The Egypt Draft Constitution and Religious Freedoms

We are slowly coming to the end of the tumultuous year of 2013 in Egypt, a year in which a hotly debated new Constitution was signed; a year in which a polarizing President Morsi was forcibly removed from office and ends with him in prison facing a variety of charges; a year in which the people of Egypt once again mobilized into mass demonstrations, the largest in world history, and led to the removal of Morsi; a year in which other demonstrators took over a whole community and were later rooted out by security forces despite pleas to leave peacefully; a year that is ending with as much tension as it began.

As we come to the end of this year, the Egyptian people will again have another public referendum on a new Constitution on January 14 and 15.  There is a lot that can happen between now and then as controversial events and potential clashes seem to be constant; for example:

• seemingly daily clashes between pro-MB (Muslim Brotherhood) demonstrators and security forces after the MB was labeled a "terrorist organization" on Christmas day.  Dozens have been injured while hundreds have been arrested in the continuing saga between the interim government and the upset supporters of the previous President, previous Constitution, and previously strong MB.  Last night, four Al Jazeera reporters were arrested in Cairo--allegedly for meeting (interviewing?) members of the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting "false" news that could damage national security.

• Yesterday, we also had our third bombing in less than a week on the Egypt mainland (separate from the Sinai peninsula where ongoing trouble exists between military and militant groups).  

• The new year celebrations may bring their own set of intense demonstrations; there is some fear that the Coptic (Orthodox) Christmas celebrations January 6-7 will see sectarian violence as some MB supporters blame the Copts for "their role" in the removal of Morsi.  The next trial date for high-profile MB officers and ousted President Morsi (January 8) will surely bring a lot of demonstrations--all before the date of the referendum on the new draft Constitution.

And in addition to the above events/possibilities, the days of the referendum themselves are expected to have clashes as boycotters of the draft and referendum may attempt to discourage or intimidate those who may want to vote.

If there is enough peace between now and January 14/15, and enough citizens are allowed to cast their vote, there is still a question as to if the draft will pass into law.  Former Presidential candidate Amr Moussa, who (by many accounts) led a balanced and diplomatic process of the panel of 50 in the creation of this draft, defends the Constitution they created; yet there are still many who are critical of the draft.

image found via Google image search - link to this 2012 AP story, which
includes 20 more wonderful pics of Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Of the many debates that waged during the panel of 50's process, we were most intrigued by the possibilities of greater religious freedom in Egypt.  In the days following the forced removal of protestors in the Rabaa area mosque last summer, dozens of churches, Christians homes and businesses were attacked, leading to all sorts of structural loss;  yet, the renovation or new construction of church buildings in Egypt is restricted by law, a contentious subject on the matter of religious freedom here.  The panel of 50 debated the lifting of restrictions on construction/renovation of church buildings in light of this summer's events, prompting this story that the restriction would be lifted.

The next day, the discussion proceeded from freedom of construction to freedom of belief, leading to this story that indicated that there would be freedom of belief among the "celestial" or "Abrahamic" religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity).

Both of these stories prompted a lot of curious hope among Christians and Shia Muslims (who have not enjoyed the freedoms of practice like their Sunni Muslim counterparts), but also a lot concern and additional criticism among those outside of these three religious groups.  For example, atheists and Baha'is were left out of the protection and discussions - on the same day that the story ran of the discussion of freedom of religion, this story ran of an investigation into the creation of an atheist Facebook page from Egypt - a quick reading of the comments section on this story will reveal that there are several who do not subscribe to any religion and who question their "right" not to believe.  Baha'is are among the smallest religious minorities in Egypt and have had a long history of controversies with the government, including most recently, children of Baha'is families were refused to attend public schools.

So when the draft Constitution was passed by the panel of 50 and presented to the interim President Adly Mansour, we wondered what on the "freedom of religion" actually made it into the draft and will be a part of the upcoming referendum.

