Comments on: Enough is Enough http://theforsakenchildren.org/enough-is-enough/ Lasting Hope for Ethiopia Sat, 12 May 2012 02:19:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Jonathan Bridges http://theforsakenchildren.org/enough-is-enough/comment-page-1/#comment-108 Jonathan Bridges Wed, 05 May 2010 04:26:11 +0000 http://theforsakenchildren.org/?p=644#comment-108 Thanks for the comment. I was a bit worried when I posted it that it would be interpreted as America bashing, since that seems to be a popular thing to do these days. That was certainly not my intent. I hate the idea that we should bear a huge burden of guilt for having been so blessed. On the contrary, we should be very thankful for our incredible blessings and we bear a huge burden of responsibility. To whom much is given much will be required. I believe that we have been blessed so that we can bless others. Before I go on let me say that Jesus Christ is the only true answer to the problems in the world. I believe that is what The Forsaken Children is all about. “Christ's Agents of Hope” are no empty words. TFC's projects are actively sharing Christ's love with the children of Ethiopia and we are seeing lives changed as a result. I agree that sin is the underlying root cause to all of the problems of the world, whether in Ethiopia, America, Europe, Asia, or wherever. America certainly isn't to blame for the problems of the developing world, but we also can't deny our responsibility for allowing and encouraging those problems to persist. This post was originally just supposed to be about the sustainability aspect of our projects and how important that is. However, as I was preparing for it I kept coming across two very persistent mindsets: -that we live in a bubble in the US and our actions don't affect other people in this world -that we prosper because we do things the right way and if everyone would just do as we do they'll prosper too. The post ended up being a response to these ideas. I guess the bottom line of what I was trying to communicate was that as Christians we should strive to live in moderation with an acute awareness of how our actions affect others and the world that we live in. Our mothers tried to teach us this when they told us to clean our plates because some children in the world don't have food to eat. When we live in wasteful excess we really do rob others of what they need. Thanks for the comment. I was a bit worried when I posted it that it would be interpreted as America bashing, since that seems to be a popular thing to do these days. That was certainly not my intent. I hate the idea that we should bear a huge burden of guilt for having been so blessed. On the contrary, we should be very thankful for our incredible blessings and we bear a huge burden of responsibility. To whom much is given much will be required. I believe that we have been blessed so that we can bless others.

Before I go on let me say that Jesus Christ is the only true answer to the problems in the world. I believe that is what The Forsaken Children is all about. “Christ’s Agents of Hope” are no empty words. TFC’s projects are actively sharing Christ’s love with the children of Ethiopia and we are seeing lives changed as a result.

I agree that sin is the underlying root cause to all of the problems of the world, whether in Ethiopia, America, Europe, Asia, or wherever.

America certainly isn’t to blame for the problems of the developing world, but we also can’t deny our responsibility for allowing and encouraging those problems to persist. This post was originally just supposed to be about the sustainability aspect of our projects and how important that is. However, as I was preparing for it I kept coming across two very persistent mindsets:
-that we live in a bubble in the US and our actions don’t affect other people in this world
-that we prosper because we do things the right way and if everyone would just do as we do they’ll prosper too.
The post ended up being a response to these ideas.

I guess the bottom line of what I was trying to communicate was that as Christians we should strive to live in moderation with an acute awareness of how our actions affect others and the world that we live in. Our mothers tried to teach us this when they told us to clean our plates because some children in the world don’t have food to eat. When we live in wasteful excess we really do rob others of what they need.

]]> By: Phil Nichols http://theforsakenchildren.org/enough-is-enough/comment-page-1/#comment-107 Phil Nichols Mon, 03 May 2010 20:46:29 +0000 http://theforsakenchildren.org/?p=644#comment-107 It seems that you are trying to endorse sensible comsumption habits, which I endorse, but you've said so much more than that, including placing the blame for third world poverty on Amercans' doorsteps. Is that the point you were trying to make? I agree that Americans typically do a bad job of tending the world we've been given, and Christian Americans should be acutely ashamed of that, but we are not alone in that sin. Also, as big as this problem is, a greater sin than poorly tending our world is the sin of poorly raising, or not at all raising, our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, which is the focus of The Forsaken Children, I thought. My church has been holding bible studies through the prophets, and over and over God brings judgment to his people for 1) idolatry and 2) bad treatment of the poor and needy, such as widows and orphans, because these two sins hurt the two things God most cares about, 1) his glory and 2) the people he created. I heartily endorse the idea of teaching sustainable economic principles to people in third world countries, but if we teach people how to be good, earth-loving citizens of their countries without addressing their sin problem by teaching them how to be citizens of heaven, have we really loved them at all? It seems that you are trying to endorse sensible comsumption habits, which I endorse, but you’ve said so much more than that, including placing the blame for third world poverty on Amercans’ doorsteps. Is that the point you were trying to make?

I agree that Americans typically do a bad job of tending the world we’ve been given, and Christian Americans should be acutely ashamed of that, but we are not alone in that sin. Also, as big as this problem is, a greater sin than poorly tending our world is the sin of poorly raising, or not at all raising, our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, which is the focus of The Forsaken Children, I thought.

My church has been holding bible studies through the prophets, and over and over God brings judgment to his people for 1) idolatry and 2) bad treatment of the poor and needy, such as widows and orphans, because these two sins hurt the two things God most cares about, 1) his glory and 2) the people he created.

I heartily endorse the idea of teaching sustainable economic principles to people in third world countries, but if we teach people how to be good, earth-loving citizens of their countries without addressing their sin problem by teaching them how to be citizens of heaven, have we really loved them at all?

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