Tag Archives: Hunger

Economic Justice, Nonviolence

Why are these Christians denying that children are starving in Gaza?

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Children are starving in Gaza, with many being malnourished and some losing their hair and will to live.

The image above were taken by the BBC and the one below by the AP. They show five-month-old Siwar and two-year-old Mayar, both severely malnourished due to the food shortage in Gaza.

Worsening hunger in Gaza has sparked global condemnation and intense diplomatic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow humanitarian aid to reach the over 2 million people trapped in the territory, after aid had been entirely blocked for more than two months in violation of human rights.

On Sunday evening, Netanyahu said the blockade would be lifted, acknowledging that a growing “starvation crisis” was beginning to harm Israel’s international reputation. He said that he would allow a “minimal” amount of aid due to “diplomatic reasons“. According to the UN, the aid Israel now allows is far from sufficient.

Blocking all emergency aid for over two months so that children starve, become malnourished and are forced to eat garbage is a crime against humanity and never, ever okay. Hamas is a terrible terrorist organization that has committed many other crimes against humanity. But forcing children to starve is a crime against humanity and the unauthorized use of starvation as a weapon of war no matter how terrible Hamas is. It is not something that can be done.

It is always wrong to let children starve, and therefore it was wrong for Netanyahu’s government to deliberately and systematically refuse to let in emergency aid so that children began to starve. That doesn’t excuse the crimes Hamas commits, just as Hamas’ crimes are also no excuse for Netanyahu letting children starve.

Yair Golan, head of the opposition Democratic Party and a former deputy chief of the Israeli military, criticized the government’s conduct. He argued that the military campaign had been excessively violent and that much of the harm was already irreversible.

Speaking to Reshet Bet radio, Golan compared Israel’s growing international isolation to that of apartheid-era South Africa.

“A sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set the expulsion of a population as a goal,” he said.

Over 15,000 children have now died in Gaza, according to Save the Children.

Still, this past week, Christians who support Israel’s war in Gaza have said and written to me:

  • That no children have died in Gaza.
  • That there is no famine in Gaza.
  • That there is famine in Gaza, but you mustn’t talk about it because that’s exactly what Hamas wants.
  • That there is famine in Gaza, but Israel has not blocked food shipments there for over two months.
  • That Israel has blocked food shipments to Gaza for over two months, which has led to famine—but it’s still entirely Hamas’ fault.
  • That Israel has blocked food shipments to Gaza, and that’s completely justified since Israel has no responsibility to feed Gaza’s civilian population, even after the Israeli army destroyed 70 percent of all agricultural land in Gaza.
  • That starving Palestinians are just “reaping what they’ve sown.”
  • That God wants the Palestinian people to be wiped out just like certain nations were exterminated in the Old Testament.

This is insane. It’s as if one has to live in a parallell reality in order to defend Israeli war crimes. Or blatantly support war crimes and genocidal rhetoric, calling for Palestinians to be “wiped out” upfront.

What would Jesus do?

Micael Grenholm is a Swedish church historian, author and an editor for PCPJ.

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Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!

Economic Justice

6,000 Children Die of Hunger Caused by Corona – Every Day

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About 6,000 children will die today due to food shortages caused by the pandemic.

They do not die from the virus. They die of starvation and malnutrition.

Just as many will die tomorrow. And as many the day after that.

The UN warned this spring that corona would cause a famine of biblical proportions. Now it’s here.

The number of people affected by food insecurity has risen by 120 million due to the pandemic and its economic effects.

That is why I am so happy that the World Food Programme (WFP) receives the Nobel Peace Prize this year. While the streak of Pentecostal Nobel peace prize winners is over, I couldn’t be happier of the choice of the Nobel committee. 

The media does not seem to think it is as exciting and controversial as if Donald “Fire and Fury” Trump had received it. But WFP is needed more than ever.

They do an incredibly good job of identifying hunger crises before they break out and fighting for as many as possible to survive.
The problem is that, like most UN programs, they are underfunded.

