Army of Priests

I’ve been reading the Autobiography of Martin Luther King of late. It’s a very interesting read. King was quite intellectual, thus his biography is very educational. Its also challenging and inspirational.

I’m not yet a 1/3rd the way through. But so far King’s house has been bombed once (and a 2nd attempt was also made), stabbed once, thrown in jail countless times, and abused countless times. His friends have experienced mass jailing and persecutions. They all had to walk to work for over a year (or share cars). At one point over 11 houses or churches were destroyed by bombs in a single weekend. The entire group of justice seekers have been pushed to their limits.

It makes me wonder about how dedicated to justice I am. How much am I willing to give up so that people no longer die of hunger? How many times am I willing to go to jail to end my country’s trade barriers? How uncomfortable will I become to raise awareness of unfair labour laws?

So far, I’m barely able to battle against people’s simple expectations of me.

I want to be someone who will go the full nine yards if that’s what it takes for us to stop treating the 3rd world like slaves. But I’m not there yet.

I am a subscriber to Avaaz, an organization dedicated to providing a voice for the world on issues of justice. I recieved the following email from them this morning that I thought would be worth passing on to you:

Dear friends,

On Monday, the International Criminal Court indicted Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir for genocide. He is charged with killing hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan and its Darfur region, and corralling the surviving women and girls into terrifying camps where they are being quietly and systematically raped until their peoples are destroyed.

In response, Al Bashir’s regime is threatening more terror against Darfurians and the UN, and appealing to powerful international friends who buy oil from and sell weapons to Sudan to give him protection. Al Bashir knows that he will be caught only if other governments, especially Arab and African governments, agree to help the International Criminal Court (for example by arresting him when he travels abroad).

Targeting Al Bashir is our best hope to end the terror of Darfur’s rape camps, and take a major step forward for international justice. Many of Sudan’s neighbours are Muslim countries where rape is a scandalous crime – and Al Bashir’s henchmen have killed and raped thousands of Muslim women. To raise awareness of this, Avaaz is launching a large regional ad campaign, urging leaders to help the ICC. Our ads will run in just a few days, and a full page ad in an Egyptian newspaper is just 3000Euros($5000), so we need just 50,000 Euros ($75,000) to get our message across. Click below to help:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_darfur

Many in the international community are concerned that this indictment will undermine attempts to make peace with Al Bashir, and even blame the ICC for threatening peace. Some of those concerns are just a cover for Sudan’s oil and arms dealing partners. Others are more legitimate, but must contend with Darfur’s victims and survivors, who have the most at stake, and are universally supportive of justice. They say they have seen Al Bashir break every agreement he has signed for 20 years, and that no lasting peace can be signed that leaves a genocidaire with the power to commit his crimes again.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a giant step forward for humankind – a single global court, with the power to try any person who has committed the worst crimes against humanity. It has an independent prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo of Argentina, and judges from Brazil, Latvia, and Ghana. This is the first time the ICC has indicted a sitting head of state, and all the world’s worst current and future mass criminals are watching closely. Let’s send them a clear message: that justice, and the rule of law, are on the march. Let’s help make it happen, and make sure that all our governments help the ICC to succeed in this first test, and end the terror of Darfur’s people.

With hope,

Ricken, Mark, Graziela, Pascal, Paul, Veronique, Iain, Ben and the whole Avaaz team.

PS – You can see report backs and achievements of recent Avaaz campaigns here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/report_back_1
Avaaz is a legally registered not for profit organization, and we do not receive any money from governments or corporations. We are funded and driven by our members, who come from every nation of the world.

PPS – Here are some links to more information:

The full text of the International Criminal Court statement:
http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/organs/otp/ICC-OTP-Summary-20081704-ENG.pdf
he Enough Project: “The Merits of Justice” (in Sudan)
http://www.enoughproject.org/files/reports/ICC_report_071408.pdf
New York Times: “Catching a war criminal in the act”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/opinion/15goldstone.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
BBC: “Profile: Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7502973.stm

With the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther Kings death a number of news media printed reports and opinions on his work during the 60′s and 70′s. One such article, published by CNN on Monday, was a particularly interesting read as it contrasted the Prophetic Gospel of King with the Prosperity gospel of the modern church. Here is some of what the article had to say:

Forty years after his death, King remains a prophet without honor in the institution that nurtured him, some black preachers and scholars say.

They also say King’s “prophetic” model of ministry — one that confronted political and economic institutions of power — has been sidelined by the prosperity gospel.

“It’s dangerous to be prophetic,” said Wheeler, who is also president of the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“I don’t know many prophetic preachers who are driving big cars and living very comfortably. You don’t generally build huge churches by making folks uncomfortable on Sunday morning,” he said.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King preached, says that prosperity preaching is not just a distortion of Jesus’ message but a betrayal of the black church’s heritage. The black church was formed by slaves who saw Jesus’ message as a tool for social justice.

You can read the full article here or (if it is deleted) download a PDF version here.

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