RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE FROM HENRY D. JACKSON: April 2008
It should be a positive thing to have someone saying we must turn to God, provided that his views are balanced and realistic. We must remember that this person has been living in the controlled environment of Mugabe's censorship for a long time. I do not want to quench his faith, as this is all that most people in Zimbabwe have left. Nevertheless, there are some weak points in his thinking that should be corrected; otherwise he might give people incorrect thinking patterns and unrealistic expectations.
I have taken a few extracts from this sermon, and wish to make a few comments:
1) Quote:
"the west, coming in and pouring billions of dollars into the country, will shatter the spiritual platform which has been built here."
This is simply not true. It assumes that all aid from other countries is evil. It assumes that money is evil. However, it is how we use money that is the point, not money itself. There are many organizations that are involved in Zimbabwe and will be involved in reconstruction that are Christian-based and managed by genuine caring people.
The implications of Mr Jackson’s statement are that:
a) Zimbabwe does not need aid and reconstruction, but can do it alone, with its "phenomenal potential", most of who have left the country;
b) Aid from somewhere else (Chinese aid?) is more desirable than that from "the west" (And I am not sure what is meant by "the West").
2) Quote:
“The West”.
This term and the way in which it is used is reminiscent of Mugabe’s propaganda. It is not clear what is meant by the term. Presumably he means primarily the USA. Possibly he means all other countries, except the similar communist countries and dictatorships such as Russia, Cuba, North Korea, etc.
3) Quote:
"If a vote was to be taken in the nation, the Pharisees would have lost hands down. Democracy would have crowned Jesus as king. That is what the majority of the people wanted. But was that God's will? The whole of the salvation plan would have been destroyed by democracy. Thus God allowed a devilishly rigged court case to work His own purposes."
Democracy did not exist in the Roman era. The crowds were quite possibly the Pharisees "Rent-a-Crowd'. I also question the validity of extrapolating from the exceptional circumstances of the time of Jesus's crucifixion, and assuming that the circumstances in Zimbabwe are similar. Democracy has many flaws. Mugabe has always claimed to rule by democracy, but it never has been even a reasonable approximation in Zimbabwe. I am not sure if it was Churchill who commented correctly about democracy, but I remember the statement went something like: "Democracy is an inefficient form of government, but the alternatives are far worse."
Mr Jackson has defined no alternative of a system of government to offer, except to refer vaguely to "God's farming" and "God's mining". (Whatever those terms may mean). I do not know what is intended here, but sometimes these terms are used by people with good intentions but little experience of farming or little knowledge of science. I am aware of some organizations that advocate farming systems which do not use modern techniques, such as fertilizer or insecticides. I perceive this as a kind of reaction to technology, and the implication is that we must stick with the old-fashioned systems. It might be considered to be in the same category of the Luddites, who destroyed mechanical looms when they were invented; or about the suspicion given to the invention of the umbrella when it first appeared; or the dark prophecies attached to instant coffee when it was first marketed?
4) Quote:
"This is a very special nation, like a jewel in God's eyes, shining brightly in the spiritual realm. I see in the spirit the angelic beings flying around the earth, patrolling it, and then as they come close to Zimbabwe, they see a bright light shining from here."
I do not see Zimbabwe as a jewel, but as a disaster area. Spiritually, too many of the people, especially those in power, have rejected God and followed either the ways of their ancestors or foreign philosophies such as Marxism. The leadership of some of the established Churches has been discredited. There are of course some very fine Christians in the country, but their influence is very limited. Perhaps it might be more realistic to liken the situation in Zimbabwe to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelation Chapter 6).
They were conquered (White Horse); they made war and continued to worship violence (Red Horse); they are now suffering starvation, which has nothing to do with droughts (Black Horse); they are also entering the era of Pestilence and Death (Pale Horse); the believers will be persecuted for their faith.
But then again, it might be an invalid comparison to trace similarities between the End Times before the Day of Judgment, with the situation in Zimbabwe today?
Nevertheless, the effects of sin (rebellion against God and disobedience) have logical consequences...and a similar pattern of events can easily follow: rebellion, leading to war, leading to starvation, leading to death.
This pattern was shown under Stalin after the communist Russian revolution. It was also shown under Mao Zedong after the communist revolution in China. I think that Napoleon was part of a similar trend.
5) Quote:
"God has a plan for this nation, and means to fulfil it. There is no way that He is going to allow democracy and the evil influence of western materialism to destroy His plan, as good as those intentions might be."
Note that Mr Jackson states that "democracy and the evil influence of western materialism" will destroy God's plan. This is unlikely to be true. The comments under Item 3) apply here also. The assumption has been made by him that all things from the west are evil. This might be true for some of the agencies in "the west", but the main characteristic of "the west" is a great diversity of opinions and ideas, not the monolithic monster that has been created in the minds of the people by Mugabe's propaganda.
