish a new way of walking with his covenant people. Well those days have come. The Gospel has arrived. The Good News of no longer using the Law and the types and shadows of the former days when sacrifices of animals stood between God and man which could only point to (not fulfill) the real forgiveness offered in this new day in the person and sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on behalf of his people. The old covenant had an external law that was constantly broken by the people who then would make sacrifice unto God, as a means of atonement. But those sacrifices as (Hebrews 10:1-4), says could never take away sins. It only foreshadowed that the death of another was the only means of forgiveness of sins for the sinner.

But in this new covenant established solely by God without any assistance from us
would be based on a person: Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, who was sent as the true sacrifice for sin. The old system presented us types, shadows, and symbols, but the new is the reality, the fulfillment in Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of those who believe worldwide. The new covenant shall usher in a season of no longer looking to external laws and rules, which we could never perfectly keep. And this covenant based on God's love would be written internally in the heart whereby we are made to know that in Christ, we are His people and He is our God. We now look to Christ as the means of being right with God, no longer trying to bring a sacrifice to God; God has brought the sacrifice to us (John 3:16).

And lastly, this new arrangement of communion with God, which is based on the merits of Christ alone and our faith in him, is so certain, so sure, so settled that there is no potential of it coming up empty. It's Impossible. God says just as sure as the sun and the moon have never ceased to be and do what he has decreed, so shall Christ be for all who come to him for refuge. He will always be a Savior. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Faithful is He who promised, He has and will continue to do it, for the sake of Christ and his people!!!

Prayer: Father, help us lean the entire weight of our souls upon Christ. May the redemption that is found in his sacrifice for us, be our hope, our joy, our peace and our only boast. May we as fallen sinners, stand in Him, forever accepted by You…Amen!!!

Through the Deep Waters -- March 7th

Acts 2:29-39

God on behalf of his Covenant People has over the course of Redemptive History been working and moving in one direction: towards Jesus, who is both Lord and Christ. The full display of God's Covenantal Love is declared unto us in Christ's miraculous birth, his sinless life, his wrath bearing death on the cross, his glorious resurrection from the grave, his appearance to the disciples after his resurrection, and his triumphant ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father until the time of his return. This is nothing but the Gospel. The Good News that God has undertaken in Christ the full weight of responsibility for our salvation. He has made him Lord, ruler of all, the holder of judgment, the one who holds the key to life and death, heaven and hell, the one who will have the final say in every situation. This is where God has put him, Above All!!!

But what have we done with him? The very same thing that the men who Peter was
speaking to had done with Christ. CRUCIFIED HIM. But you say I was not there, how could I be guilty just like them for the death of Christ? Well we are all guilty in two senses: (1) In our lives we have all at one time or another treated Christ as if he was dead to us. Spurned his call to come and surrender our lives to him. Would not believe the truth that all our hopes were hinged on him and our relationship with God could only be made right through trust in his work and not our work. We lived as if we didn't need him and that we could make it on our own. Of this we are all guilty. (2) We were directly involved in his crucifixion because he died for our sins. He died in our place. If we were all sin-free and could get to God on our own, then his death was not necessary. But since God in his love for his people knew that there was no hope outside of Christ, he sent him to perform a mighty deliverance on our behalf. This is the meaning of the name Christ; it is interpreted Messiah, the promised deliverer, the one who saves, and the only hope for dying sinners.

Oh’ how the gift of Grace is shown to us in this text. These men who were guilty of the "death of Christ”, owned their guilt and asked, "What shall we do?” There was one response: Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. REPENT means to change your mind about Jesus, you once thought that you didn't need him; now be persuaded and understand that you can't live without Him. Be BAPTIZED, means make the public declaration of this change of mind and heart you've had about Jesus. Be now acquainted with him you who were once far off, sheep going astray. Find your new and true identity in Jesus. And the Gift of God's presence will live in you, to guide, to strengthen and continually transform you into the likeness of Jesus who is both Lord and Christ!!!

PRAYER: Father help us to see our deep need for Jesus. Help us to know that you have given us one way of deliverance, Jesus who is both Lord and Christ. Give us the gift of repentance, the change of heart needed to cling desperately to him. And may you baptize us afresh daily that we might live in our identity in him, publicly unashamed of our dependence on him! Amen…

Through the Deep Waters -- March 6th

PSALM 89:1-8

There may be times in our life when we experience overwhelming loss and we feel defeated and empty and uncertain. The people, the dreams, and the way of life that we had counted on and always thought would be there for us are suddenly no longer there and we become disoriented and lost. We often feel abandoned and judged by God during these times as we experience the full weight of our brokenness and the brokenness of our world. The psalmist laments, “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?”  

It is during these times that we remember God’s steadfast love and God’s faithfulness to all generations.  God is forever faithful in keeping His promises to us. We are His people and He is our God – this is our comfort and our encouragement during difficult times. We are His children who have been called and redeemed in Jesus Christ and He promises us that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. God is with us as he leads us through the deep waters which He has parted and has provided a way through. We do not walk through alone but we walk through with God and in community with each other.

Therefore we sing God’s praises. We sing of His steadfast love which is forever and with our mouths we make known His faithfulness to all generations. God has promised to save us and to restore us to Himself and He has done so in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. Let the heavens and the earth sing out your praises O Lord and let your faithfulness be proclaimed in the assembly. Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

Prayer: Gracious God who can be compared to you? Who is mightier than you? Who are we that you are mindful of us? Yet you are mindful of us and you are eternally faithful and your steadfast love for us sustains us. Blessed be your name forever. Amen.   

Through the Deep Waters - March 5

John 15:12-17

In the same way that God chose Israel, He also chose us. So, just as God kept faith with Israel through thick and thin, he will keep faith with us as well. This is why he says, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you.' It is so that we can know that when the going gets tough, Jesus will not say - "Well, too bad. You chose this!" Jesus takes responsibility for our walk with him. He started it, and he will finish it.

The work he has started in us is not simply a spiritual journey. It is not serving God in some esoteric way. Jesus calls us friends because he wants us to do exactly what he is doing - bearing fruit of love. Knowing our calling, and knowing our Jesus, we have a clear and simple calling - to love one another.

Prayer: Gracious savior, thank you for choosing us. We do choose to follow you, but thank you that at the end of the day, it is not up to us to figure out where everything is going. But thank you that we do get to participate in the most important work of all - to love each other as you have loved us.