2017

In 2008, Jayson Casper took my course on Islam and the geopolitics of the Middle East at one of the seminaries where I teach on regular basis. At that time, it did not cross my mind that Jayson and his family will end up living in Cairo, Egypt, a city where my family and I lived for fifteen years. Over the years I have appreciated Jayson’s perspective and writings.

There are some frequently asked questions about the Sharia. The article below by the Muslim scholar, Mustafa Akyol, addresses some very important questions about the Sharia.

In the first week of August 2017, I taught my course on Islam and the geopolitics of the Middle East to a group of 9 people in Seattle, WA. I taught the course in five days, eight hours a day. At one point on the fourth day in the course, there was some confusion in our discussion about the length of time that the Israelites were enslaved and in bondage in Egypt before the Exodus.

If someone had asked me the question, “Who is the most successful movie star in the world?” I might have said Angelina Jolie, Hollywood’s highest paid actress. Or I might have said Tom Cruise, an actor and producer. It would never have crossed my mind that the most successful movie star in the world is not an American or a Brit. In reality, the most successful movie star in the world is Indian: Shah Rukh Khan.

Before we moved as a family to Cairo, Egypt, in 1975, we were living in Beirut, Lebanon. One of the cherished memories of our time in Lebanon was studying Bible characters with our team. We studied Old Testament characters such as Abraham, Samson and David, and we studied New Testament characters such as Peter, Paul and Barnabas. My love for the Scriptures went to a deeper level at that time.

As many of you know, this past Palm Sunday, two suicide bombings took place at two Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt, killing more than 45 people. The word “Coptic” means “Egyptian” in the Greek language.

Recently I read a long excerpt from one of Philip Yancey’s books, and it touched me deeply. With his permission, I have included it below. He did express the following caveat: “You’re welcome to use this excerpt in a blog. I have since heard from some people who question the details, since they do not appear in the records of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. I first read of the story in a Mennonite publication, and they are usually very trustworthy. You should know, though, that its veracity has been questioned.” In spite of this caveat, I think this long excerpt is worth reading, and I like to imagine what would happen if radical grace were practiced today. Would it make a difference in the conflicts in our broken world? Jesus practiced radical grace, and what a difference that made to our human history!

Here is a very valuable resource to those who are interested in quickly finding out important dates and events in the Arab Spring from 2010 to 2015. It came from one of the books that I have read in 2016: A Rage For Order, written by Robert Worth. This timeline presents in detail the events of the Arab uprising or Arab Springs and the developments that followed. For some, this timeline is a useful one time read to learn chronologically about the recent history of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.  For others this Timeline is a resource to go back to repeatedly. For quick reference, I have underlined the countries.

Whenever I listen to the beautiful music of I did it “My way” by Frank Sinatra or others, I have mixed feelings. I LOVE the TUNE and I can listen to it repeatedly, but as for the lyrics, I wish they were different and focused more on honoring God rather than focusing on our human achievements. The lyrics of “My Way” song is diametrically opposite to the gospel.  In the Bible we see abundance of examples of people who at one time had the “My way” attitude and at other times, they did it “God’s way.”

Early in January 2017, I taught a course at Columbia International University in Columbia, SC. It was quite an experience. I had a relatively small class that included a financier from Wall Street and a man who is aspiring to be pastor, and the rest were missionaries. I was honored to spend eight hours a day for five days in the company of those sharp people. At the end of each day I asked that they share a main insight they gained on that day and an issue they are struggling with or on which they disagree with me. At the end of the week, I requested a longer response addressing how the course impacted their lives and their thinking.