Mr Jackson does not tell us what God's plan is. I do not believe that God's plan for Zimbabwe has been the rule of Robert Mugabe. Rather I put the situation in Zimbabwe into the category of circumstances that applied as a result of the request by the people of Israel for a King like those of the other nations. God did not want that form of government for them, but they insisted on it. Then God let them suffer the consequences of their bad decisions. The people of Zimbabwe have made bad decisions. The consequences have been horrendous. God does not want them to suffer beatings, torture, starvation and death. If change does not come through democracy (however flawed), then it is likely to come through war, which will only bring more destruction.
6) Quote:
"Is God's kingdom for Zimbabwe to be the pouring in of material benefits from the west? I think not. The connection to the high powered western nations has been the one thing that has really concerned me about Morgan Tsvangerai, if I must look honestly from a spiritual point of view. The west would be in here like a shot if we were to let them. The potential of this nation is phenomenal, and they know it. But when they come in they will come in with their worldly standards, and very quickly all the spiritual buildup that we have seen over the past years will be destroyed. Mammon will be our god, and God's purposes will be frustrated."
The comments from Item 5) apply here also. See also the comments about God’s Kingdom’ below.
Who must Morgan Tsvangerai go to for help? Zimbabwe cannot carry out a reconstruction on her own. If "the west" does not help, who will? The Chinese?
7) God's Kingdom:
This is often perceived to be a complex concept as we read about it in the Bible; and it has been interpreted in many ways, and even used in the wrong way by some politicians. Essentially, the Kingdom of God exists wherever God is King. This can only happen where people have given their lives to God through Jesus Christ. It is not a political concept. But it is true that the changed lives of believers can lead to significant changes in society.
8) Poverty and anti-materialism:
Poverty is not something desired by God, and there is no merit in starvation, poverty, disease or destruction of people's lives. But I also do not agree with what has been termed "the doctrine of prosperity" which implies that if we are in God's will, we will all be prosperous. The correct attitude to the material aspects of our lives should be an attitude of stewardship. We are looking after the resources God has given us, to use them in the best way to help others. If materialism turns us away from God, it is the attitude that is wrong; not the things themselves.
9) Spiritual opportunity and responsibility:
This is indeed a time of spiritual opportunity. Therefore Christians must be seen to be involved in trying to put things right in Zimbabwe. They must speak out to ensure that the new Zimbabwe will be constructed according to Christian principles as far as possible.
Mugabe would like to provoke war, because violence has served him so well throughout his life.
He should not be given that opportunity.
Regards,
Ned.
It should be a positive thing to have someone saying we must turn to God, provided that his views are balanced and realistic. We must remember that this person has been living in the controlled environment of Mugabe's censorship for a long time. I do not want to quench his faith, as this is all that most people in Zimbabwe have left. Nevertheless, there are some weak points in his thinking that should be corrected; otherwise he might give people incorrect thinking patterns and unrealistic expectations.
I have taken a few extracts from this sermon, and wish to make a few comments:
1) Quote:
"the west, coming in and pouring billions of dollars into the country, will shatter the spiritual platform which has been built here."
This is simply not true. It assumes that all aid from other countries is evil. It assumes that money is evil. However, it is how we use money that is the point, not money itself. There are many organizations that are involved in Zimbabwe and will be involved in reconstruction that are Christian-based and managed by genuine caring people.
The implications of Mr Jackson’s statement are that:
a) Zimbabwe does not need aid and reconstruction, but can do it alone, with its "phenomenal potential", most of who have left the country;
b) Aid from somewhere else (Chinese aid?) is more desirable than that from "the west" (And I am not sure what is meant by "the West").
2) Quote:
“The West”.
This term and the way in which it is used is reminiscent of Mugabe’s propaganda. It is not clear what is meant by the term. Presumably he means primarily the USA. Possibly he means all other countries, except the similar communist countries and dictatorships such as Russia, Cuba, North Korea, etc.
3) Quote:
"If a vote was to be taken in the nation, the Pharisees would have lost hands down. Democracy would have crowned Jesus as king. That is what the majority of the people wanted. But was that God's will? The whole of the salvation plan would have been destroyed by democracy. Thus God allowed a devilishly rigged court case to work His own purposes."
Democracy did not exist in the Roman era. The crowds were quite possibly the Pharisees "Rent-a-Crowd'. I also question the validity of extrapolating from the exceptional circumstances of the time of Jesus's crucifixion, and assuming that the circumstances in Zimbabwe are similar. Democracy has many flaws. Mugabe has always claimed to rule by democracy, but it never has been even a reasonable approximation in Zimbabwe. I am not sure if it was Churchill who commented correctly about democracy, but I remember the statement went something like: "Democracy is an inefficient form of government, but the alternatives are far worse."
