Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Half of American Christians can't find earth

Here I am (in this video), along with an African
pastor, baptizing several in the Jordan River, including (I think) someone from Germany.
(Note: for a previous year's life-changing day of baptizing in the Jordan, see this)
There was something so "Kingdom" about the international composition of this particular Israel trip...Our group was 2,000 people from 200 nations, and I was the only pastor from North America. It was a temple tantrum. A re-centering set.

Every day we shared meals with folk from different countries; often from persecuted lands. At one meal, my wife asked a woman from such a nation if she was married. She didn't speak English well, but she got the point of the question:

She made the gesture for death by slit throat.

We got the point of her answer.

This is why I maintain (ironically at some "persecution" for saying it) that "There is no persecution of Christians in America, absolutely none." See also: "Persecution of pastors is far worse in America than anywhere else"?????


But my point today for this post something I learned on one of my previous trips; this one with a group of only North Americans:

Ask a busload of American Christians, while they are in Israel,

"What continent are we on right now?"

You get several wrong answers ("Europe"), and several "deer in the headlights" looks.
Some were sure, but wrong: Africa.

Thanks for playing, anyway.

You know the answer.

But it is still shocking to us.

Which is why I love these two video clips:
------------------

1)Wolfgang Simson says "Jesus, being an Asian..."


2)Dan Nainan: "My father is Indian, and my mother is Japanese. And people say, 'How neat, you are half-Asian.' ....Where do they think Asia IS, Antarctica?! ...Half of American schoolchildren can't find Earth...on a map OF Earth!"

----------------------
Francis Frangipane, when people say, "Francis, what you are talking about doesn't sound like Christianity, but an Eastern religion":

"Uh, Christianity IS an Eastern religion.."

You know, I have yet another story about Israel you would think I am making up.
I remember a North American Christian basically saying within my earshot, "There are no Palestinian Christians; Palestinians are all Muslim terrorists." I couldn't get him to remember when he and I stood in Bethlehem Bible College, where we both met many Palestinian Christians in the flesh...

Guess that means they are Asians, too?

Help, I can't find Earth..

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