7.3.14
Ukraine Names Baptist Pastor as Acting President
After 88 die in protests, Ukrainian evangelicals call nation "to learn to love yesterday's enemies."
Monday night in Kiev, Turchynov, 49, spoke publicly for the first time
since taking office as acting president. According to an unofficial
translation, he said, "Unprecedented cruelty and brutality of the
dictatorial regime did not stop citizens. They selflessly gave their
lives to defend their rights—and won.
"Our first task today is to stop the confrontation, to regain control …
to ensure peace and tranquility, to prevent new victims, local
rivalries and lynchings. Another priority is returning to European
integration. We must return to the European family. We recognize the
importance of relations with the Russian Federation, and are ready for
dialogue with the Russian leadership to build relations with this
country on a new, truly equitable and good-neighborly basis, which
implies recognition of accounting Ukraine's European choice."
A Message of Reconciliation:
During this time of fateful change in the life of the Ukrainian
nation, the Church and each Christian individually cannot remain
spectators on the sidelines of the battles and losses. The Church serves
society and mourns together with it. We went through difficult days
together with the nation – we served through prayer, evangelism,
volunteers, medical help, clothing, and food. Today a time has come for a
ministry of active reconciliation, which will help maintain unity in
our country and nation.
We supported the nation's demand to put an end to the tyranny of the
authorities and repressions by the police. Now it is important to
restore justice and due process of law in the country, to form a
government that has the people's trust, and provide fair presidential
elections. We believe that those guilty of crimes against the people
will be justly judged, and that peaceful citizens will be protected.
But on behalf of the Church we must say more, we must speak the whole
truth; we must say that which is still hard to accept and fulfill; that,
which is a precondition for a better future.
Therefore the Church calls the Ukrainian nation to more than just
feelings of human justice – to Christian forgiveness, grace, and
reconciliation. We pray to God for repentance for the guilty. However at
the same time we ask victims to forgive those who are already repentant
as well as those who are still lost. In order to unite the nation, in
order to reconcile its various parts, its various social, cultural, and
political groups, laws and justice are not enough. Without repentance,
grace, forgiveness and reconciliation, the country will remain divided
and in conflict. This is the precondition for a deep spiritual
transformation of Ukraine.
# posted by claus_kirche @ 07:32 
