Ukrainian evangelicals issue call for national prayer & reconciliation in wake of violence.

Joel C Rosenberg's Blog ^ | 2/25/2014 | Joel C Rosenberg

[Former Fetus]

“Oleksandr Turchynov, a well-known Baptist pastor and top opposition politician in Ukraine, took office on Sunday, Feb. 23, as acting president.

>>SNIP<<

Antonyuk, vice president of the All Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Churches, Baptist, issued the following statement:

A Message of Reconciliation:

We supported the nation’s demand to put an end to the tyranny of the authorities and repressions by the police. Now it is important to restore justice and due process of law in the country, to form a government that has the people’s trust, and provide fair presidential elections. We believe that those guilty of crimes against the people will be justly judged, and that peaceful citizens will be protected.

Therefore the Church calls the Ukrainian nation to more than just feelings of human justice – to Christian forgiveness, grace, and reconciliation. We pray to God for repentance for the guilty. However at the same time we ask victims to forgive those who are already repentant as well as those who are still lost.

The Bible says that there is, “a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecc. 3:7-8). In accordance with these wise words, we declare today to be a time to mend, and not a time to tear the nation apart; a time to seek peace, and not a time to fan the flames of war; a time to learn to love yesterday’s enemies, and not a time to continue to hate rivals and those who have hurt us.

[Former Fetus]

Full title:"Ukraine names Baptist pastor as acting president. Ukrainian evangelicals issue call for national prayer & reconciliation in wake of violence".

A week ago I loved the call for national prayer and reconciliation. Now I wonder how much the proclamation and having a pastor as acting president have to do with Putin's decision to invade!

[Linda Frances]

Pray for this man and all the people of this country.

[ilovesarah2012]

I don’t know much about the situation. Who are the good guys and the bad guys?

[Former Fetus]

I'm siding with the Ukrainian people. They just don't want to get back under Russian influence (who can blame them?) but instead they want to develop ties with the EU and US.

The problem is that there are lots of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, especially in the Crimean peninsula that used to be part of Russia until Lenin or Stalin, I don't remember, gave it to Ukraine.

My suggestion would be to return Crimea to Russia allowing any ethnic Russians to move there and any Ukrainians to move out of it.

[ilovesarah2012]

I tend to side with people who want freedom from oppression. But it seems Ukraine is divided so it just seems like a big mess. And I don’t really understand how it is to their benefit to be more closely aligned with the EU. I think Russia has a brighter future than Europe does. Time will tell.

[Former Fetus]

I just read that the Crimea leader appeals to Putin for help. So, why not let Crimea return to Russia while the rest of Ukraine remains independent?

Look at the map, Crimea is the peninsula in the Black Sea. All that would be necessary will be to move the border from the East to the West connections to the main land. And that would be the way it had been for centuries, before the Soviets gave Crimea to Ukraine!