The Blog

Yesterday (April 7, 2009) marks the 15 year anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan Holocaust/Genocide. In 1994 an estimated one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu men, women, and children were murdered over only 100 days. I remember being a kid and hearing short BBC reports of the "situation" that was happening in Rwanda.
I never really understood what was happening there until I watched the movie "Hotel Rwanda" with my brother in 2004. It has since become my favorite movie not because of the great writing or because of the great acting or even because of the incredibly moving and encouraging story (all three are true), it has become my favorite movie because it really has challenged the way I think.


There is a scene in the movie where Paul (played by Don Cheadle) is thanking Jack (played by Joaquin Phoenix) for filming footage of the genocide to show the world. Jack replies "Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?" Paul responds "How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?" (Jack's response has never really left me) he said"I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners" The truth is that is exactly what happened. People were being killed in the capital city of Kigali, in the village of Buhongo, and all over Rwanda dead bodies were laying in the streets. But in New York City the United Nations were fighting over the definition of the word genocide. I believe our failure to act on behalf of the million dead is the Free World's biggest failure in the last 25 years.

It makes me wonder how many times as Christians we fail to act. I am not talking about the time were thought-out plans and prayerful consideration is needed. But the times were injustice is happening and we know we need to respond but we don't. Sure, millions don't die because of our lack of obedience to action, but I wonder what the result or the death toll is in the supernatural. As Christians we are supernatural people living in a natural world, however when we are obedient we infuse the supernatural into this world and incredible things happen. I know I have seen situations, and just hoped things would get better and "gone right back to eating my dinner". Most of the time those things don't get better. Are we as Christians like the Priest and Levite in Luke 10. Do we see the man near death laying in the gutter and cross to the other side of road. Or are we obedient to action? Do we go to the ditch get down and dirty and help the man near death?

A few weeks ago I was in Washington DC and I saw a poem at the Holocaust Museum I want to end with this poem by German Pastor Martin Niemöller its called First they came…

"First they came for the Communists,

but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.

Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists,

but I was neither, so I did not speak out.

Then they came for the Jews,

but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.

Then they came for the Catholics,

but I was not a Catholic so I did not speak out.

And when they came for me,

and there was no one left to speak out."