Feel free to give a gift to WFP here! you can also download the Share the meal app and get reminded every day as you eat your lunch that a child somewhere else can enjoy the same for less than a dollar.

Micael Grenholm is a Swedish pastor, author and editor for PCPJ.

ska%cc%88rmavbild-2017-01-06-kl-21-17-02

Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!

Economic Justice

Did Jesus Really Not Come to Address Global Hunger?

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I was recently published in the Christian Post where I argued that Christians should live simply, generously and sustainably to address global hunger. Three million children die annually, while the rest of the world has much more food than we need (and throw away large portions of it).

I didn’t expect much opposition to what I wrote, but it turns out that in some evangelical circles, feeding the hungry is a sensitive topic.

Jeff Maples at Reformation Charlotte wrote a passionate response in which he, among other things, calls me a heretic and say that I preach a demonic message that might lead to me losing my salvation. Let’s see if he has any Biblical support for these accusations:

Evangelicals are lining up at the door trying to make the case that Jesus is all about a socialistic government that makes everyone equal. One of the stupidest articles I’ve seen in a long time is an article recently published at the Christian Post by Micael Grenholm titled How would Jesus respond to global hunger? In the article, while he doesn’t use the word “socialism,” Grenholm argues that Jesus taught a form of socialism based on the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31.

Maples is right about me not mentioning socialism. I also don’t mention governments. How Maples reaches the conclusion that my point with the article is that “Jesus is all about a socialistic government” is therefore quite a mystery. Continue reading Did Jesus Really Not Come to Address Global Hunger? →

Spirituality

The Key to Awakening

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by Andrew Meakin.

Frank Bartleman was a discontented church-hopper, seemingly looking in vain for a perfect church. He ended up at the Azusa Street revival.

William J Seymour was broke and homeless, dependant on the hospitality and support of others when God used him to initiate the Azusa Street revival.

Evan Roberts was a Bible School dropout, diagnosed by a psychologist as having ‘religious mania’. He went on to be the primary leader in the Welsh Revival of 1905.

Seek God with your whole heart and let history be your judge.

It takes discernment to tell a visionary from a delusional.

I felt God challenge me. If I’d actually met intercessory-prayer firebrands like Leonard Ravenhill or Frank Bartleman before they were well-known would I have wanted to be their friend or would I have dismissed them as legalistic and critical?

Pastors, I believe this is a word for this hour. Many of you have people in your church who are like uranium rocks. Knowing they could blow up the church if ever used, you see the risk as too great so you simply leave them in the ground. But nuclear energy can also be used to power a city if properly utilised! Continue reading The Key to Awakening →

Creation Care, Economic Justice

It Should be Natural for Christians to be Vegan

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by Sarah Stenmark.

I have discovered that few things are so controversial among Christians and met with such incomprehension (and ignorance) as veganism. “Do you eat only salad?” is a question I often get, or “you don’t eat wheat flour, right?” Not to mention all the extremely hilarious meat jokes (sarcasm intended). But I have discovered that most times people have preconceptions about what it means to be vegan and the reasons behind it.

When I tell people that I’m vegan, most assume that it is due to the animal ethics. And to be honest, it was probably how it started. Twelve years ago, I became a vegetarian because I loved animals, and felt like a hypocrite towards them when I ate meat. But over time I began to think about whether this really was a sufficient reason. As a Christian, I believed that humans have been appointed to manage creation and that we have a higher value than animals. If an animal’s death would be the prerequisite for human life, it would be a morally acceptable thing to do (as it turns out this is not the case today, as I will explain below).

The Bible doesn’t condemn meat eating or consumption, it doesn’t forbid us to kill animals. Jesus ate fish. Paul ate meat. I know. But this is not directly applicable to today’s society; partly because of the meat industry’s impact on climate change, but also because of hunger. Continue reading It Should be Natural for Christians to be Vegan →