In our brief perusals of articles on the draft, we cannot find much difference on the issues of religious freedom.  This article form Ahram Online lists some comparisons, and places some of the text from the new 2013 draft beside the text of the previous 2012 Constitution side-by-side.  On the left, you read the text in the 2013 draft, and you can compare with the 2012 text on the right.  On the matter of religious freedom, this screenshot shows their comparison:

As you can see, there doesn't seem to be that great a difference between the two; however, there is an additional amendment in the 2013 draft as you can see from this screenshot:

So, the responsibility of the lifting restrictions on the renovation and construction of church buildings will be left to the first session of the new Parliament.  The last Parliament was dominated by Islamist political parties like the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom & Justice Party and the Salafi's Nour Party--but the new 2013 draft Constitution prohibits the formation of political parties based on religious groups, as seen by this screenshot

But won't these parties begin to form new parties that don't have the religious affiliation, but are essentially constituted by the same members and of the same ideals--so, is a new party name and description going to change the outcome of the new Parliament's membership?  Will there be an "Islamist" dominated Parliament without the "Islamist" references--and, if so, will such a Parliament follow through with the intent of Article 235?

These will be questions that we will be following if we see progress up to and after January 14/15 into this new year.


Thank you for your continuing interest, thoughts and prayers for Egypt.

Let There Be Peace On...Egypt

We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.  We were blessed by wonderful celebrations and time with our children here in Cairo, but the mood these past few days has been pretty somber.

On Monday, a police station in the Nile Delta community of Mansoura was targeted with a series of bomb blasts--2 of 3 detonating and resulting in at least 14 dead.  Funerals were held on Tuesday, which of course was Western Christmas Eve.

Though Islamist militants who had been attacking in the Sinai region claimed credit for the bombing, the government focused their attention on the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), marking them as a "terrorist organization" on Wednesday (Christmas day).

Today, December 26 is Boxing Day in some parts of the world intending to mark the continued giving of boxed gifts and special sales, but here in Cairo, another bomb blast--smaller in destructive impact fortunately.  But, the larger impact came in the announcement that MB members and those leading their protests would be arrested and sentenced according to this new terrorist label, and many began to be arrested.

Anger fills social networking posts, criticism and fear are also floating around.  As anger swells amidst recent violent activity, concern for upcoming events and uncertainty for the future grows, as well.

On January 8, ousted-President Morsi makes his return to the courtroom.  His disdain of the court, refusing to follow rules, to allow the judge to speak, or to allow the proceedings to even really commence led to this delay.  If he continues his outburst, he may find more time in contempt; though if he continues in defiance, he may fuel others outside of prison to be equally defiant.

The public referendum on the new proposed Constitution is set for less than a week after that--but with protests planned, arrests being made, and concern over additional attacks, we're not sure what we'll find in the middle of January.

Police stations here in our part of town appear to be on a heightened level of alert.  We have much to read to try to understand all the nuances and implications of the current "terror" designation, the attacks, the changes in the proposed constitution, and the other factors affecting the Egyptian peace and stability.

As we approach the New Year, there are the same prayer needs and issues, though new levels of discord may create new problems.

Pray for peace, especially between Muslims and Christians; pray against the political conflict being waged between churches and mosques.

Pray for wise leadership.  Pray for future leadership to arise that can be visionary, inspiring, and able to lead a fractured country toward wholeness.

Pray for the upcoming referendum and trial dates.

#PrayForEgypt

Thank you for your continuing interest, prayers, and encouragement.  

Caught in the Middle

Hey - we're back - not that we left, we have just been silent on the blog for so many weeks it may seem like we disappeared.  But there were many things happening at once, and we needed to take a brief break from the constant blogging, so it just worked out that way.

The following are several little musings, not connected to one another, but connected to the theme of "caught in the middle".    Some may interest you, others may not, but it's a part of what we are seeing, thinking, and experiencing at this stage of our service in the Middle East.

Guilt or Inspiration: First World and Third World Problems
Living in Egypt, as it is in several countries and communities around the world, is a constant collision of the "first world" and the "third world"; that is, the contrast of those who live with modern, developed conveniences as opposed to those who are struggling to attain the necessities of life.

A popular "hash tag" (the # in front of a phrase that may accompany a post in social networking like Twitter or Facebook) in the past year or two has been #firstworldproblems.  Often these are intended to be funny, ironic little statements of just how spoiled those of us who have modern conveniences have become--but if you flip that context and read it from face value, it can make us seem really shallow as we consider the plight of millions, even billions, on the planet.

