It could work. It could definitely work. Tony Campolo & other religious leaders have come up with a proposal to get us out of Iraq. Inspiring. Please pray.
Tony Campolo is founder of the
Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University.
Charles De Gaulle once said that politics
is far too serious to be left in the hands of politicians. I
agree!
The politicians in Washington are painfully
divided over what should be done about the war in Iraq. The Republicans talk
about “staying the course,” which our nation can ill afford. The Democrats, on
the other hand, propose a “cut and run” policy, and everyone knows that this
would leave a vacuum to be filled with the chaos of all-out civil war. But some
of us in the religious community propose a third option, which we believe could
get America out of Iraq without leaving a total mess behind. Our plan has three
parts.
First, we propose that American and British
troops be replaced by an international police force composed of those who better
understand the Iraqi culture. Leaders in Saudi Arabia proposed such a solution
almost three years ago. Americans and Brits are not only devoid of any grasp of
the language and the religion of the Iraqi people, but are defined by many
Muslims as a Christian army that has invaded a sacred Islamic land. Our army’s
presence is perceived by many in the Muslim world as a rebirth of the medieval
crusades.
Second, we propose that the United States
appropriate $50 billion to rebuild the towns and cities that the invasion of
Iraq has left in shambles. This would be a small price to pay, considering the
$2 billion we are presently spending every week in order to keep this war
going.
Third, we propose that our president go
before the United Nations and ask the world to forgive America for what we have
done to Iraq, and how we have set back efforts for world peace. He should point
out that he is asking forgiveness on behalf of almost all Americans – because we
overwhelmingly lent support to the invasion of Iraq some four years ago. He
should further point out that our original intentions were good! We Americans
were told that we were invading in order to remove the threat of what we thought
were Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
Repentance of this kind is necessary
because we need to re-establish our moral standing in the world, and confessing
wrongdoing is a start for doing that. It is not weakness to admit that we did
wrong, especially when the whole world knows that we did. Now is the time for us
to live out that verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads:
If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land.
If you are willing to support this
proposal, go to www.tikkun.org/iraqpeace. You will
find an expanded version of this proposal there, along with an opportunity to
sign on with us. Do it now, because time is short and the days are filled with
evil (Ephesians 5:16).
Tony Campolo is founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University.
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