Dreams About Apologies

Mats Tunehag is a good friend and colleague who lives and works out of Sweden. He is a long-time "partnering guy" who has done many significant things for the Kingdom within the context of Central Asia (and elsewhere). Among many other adventures together, I remember fondly traveling with him 10 years ago to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan where he first displayed his many giftings to me.

Mats wrote something today regarding 2006 dreams that I thought was quite good (well mostly -- I wasn't overly happy with his US reference). Drop him a note if you want to interact with him on this at: [email protected].

Mats wanted us to imagine if we were to hear the following in 2006.

• Iran's president: Sorry, I was wrong, very wrong. The Holocaust did happen, no doubt about it. From now on I will work for all Muslims todefend Israel's right to exist - in the Middle East.
• Russia's president: I ask for your forgiveness. I have abolished free press, concentrated more and more power to myself, I have continued abrutal war, maybe even genocide, against the Chechens. I assume fullresponsibility and I will resign.
• Myanmar's military regime: Forgive us! We unlawfully grabbed power; we have oppressed a whole nation for many years. We hereby resign and handover power to Aung San Suu Kyi.
• The president of USA: I am sorry; I was a part of a deliberate lie and had wrong motives when we started the war against Iraq.
• Leaders of the Arab League: Please forgive us! We have been passive regarding the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Furthermore, we have ignored basic human rights for women and denied our citizens religious freedom
• President of France: Please accept my sincere apologies for my shameless nationalism. I now admit that the EU budget needs to be modernised and theFrench farmers should not have any special favours.
• Cuba's president: Forgive me; my regime is nothing but a dictatorship, regardless of what I've stated in my long and boring speeches. Cuba should introduce democracy. George W Bush: I'll call you!
• Prime minister of Turkey: An apology does not suffice, but it is a start. The Armenian genocide is a stain on our history.
• Zimbabwe's president: Sorry, Africa's misfortune is rulers like me. I plead with you white farmers to return. And Tony Blair - I am sorry for false allegations, please help Zimbabwe.

Published in the Swedish newspaper Världen idag, 30 December 2005.

The War on Christmas

It seems a bit ironic to me that some prominent Christians are making a big deal out of the so-called war on Christmas in the American retail community. Some stores have decided to call things “holiday” rather than Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa). Conservative Christians are in an uproar because they feel it is taking away from the recognition that Christmas is a religious holiday. So holiday trees are being talked about instead of Christmas trees (which actually is a bit ridiculous since Christmas trees are a historical development).

Funny. These are some of the same people who years ago descried the commercialization of Christmas by these same stores. Retail establishments were promoting aspects of Christmas (gift giving) to their advantage and Christians didn’t like it.

Now, when they try and take Christmas out of the strategy and just talk about holidays, Christians are upset. Seems like a bit of a double standard. Didn’t Jesus have His most harshest comments for people who tried to commercialize the synagogue during a religious holiday?

Perhaps we should be celebrating (or at least not making a big deal out of it) the fact that these stores don’t want to talk about Christmas. Perhaps then we can get an opportunity to explain to them the real nature of Christmas.

Ah, just a thought, and likely not a Political Correct Christian one either.