{"id":2985,"date":"2019-06-05T07:56:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T07:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2019\/06\/05\/god-genocide-and-hospitality\/"},"modified":"2019-06-05T07:56:50","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T07:56:50","slug":"god-genocide-and-hospitality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/god-genocide-and-hospitality\/","title":{"rendered":"God, Genocide and Hospitality"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 June 2019 | Rwanda [Tim Standish\/ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n

It is a world of sad anniversaries. It is 75 years this week since the D-Day landings when allied troops began the long haul across Europe to push back Hilter\u2019s troops. It was 20 years last month since the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Balkans crisis, and just 25 years ago Rwanda was in the midst of 100 days of slaughter and genocide. These histories still haunt us today.<\/p>\n

\"Genocide<\/a><\/p>\n

As we remember the approximately one million Rwandans who were slaughtered by their neighbours and fellow citizens we ask, \u201cHow can such an outburst of undiluted evil ever be explained?\u201d Like all evil, there is no real sense to be made of it, but the influence of theories about race and a view of \u2018the other who is different\u2019 is alien to the principles we find in the biblical record.<\/p>\n

As a church, we have to wrestle with the fact that there were many who claimed to be Christians\u2014even some ordained to the gospel ministry and placed in leadership positions \u2014whose actions were in stark opposition to the call of Christ. In at least one case, a doctor slaughtered people seeking refuge in one of our hospitals. How can Christians forget our own humanity, and that our brothers and sisters are also created in God\u2019s image? Can we even call ourselves Christians if we forget that, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, \u201cThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus\u201d (Galatians 3:28)?<\/p>\n

Valuing life<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Carl<\/a>In the midst of horror too awful for the human mind to truly comprehend, there were some who did remember the biblical teaching about equality and the value of human life. As we reflect on the tragic failure of humanity represented by genocide, let\u2019s not forget to celebrate the heroism of the Muslim man and the native healer woman who famously saved many people from slaughter. There were many others [See Portraits of Heroes<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Most famously, for Seventh-day Adventists, was Carl Wilkens<\/a>, the ADRA Country director who chose to stay in Rwanda, and was the last American there as the slaughter proceeded. Without any human support to back him up, he confronted the leaders who orchestrated the genocide. God\u2019s power working through him saved many lives.<\/p>\n

Makasi-Courage<\/strong><\/p>\n

But it turns out that the Creator didn\u2019t only have human heroes to call on during the genocide. The story of one of these other heroes is the subject of a short film being released in the lead up to Creation Sabbath, which falls on October 26 this year. The poignant story told in the film, Makasi-Courage, is told by Janvier Nsimyimana, a genocide survivor and student at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. The producer is another student, Samson Bush Maldonado, who recently graduated. Discover that when humans forget their own humanity, God can still use His creation to reveal His love.<\/p>\n

To watch Makasi-Courage, click on the image below:<\/p>\n