Who will rescue Zimbabwe?
There are spiritual answers to humanity's cry for enduring freedom.
from the March 28, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 2
The sun was just rising when I looked out our hotel window to see dozens of people walking with a spring in their step despite large bundles balanced on their heads.
These were Zimbabweans, who, a short time earlier, had gained their freedom from imperialistic control. Many times during our visit in Africa in the early 1980s we encountered this jubilant celebration of liberty.
What a contrast to the mood in Zimbabwe today! A dictator rules, and opposition activists are beaten as they seek to improve the government.
More than 25 percent of Zimbabweans are unemployed, inflation is rampant, and extreme shortages of basic commodities leave most citizens hungry. A country that had been one of the most productive agriculturally in Africa now does not have enough food to feed its own people.
Last year the Movement for Democratic Change broke up into two factions. They are patching up their differences now but find it hard going against the entrenched government.
Zimbabwe has certainly become an object lesson that freedom must be sustained by something more than a changed political system. There has to be, and I believe there are, spiritual answers to humanity's cry for enduring freedom from all oppression.
The Bible states, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Once someone pointed out that the statement did not say "set you free" but "make you free." This got me thinking about how man's natural, God-given spiritual condition is freedom from domination of any kind. The truth is, we have been created free.
Recognizing this fact for oneself and for others is an important step in finding freedom from oppression. Accounts of prisoners of war, concentration camp survivors, and hostages who have found mental freedom while still being held captive indicate how this inner freedom is possible even while under severe oppression. I believe that what makes this possible is that freedom is indeed our natural state.
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