Saturday, February 21, 2009

Darfur: Not On Our Watch

While Americans fund our Starbucks addictions during economic recession with the change from beneath our couch cushions, an estimated 10,000 people die each month in the Darfur region of Sudan. The UN News Service estimates that around 400,000 lives have been lost and an additional two million refugees have been created in more than a decade of violent genocide. I have often wondered why there is not an international outcry, particularly among Christians in America who claim to be protectors of human life. 

If you are interested in this, I would suggest that you pick up a copy of the Not On Our Watch Christian Companion. It is available for a mere $7.50 and paints a colorful picture of what is happening in Darfur and how Christians must respond. I received a copy of this book a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and powerful it was. The book was put out by Darfur Christian Action, a human rights campaign supported by the Enough project.

I have spoken to many people in the last few months who say that they are interested in what is going on in Darfur and want to know how to get involved, but they don't know where to start. If you are one of those people, here is your starting point. Grab a copy and get involved. 

I offered my endorsement of the book here

Are you convicted about the situation in Darfur?
Do you think Christians are doing a good enough job addressing the situation?

2 comments:

Shane "George" Lambert said...

Jonathan,

You asked, "Are you convicted about the situation in Darfur?" Honestly, I'm convicted about the fact that I haven't been convicted about the situation in Darfur. Thank you for bringing more attention to this issue.

You also asked, "Do you think Christians are doing a good enough job addressing the situation?" I believe the answer is, "not even close." If this post would have been about Obama or abortion (or both), you would have had numerous comments already.

I think the problem is that most Christians in the United States, just as you pointed out, want to do more but don't know where to begin. Thanks for providing a starting point.

Anonymous said...

Convicted...not so much, gripped by the harsh reality of it - yes.

Convinced that Christians aren't doing a "good enough" job...absolutely. Especially American Christians.