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The European Anti-Trafficking Day: New Website & Prayer Guide

Oct 18th, 2011 by

Tuesday October 18 is the European day highlighting the issue of human trafficking – modern day slavery. It is a global tragedy and it affects millions of people.

A few facts:

  • An estimated 120,000 women and children are trafficked into Western Europe each year; 90% of victims trafficked into European Union member states end up in the sex industry.
  • Eastern Europe has been called a ‘frontier of failure in the battle against human trafficking’.
  • It is not migrant labor or exploited labor in general. It is people who are abused and who are not free to leave.

In a previous blog entry I wrote about this big and organized crime – How to tackle organized crime. We need to create critical mass of people and organizations to fight this evil and to help the victims. The European Freedom Network (EFN) is such a response.

EFN just launched its website: European Freedom Network

They have a prayer guide which I encourage you to read, use and share.

Why should we support and join EFN? Strategic alliances and networks are important for many reasons. Let me give you some food for thought, some teasers:

  • An African proverb says: if you want to walk fast – walk alone. If you want to walk far – walk together.
  • Do we want to be a sparkler or a light house? One is short lived; one is there for the long haul. One is easy to start; the other one takes more joint efforts and organization. One is sparkling fun for a brief moment; one is a guiding light, saving many year after year.
  • Why are airlines creating strategic alliances? They can serve more people, give better services, and fly more people to more destinations.
  • What are we as Christians to do with Christ’s prayer about visible and practical unity?

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PS: My wife Jennifer is a part of the leadership of EFN. Click here for her blog. If you want to receive her newsletter, please send her an email: jenroemhildt@gmail.com

Jennifer’s latest newsletter is presenting unique opportunities for people to support strategic anti-trafficking initiatives.

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Posted in International Affairs | Comments Off

Business as Mission from Asian, African, and Latin American perspectives

Oct 14th, 2011 by

There are an increasing number of publications (books, articles, papers) on Business as Mission, BAM. Many are authored by Westerners from a Western perspective and these contributions are good and helpful. But it is not a fair reflection of the global BAM movement, since probably most practitioners and many thought leaders are non-Westerners or run BAM businesses in the Arab world and Asia.

Thus it was a joy to be a special editor for the BAM issue of the Connections Journal two years ago and invite friends and colleagues from all over the world to contribute. The journal contains articles on Business as Mission from thought leaders and practitioners from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America.

You can find the link to these articles under “LINKS”; scroll down and look right: WEA-MC Journal Connections, BAM issue, fall 2009

The articles include:

  • Case Study on BAM SME from Korea to Other Parts of Asia. Joseph Lee
  • Restoring People, Changing Businesses, Transforming Societies – A Case Study from Indonesia. Julian Foe
  • The Challenges and Opportunities For Business As Mission: A Perspective From Africa. Dennis Tongoi
  • Bossa Nova, the “Beautiful Game” and Business as Mission (A Brazilian Perspective). João Mordomo
  • Larger-Sized Business as Mission (BAM) Companies. (Chinese Perspectives) Dwight Nordstrom & Vince Liang
  • Why Is Bangladesh Poor and Taiwan Rich? Mats Tunehag & Peter Shaukat
  • Business as Mission: Towards a Biblical and Practical Theology of Work and Business. Bridget Adams
  • Church, Missions and Business: Roles, Responsibilities, Tension and Synergies. Peter Shaukat
  • Human Trafficking: Business as Prevention and Restoration. Jennifer Roemhildt Tunehag
  • Ten Principles: BAM in areas of Prostitution and Trafficking. Annie Dieselberg
  • The Experiment in Integrated Mission – Business, Mission, and Social Transformation. Trev Gregory
  • The Mission of Business: CSR+. Mats Tunehag
  • Chickens, computers, and steel parts – Why business-based ministry is so effective. Matt in Asia
  • The Business as Mission Manifesto

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Posted in Business as Mission | 1 Comment »

California bans tanning beds for teens, abortions still ‘harmless’

Oct 13th, 2011 by

Underlying values often surface in legislation. The value of life is secondary or tertiary in California, while skin health seemingly is of primary value.

In California minors can have an abortion without the knowledge or consent of parents.  California has rejected three times efforts to allow parents to be notified when a minor girl is considering an abortion.

But a new law prohibits teens to use tanning beds. Age limit is now 18 years. It used to be that 14 – 18 year olds could get this kind of tan with the parents’ approval. But no more! According to the Governor’s office the legislation was designed to “improve the health and well-being of Californians”.

The same legislators often use the hollow argument that women – and even teenage girls – have the “right to their own body” and thus abortion. The new law means that teens don’t have the right to their own body for tanning purposes, but they do for abortion.

So tanning beds are potentially harmful for teens, and are thus now banned for this age group. Abortion on the other hand, is seen as relatively harmless for teens. No consideration of abortion syndrome – or the unborn.

Skin is more important than life. Can a society with such values prosper, or even survive?

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Posted in International Affairs | 1 Comment »

Christians massacred in Egypt: what won’t happen next…

Oct 10th, 2011 by

The Arab spring has turned into a chilly winter, especially for the Christians. The Egypt security forces killed at least 24 Christians who were demonstrating against the discrimination of Christians, against the burning of churches, against the slandering of Christians on state television, et cetera.

Now let me guess what will not happen next:

  • There won’t be an extra emergency session of the UN Security Council.
  • No UN commission will be appointed to investigate the actions of the Egyptian security forces.
  • There won’t be any demands of boycotts against Egypt.
  • Turkey will not downgrade its diplomatic relations with Egypt.
  • The Arab League will not make any statement criticizing the persecution of Christians in Egypt.
  • There will be no need for extra security measures of Egyptian embassies around the world because there will be no Christian suicide bombers or mobs attacking them.

But maybe I am wrong…

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Posted in International Affairs, Religious Liberty | 1 Comment »

“Remove the cross from the Swiss flag!”

Sep 27th, 2011 by

Second@s Plus, a lobby group in Switzerland consisting of mostly Muslim immigrants, demand that Switzerland removes the cross from the nation’s flag.

They will run a campaign in October against this Christian symbol which they consider unfit in today’s multicultural Switzerland. They consider the flag offensive to Muslims.

This has caused a heated debate. But this is just one of many similar cases taking place almost every week in Western democracies. Some groups demand a freedom from seeing or hearing things they don’t like or agree with. These demands come mainly from some Muslim and homosexual groups. They pro-actively seek to reduce freedom of expression and introduce freedom from hearing!

It is of great concern that citizens of democracies work to dismantle democracy; they strive to eliminate basic human rights. But it is equally worrying that some politicians, authorities and journalists move in the same direction.

Just one recent example from the UK: The police in Lancashire recently ordered the owner of a Christian cafe to stop having Bible verses on a TV screen inside the café. Why? It might offend someone who is not Christian.

This absurd no-one-must-ever-be-offended-principle leads towards the death of free speech. If you never want to expose yourself to a dissenting opinion I recommend you become a hermit in the Sahara. Or a dictator.

PS: Viewer discretion is advised, the following image may be deemed offensive, and may even cause great distress among some.


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Posted in International Affairs | 8 Comments »

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