Skip to main content

An Incredible Prime Minister

Image
By

         An Incredible Prime Minister 
 Dear Friends, a hopeful happening,                
Two years ago, Ethiopia was a basket case. The government seemed to be losing control The majority Oromo people were restive under a rule that seemed to rob them of their place. The traditionally powerful Amhara rioted. A state of emergency brought silence on the surface, but underneath the nation seethed. Civil war threatened. A foreigner was killed. Tourism waned. Finally, the prime minister resigned. The church prayed earnestly. Then, unexpectedly, eight months ago, the relatively unknown Abiy Ahmad was elected prime minister.
What followed was equally unanticipated. In a bold, courageous acceptance speech; Ahmad announced a policy of peace, love and unity for the nation and its relationships with the rest of the world. He made sweeping promises and, to the surprise of a world cynical of political promises, kept them.
“We need friction but not hatred, argument but not insult,” he tells his people. “To give forgiveness to another, it is not always necessary that the offended one be there to receive it.”
Ahmad looks for ways to resolve conflict. The long-standing enmity between Eritrea and Ethiopia has broken. For the first time in decades, airplanes full of citizens of the two nations are flying back and forth in regular passenger service. Families are being reunited. The nation is amazed and hopeful.
He has embraced every political and people group, including the many Ethiopians who have sought political asylum in other countries. “There is no longer any reason that any Ethiopian cannot now return home in peace,” reports an Ethiopian Anabaptist church leader. “We are astounded.”
Ahmad has requested the release of Ethiopian prisoners in Saudi Arabia and Kenya, and the requests have been granted. When he visited Saudi Arabia, the king assumed he was coming for economic aid, but Ahmad asked only for the release of prisoners.
He went to South Sudan to help resolve conflict between warring factions there, and Sudanese leaders responded with gratitude.
Half his cabinet consists of women and a woman occupies the ceremonial post of president.
When a group of officers came illegally with guns and demanded audience with him while he was meeting with a Turkish official, he invited them to put down their weapons and talk. He did pushups with them! He listened respectfully to their grievances. There was no retribution.
.The state will never conform fully to the gospel — for that would be the kingdom of God! — we should call the state, wherever and however we can, to conform to the ethics of the kingdom of God. We do this out of love for our neighbors and loyalty to Jesus. Even, and especially, nonresistant Christians can do this.
Ahmad may get closer to this vision of kingdom engagement in the political order than anyone in my lifetime. “We’ve certainly never seen anything like it in Ethiopia,” says a prominent Ethiopian Anabaptist.
Let’s pray with our African brothers and sisters that this Jesus-centered, radical leader will keep following a peaceful path. Abiy Ahmad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize In the October of 2019.
Pray more political leaders may follow his example.                                                                                   
Shalom, Jim
 Oh, to Add: this Wednesday 1/22/20 I will have my right  knee replaced. It’s been ailing me for a year.      It will be several  months to recover.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Repairman's Mother In-law"

By
Dear Friends, "My mother in-law Nellie read that Peace Pilgrim booklet you gave me. She was very moved by it, and she would like to read more by Peace Pilgrim. Do you have any thing else? And she would like to talk to you too," our repairman excitedly said to me. I responded, "I don't have any thing else by Peace Pilgrim, but you can give her this book Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr." Later I got to talk to Nellie. Nellie then shared, "Oh yes, that was really inspiring. We have to build peace person by person and house by house by the way that we relate to and treat each other. What Peace Pilgrim has to say is very important. And I really like the book Restorative Justice that I am now reading. I especially like to read stuff like that." I responded, "When you get that one finished, I can loan you another book!" The political saga continues in Barranca. A prominent Catholic priest, Padre Francisco, a close consultant to the Mayor, who is
Post a Comment
Read more

informe de salud

By
  Queridos amigos, Les escribo para informarles que hace unas semanas me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Tenía problemas para mantener el equilibrio y caminar. Vi a un neurólogo y me hicieron una resonancia magnética de mi cerebro, y a partir de eso y de mi historial, me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Me siento muy bien con mi doctora. Mi Parkinson Vascular es causado por mini accidentes cerebrovasculares que bloquean la sangre en la parte del cerebro que controla la marcha. El Parkinson vascular afecta principalmente a la parte inferior del cuerpo, y por lo tanto, afecta la marcha y el equilibrio y regularmente no suele provocar temblores. Es diferente del Parkinson clásico que es causado por la falta de dopamina. El tratamiento principal para el Parkinson vascular es tratar de detener los accidentes cerebrovasculares manteniendo bajo control factores como la presión arterial y el colesterol; esto puede evitar que la enfermedad progrese. Por lo tanto, no necesariamente empeorar
Post a Comment
Read more