SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG! COMPLACENCE AND COMPLICITY?

Something is seriously wrong!  The continual atrocities of Syria’s’ government against its own people seemingly go unaddressed by the world.  Million’s of Syrians have been displaced and over 100,000 killed by their own government.  North Korea’s leader Kim Il-Un has been cited by the UN for crimes against humanity.  North Korea’s unending torture of its citizens and intentional reduction of its population through starvation and murder continues.  Over 100 Ukrainians were killed in the street just the other night by government troops.  Most recently, Venezuela’s government has taken its repression of its people to a new level with intentional murdering of protesters by government collaborating militias.  All of this is happening and the world appears unresponsive or paralyzed in addressing the gross injustices of these oppressive regimes.  Where is the civilized world in responding to the evil, perverse, blatant sin of these malevolent governments and despicable leaders? 

The rest of the world seems incapable of doing the right thing.  Righteousness is absent.  Evil prevails.  The USA is fatigued coming out of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which have drained not only its financial resources, but its moral resolve to intervene.  Other countries appear to be just looking the other way following the rule that if you don’t see it, it isn’t really happening.  Nevertheless, the suffering that is going on continues to be documented in the social media and washes like a tsunami through the Internet.  One Twitter (by Senator John McCain) documents 55,000 pictures of crimes against humanity by the government of Syria.  Similar photos flood the Internet regarding Venezuela and the Ukraine now along with testimonies of North Koreans who have escaped to freedom.  These great sins of commission are in our face daily.  How can they be so easily ignored?

Something is seriously wrong in the church in North America (US and Canada) as well.  Where is the righteous response from the church?  Where is the concern not just for Christians in these countries, but also for all humanity?  For God so loved the world, but the church appears complacent with little sign of even prayer for what is happening.  Where is the line between complacency and complicity?  Is the church guilty of a great sin of omission?

The inscription carved in stone over the US Archives reads, “The Past is Prologue to the Future.”  In the past the genocide of Jews and others by the Nazi’s went largely ignored, and by German citizens denied.  The US entered the war at the bequest of Britain and not because atrocities were happening to Jews.  Following that war, it is estimated that Stalin wiped out 50 million of the Russian people, the Khmer Rouge purged 5 million, and there are other examples from the 20^th century of the same.  It seems like following wars, when there is war fatigue and media disinterest, great atrocities go unaddressed by the world.  History is repeating itself.  When atrocities go unaddressed, it is not only the victims that suffer; humanity suffers the loss of its moral rectitude and sense of mercy and justice.  Social media is making it increasingly difficult to ignore things now.  Unlike German citizenry in the 2^nd World War, we can not feign ignorance and denial anymore.

This is a call for Christians to seek God’s engagement and response to these governments who are promoting terror and horror on their own peoples.  Prayer has preceded every great movement of God.  It is time to pray seriously for God’s intervention in the evil which is so obviously eroding a global sense of justice, righteousness, and shalom.