Perica (p. 211) introduces his conclusion with quotes from Hegel, Nietzsche, Machiavelli, and Orwell on the state.
Those to look to the state or think their state “good” or “Christian” would do well to reflect on these words.
Don’t freak out, I’m not endorsing these four, but I do endorse thought.
I wish I had read this years ago… Insightful on many subjects that give insight into life and ministry in the Balkans today.
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“The power of our prayers, then, lies not primarily in our effort and striving, or in any technique, but rather in our knowledge of God.”
– from the devotional in YouVersion excerpted from Keller’s Prayer
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When I opened my copy of Foreign Affairs yesterday I discovered yet another article about ISIS. Yet this one is far less insightful into why ISIS is so appealing to those running to it and is such a threat to the rest of the world. In fact, this is a pretty secular approach which, as I have stated earlier, is not so helpful because this is a movement driven by belief. Indeed, this article is the typical kind of piece that I had thought of earlier when I stated that to ignore belief is to fail to understand. If you can only read one, scroll down a couple of posts and read that one. If you have time for both, the article is HERE.
In the article I referenced yesterday, the author quotes George Orwell. Orwell wrote about Hitler and Fascism in the context of his review of Mein Kampf. Consider these words:
Fascism is psychologically far sounder than any hedonistic conception of life… Whereas socialism, and even capitalism in a more grudging way, have said to people “I offer you a good time,” Hitler has said to them, “I offer you struggle, danger, and death,” and as a result a whole nation flings itself at his feet… We ought not to undermine it’s emotional appeal.
When I read this I immediately thought of Putin sounding a similar call to his people as they take on so many of their neighbors over the years , the most significant being the current war with Ukraine.
Yet last week he was welcomed in Budapest as an economic savior of sorts. Of course the Hungarian PM is sometimes prone to such speech himself isn’t he?
There is a warning against such nationalism in Nicholas Wolterstorff’s Until Justice and Peace Embrace:
Idolatrous nationalism is not healthful; it is intensely poisonous. When a nation suffers from nationalism unchecked, the life of his members is twisted and distorted, and the nation becomes a menace among nations because it accepts no standards for international peace and justice.
Be very careful that your love of country does not become an idol that takes your attention away from God’s sovereign rule of the universe which should include your heart and mind.
Filed under being a disciple, culture, culture > disciple making, Ukraine
