Good piece. Despite appearances, Turkey is NOT a secular nation. Oh, the purport to be one, but at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, they will tow the Islamic line. They are not an ally of the US and should not be treated as one for all the reasons you site, they encourage the declining Christian. We in the Western world would be wise to heed your warning, but, alas, I fear we will not.
Great narrative description. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
What we, the Western World, from my perspective, are doing includes:
1. Never reading the Qu'ran to gain a foundational knowledge of Islam. Muslims don't either, they take the word of their professional religious leaders that they are good and peaceful people. If they read it and decide to follow its teachings, they become jihadists and denigrate females.
2. The Christians in the Western World typically don't study their holy book, the Bible, either and rarely have dialogue about what it teaches. Like the Muslims, they also take the word of professional religious clergy about what the Bible teaches them to do. That typically includes: be nice, go to church, listen to a monologue sermon, give money to the church for maintenance of the physical plant and employees, encourage others to go to church and do all the above and have little to no true fellowship with dialogue, peer accountability, encouragement, or minister to each other. If they did they could change the world.
Visiting another world has recharged your writing. The description of Christian Constantinople transformed into modern Islamic vogue steamed with the heady, aromatic, alluring spell of both the coffee lair and death to the West. The West continues to party as though attending the Feast of Belshazzar. What will an awakened holiness voice now say about that?
This comment to another blog wraps up our present "political" situation. “Western negotiators tend to view agreements through a secular lens. They assume all parties share a common objective: stability, prosperity, and the avoidance of conflict. But if one side views history through a religious framework that places transcendent goals above material considerations, then traditional diplomatic assumptions become less reliable.” Lewis Dovland
My wife and I briefly toured Ephesus on a cruise last October... that is a gorgeous place full of history and Christian presence. It is a vastly underrated and undervisited as compared to Israel of course but its importance to Christian history and heritage should not be ignored or forgotten. There is more that the country is unearthing from its Christian past too all over not just Ephesus and we want to ensure its restoration and preservation, the Christian world should do what it can to visit, support these activities with pilgrimages and archaeological expeditions. We can make a difference with our presence and support of the fledgling Christian community there too.
Good piece. Despite appearances, Turkey is NOT a secular nation. Oh, the purport to be one, but at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, they will tow the Islamic line. They are not an ally of the US and should not be treated as one for all the reasons you site, they encourage the declining Christian. We in the Western world would be wise to heed your warning, but, alas, I fear we will not.
Great narrative description. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
What we, the Western World, from my perspective, are doing includes:
1. Never reading the Qu'ran to gain a foundational knowledge of Islam. Muslims don't either, they take the word of their professional religious leaders that they are good and peaceful people. If they read it and decide to follow its teachings, they become jihadists and denigrate females.
2. The Christians in the Western World typically don't study their holy book, the Bible, either and rarely have dialogue about what it teaches. Like the Muslims, they also take the word of professional religious clergy about what the Bible teaches them to do. That typically includes: be nice, go to church, listen to a monologue sermon, give money to the church for maintenance of the physical plant and employees, encourage others to go to church and do all the above and have little to no true fellowship with dialogue, peer accountability, encouragement, or minister to each other. If they did they could change the world.
Visiting another world has recharged your writing. The description of Christian Constantinople transformed into modern Islamic vogue steamed with the heady, aromatic, alluring spell of both the coffee lair and death to the West. The West continues to party as though attending the Feast of Belshazzar. What will an awakened holiness voice now say about that?
Excellent overview! "The harvest is ready but the laborers are few." We must keep "fighting the good fight." Rest form the journey, but...Pressing On!
This comment to another blog wraps up our present "political" situation. “Western negotiators tend to view agreements through a secular lens. They assume all parties share a common objective: stability, prosperity, and the avoidance of conflict. But if one side views history through a religious framework that places transcendent goals above material considerations, then traditional diplomatic assumptions become less reliable.” Lewis Dovland
My wife and I briefly toured Ephesus on a cruise last October... that is a gorgeous place full of history and Christian presence. It is a vastly underrated and undervisited as compared to Israel of course but its importance to Christian history and heritage should not be ignored or forgotten. There is more that the country is unearthing from its Christian past too all over not just Ephesus and we want to ensure its restoration and preservation, the Christian world should do what it can to visit, support these activities with pilgrimages and archaeological expeditions. We can make a difference with our presence and support of the fledgling Christian community there too.
Kinda skimmed over the Armenian genocide to heap praise on Turkey ... I'm very disappointed, sir. I usually like your stuff.
Did you miss the part where I mentioned the deaths of 2 million people?