“The Weekend Wanderer” is a weekly curated selection of news, stories, resources, and media on the intersection of faith and culture for you to explore through your weekend. Wander through these links however you like and in any order you like. Disclaimer: I do not necessarily agree with all the views expressed within these articles but have found them thought-provoking.
“Palestinian Evangelicals Call Western Church to Repentance, Criticized in Return” – Jayson Casper in Christianity Today: “Since the outbreak of war after unprecedented terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, Middle Eastern churches, councils, and leaders have expressed their outrage over the killing of thousands of innocent civilians. Many Arab Christian groups have issued public statements. Most emphasized the Christian call to be peacemakers. Several have been criticized for what some see as calls not specifically addressing the suffering of civilian Jews targeted for death by terrorists. Originating from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon—with most prompted by the tragic bombing of the Anglican hospital in Gaza—the public statements range in focus and intensity. Some assert the international community overlooks the context of occupation by the Israeli state; others remind the global church of the continued Christian presence in the land. CT studied texts from nine Arab and four Western organizations, most of evangelical conviction, and queried the perspective of an Israeli Messianic Jew and a Lebanese Armenian evangelical. The review found that few Middle Eastern statements have named Hamas as the perpetrator of terrorism, while many specifically criticize Israel itself.”
“A Life of Prayer and Holy Obedience in a War-Wracked World” – Richard J. Foster at Renovare: “Considering the relationship between the life of prayer and holy obedience in a war-wracked world is a massive task. In an existential sense, prayer brings us into the holy of holies in the Christian life. We move from the periphery to the center. Edward Payson said, ’Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, pray, pray, pray.’ Sir Thomas Buxton wrote, ’You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.’ William Penn said of George Fox, ’Above all he exceeded in prayer.’ Archbishop Tait said, ’I want a life of greater, deeper, truer prayer.’ Martin Luther declared, ’He who has prayed well has studied well.’ Most pertinent of all are the words of William Carey, ’Prayer — secret, fervent, believing prayer — lies at the root of all personal godliness.’ Our task is to see how prayer opens us to this personal godliness and to meditate on that reality within the wider social context of war and peace.”
“As Turkey’s Christians celebrate a new church, religious minorities still call for respect” – David I. Klein at Religion News Service: “On Oct. 15, hundreds of Turkey’s Assyrian Syriac Christians gathered in Istanbul’s leafy Yeşilköy neighborhood to witness the inauguration of Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, the community’s first new church in more than a century. A generation ago, the vision of building a new Syriac Christian church in Istanbul would have been a fantasy. One of the oldest branches of the church, Syriac Orthodox Christianity still uses a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Jesus and his disciples, for its liturgy. ‘We’re a very ancient people, a Mesopotamian people,’ said Katia Arslan, an Assyrian who studies Turkey’s minority peoples. But today only about 25,000 Assyrian Christians live in Turkey, represented across the Syriac Church, the Assyrian Church of the East and Latin Uniate Churches adhering to Rome, but most are Syriac Orthodox. They are the last remnant of a community that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands in Turkey’s southeast but faced genocide at the close of the Ottoman Empire. Further persecution in the early days of modern Turkey kicked off a mass emigration abroad or to western Turkish cities. During the exodus, the state expropriated Assyrian properties, including churches and monasteries.”
“The Day After the Worst Day of Your Life: Resurrection and Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin“ – Ryan Cosgrove in Mockingbird: “The musician Sufjan Stevens has a new album out, Javelin. And, like all Sufjan fans, I have a lot of opinions. But here’s the deal: the editor here tends to send back articles heavy on my personal impressions and light on imputed righteousness! So, before I go any further, let me get something off my chest. The reviews of this album are surprisingly on the mark. Javelin is good. And if you’ve ever liked Sufjan, you will like this album. And herein lies a little object lesson: the church does not need to rob the world’s vocation. Life is full of arenas that are God-pleasing in the simple fact that they are aimed toward the neighbor’s benefit. Christians don’t need to run around stitching little crosses on this and that to make the world fit for the kingdom of God. Creation is capable of turning on its own God-given courses. God has seen fit to run the world in a surprisingly secular manner. But enough about that. I’m still sore that my winsome musings aren’t in higher demand. And anyway, there is something unique Christians have to say. And what’s more, it is the sort of speech that is Mockingbird’s bread and butter. Plus, it’s something Christians are commissioned to say. And most importantly, it’s something you won’t hear anywhere else.”
“International House of Prayer Leaders Admit Allegations Against Mike Bickle Include ‘Sexual Immorality'” – at The Roys Report: “Two days after being confronted publicly for an unacceptable ‘level of transparency,’ International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) Leadership Team today announced that the allegations against founder Mike Bickle included ‘sexual immorality.’ ‘We are heartbroken to share that we have recently become aware of serious allegations including sexual immorality directed against Mike Bickle . . .’ stated Executive Director of IHOPKC Stuart Greaves in an announcement read during an 11 a.m. service at IHOPKC’s Forerunner Church in Grandview, Mo. ‘Our leadership team takes these allegations very seriously and we are laboring for truth, light, redemption, and righteousness.’ The earlier confrontation with IHOPKC leadership occurred at a staff meeting Friday night at Forerunner Church.”
“Sudan now one of the ‘worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history'” – Emma Ogao at ABC News: “United Nations Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths has said half-a-year of war has plunged Sudan into ‘one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history.’ As battles continue between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, up to 9,000 people have been killed and over 5.6 million people have been displaced both within and outside national borders. ‘For six months, civilians – particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – have known no respite from bloodshed and terror,’ Griffiths said. ‘Horrific reports of rape and sexual violence continue to emerge, and clashes are increasingly taking place along ethnic lines, particularly in Darfur. This cannot go on.’ The U.S. State Department this week said it is ‘deeply concerned by credible reports’ that the Rapid Support Forces have “intensified” shelling around Nyala, South Darfur and Karari Omdurman — a move the State Department says has ‘deepened’ the suffering of the Sudanese people. Six months on, Sudan’s paramilitary RSF has advanced to Khartoum, seeking to consolidate their reach in the capital with exception of some SAF strongholds. The SAF is reported to have secured bases in Eastern Sudan ‘headquartered at port Sudan along the Red Sea coast,’ according to the United States Institute for Peace.”
Music: Sufjan Stevens, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?,” from Javelin
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Matthew Erickson 