Mr Jackson has defined no alternative of a system of government to offer, except to refer vaguely to "God's farming" and "God's mining". (Whatever those terms may mean). I do not know what is intended here, but sometimes these terms are used by people with good intentions but little experience of farming or little knowledge of science. I am aware of some organizations that advocate farming systems which do not use modern techniques, such as fertilizer or insecticides. I perceive this as a kind of reaction to technology, and the implication is that we must stick with the old-fashioned systems. It might be considered to be in the same category of the Luddites, who destroyed mechanical looms when they were invented; or about the suspicion given to the invention of the umbrella when it first appeared; or the dark prophecies attached to instant coffee when it was first marketed?
4) Quote:
"This is a very special nation, like a jewel in God's eyes, shining brightly in the spiritual realm. I see in the spirit the angelic beings flying around the earth, patrolling it, and then as they come close to Zimbabwe, they see a bright light shining from here."
I do not see Zimbabwe as a jewel, but as a disaster area. Spiritually, too many of the people, especially those in power, have rejected God and followed either the ways of their ancestors or foreign philosophies such as Marxism. The leadership of some of the established Churches has been discredited. There are of course some very fine Christians in the country, but their influence is very limited. Perhaps it might be more realistic to liken the situation in Zimbabwe to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelation Chapter 6).
They were conquered (White Horse); they made war and continued to worship violence (Red Horse); they are now suffering starvation, which has nothing to do with droughts (Black Horse); they are also entering the era of Pestilence and Death (Pale Horse); the believers will be persecuted for their faith.
But then again, it might be an invalid comparison to trace similarities between the End Times before the Day of Judgment, with the situation in Zimbabwe today?
Nevertheless, the effects of sin (rebellion against God and disobedience) have logical consequences...and a similar pattern of events can easily follow: rebellion, leading to war, leading to starvation, leading to death.
This pattern was shown under Stalin after the communist Russian revolution. It was also shown under Mao Zedong after the communist revolution in China. I think that Napoleon was part of a similar trend.
5) Quote:
"God has a plan for this nation, and means to fulfil it. There is no way that He is going to allow democracy and the evil influence of western materialism to destroy His plan, as good as those intentions might be."
Note that Mr Jackson states that "democracy and the evil influence of western materialism" will destroy God's plan. This is unlikely to be true. The comments under Item 3) apply here also. The assumption has been made by him that all things from the west are evil. This might be true for some of the agencies in "the west", but the main characteristic of "the west" is a great diversity of opinions and ideas, not the monolithic monster that has been created in the minds of the people by Mugabe's propaganda.
Mr Jackson does not tell us what God's plan is. I do not believe that God's plan for Zimbabwe has been the rule of Robert Mugabe. Rather I put the situation in Zimbabwe into the category of circumstances that applied as a result of the request by the people of Israel for a King like those of the other nations. God did not want that form of government for them, but they insisted on it. Then God let them suffer the consequences of their bad decisions. The people of Zimbabwe have made bad decisions. The consequences have been horrendous. God does not want them to suffer beatings, torture, starvation and death. If change does not come through democracy (however flawed), then it is likely to come through war, which will only bring more destruction.
6) Quote:
"Is God's kingdom for Zimbabwe to be the pouring in of material benefits from the west? I think not. The connection to the high powered western nations has been the one thing that has really concerned me about Morgan Tsvangerai, if I must look honestly from a spiritual point of view. The west would be in here like a shot if we were to let them. The potential of this nation is phenomenal, and they know it. But when they come in they will come in with their worldly standards, and very quickly all the spiritual buildup that we have seen over the past years will be destroyed. Mammon will be our god, and God's purposes will be frustrated."
The comments from Item 5) apply here also. See also the comments about God’s Kingdom’ below.
Who must Morgan Tsvangerai go to for help? Zimbabwe cannot carry out a reconstruction on her own. If "the west" does not help, who will? The Chinese?
7) God's Kingdom:
This is often perceived to be a complex concept as we read about it in the Bible; and it has been interpreted in many ways, and even used in the wrong way by some politicians. Essentially, the Kingdom of God exists wherever God is King. This can only happen where people have given their lives to God through Jesus Christ. It is not a political concept. But it is true that the changed lives of believers can lead to significant changes in society.
8) Poverty and anti-materialism:
Poverty is not something desired by God, and there is no merit in starvation, poverty, disease or destruction of people's lives. But I also do not agree with what has been termed "the doctrine of prosperity" which implies that if we are in God's will, we will all be prosperous. The correct attitude to the material aspects of our lives should be an attitude of stewardship. We are looking after the resources God has given us, to use them in the best way to help others. If materialism turns us away from God, it is the attitude that is wrong; not the things themselves.
9) Spiritual opportunity and responsibility:
This is indeed a time of spiritual opportunity. Therefore Christians must be seen to be involved in trying to put things right in Zimbabwe. They must speak out to ensure that the new Zimbabwe will be constructed according to Christian principles as far as possible.
Mugabe would like to provoke war, because violence has served him so well throughout his life.
He should not be given that opportunity.
Regards,
Ned.
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