One of the new charities seeking to bring clean water to different third world communities has taken some of these hash-tags and given them to be read by people in a developing country--the stark contrast of their situation with the words coming out of their mouths is compelling on some level.  Perhaps you've seen this link to this story on Facebook, but if not, here's the video...


I think this is an effective campaign to help people consider the things they complain about, but does it border on inciting guilt?  I'm seriously asking because we don't like using guilt as a means to prompt people to give or change.  I think we have to be careful when our messages and our causes lead us to try to make people feel guilty; I would much rather seek to inspire people to something greater rather than make them feel bad for who they are--and that can be a fine line or confusing difference, but it's one that I think we must wrestle with in our ever-critical and skeptical world.

On the flip side, I was really impressed recently while watching a presentation by Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of Charity: Water (check out one of the best non-profit websites you will ever seen).  Scott, by his own admission, was a self-obsessed partier and promoter who became convicted of the lack of clean water by billions all over the world.  He created this charity to help eradicate the problem, and the multitude of problems that stem from a lack of clean water, and he came back to faith in Christ along the way.  He tells his story of how his life changed, and how hundreds from celebrities to ordinary children are changing the lives of millions by  creatively contributing to provide clean drinking water to communities around the world.  In his whole presentation, there was one inspiring story after another of ordinary people doing something extraordinary--no shame, just stories.  I began with a high level of skepticism and ended with a great deal of respect and conviction that there is hope and I could be a part of the solution.

What are your thoughts on guilt or inspiration as motivation?


Cold in the Middle East: Don't They Know It's Christmas Time At All?
The last week has produced a seriously strange weather pattern in the Middle East.  There was snow in parts of Cairo for the first time in 112 years!  Snow blanketed other parts of the Middle East as well as temperatures dropped to unusual lows and thick cloud cover kept the high temperatures from getting high at all.

Here in our part of Cairo, closer to the Nile and not near the elevation of the eastern plateau that saw

Fake picture circulating on Facebook - as friend
Byron Skaggs explains, "Yes, there was a dusting of snow
on the east side of Cairo up on the desert plateau.
Yes, it is astounding! Yes, according to reports,
it has been over a 100 years since
Cairo has experienced snow. 
The Giza Plateau did not get snow.
If you look at the photo closely
and understand the layout of the pyramid area,
the shadows indicate this is a sunset photo.
Snow would not still be on the pyramids
after a full day - no matter how overcast."

the snow, we experienced a little hail, but no white stuff--however, we experienced quite a bit of wet stuff: rain!  Now winter rain is not anything to be alarmed about in most parts of the world, but this is Cairo, and Cairo experiences an average rain fall between .5 and .75 inch PER YEAR (depending on your source).  When it "rains" it is usually what we in the States would call a "drizzle", and that would happen a few times per year, and usually last a few minutes.  What we experienced in the last week was not the normal--it was actual rain fall, and it was sustained beyond hours into more than a day.

Again, that might not seem like a big deal to your part of the world, but here in Cairo, the result was a mess.  Roofs are not necessarily tested for being leak proof when you only get drizzle, and when you usually have the sun reappearing and drying things up quickly; we heard of multiple people experiencing leaks on upper floors of apartment buildings.  There are not well-developed drainage systems throughout Cairo, and even if there were, there is so much trash, dust, and debris along roadways that any such systems become easily clogged--the result was flooded roadways.  This is problematic in itself because you can no longer see the poorly maintained roads--the deep pot holes that can cause extreme damage to your vehicle if you hit them.  The flooding streets led to flooding lower level businesses and apartments, as well as basement level garages of apartment buildings--and because of all the debris and trash on the roads and sidewalks, water was not the only thing filling these lower levels.

The cold and cloud cover has not helped for the water to dry up, and so even where the water is receding, the muddy mess that has been created makes it difficult for the millions of people who walk to work, school, shopping, or etc.

All of this mud and drab has made things all the more gloomy here in Cairo--and it is Christmas time.     You're not gonna get a "white Christmas" in Cairo, and even though there are two Christmas dates celebrated (the western 25th of December and the eastern/orthodox January 7), you have to be reminded that it's Christmas in normal years.  A part from small sections of stores attempting to provide a few Christmas ornaments, you don't see any Christmas displays, you don't hear any Christmas music, and there are not even any "happy holidays" references around.  Unless you attend a church service celebrating the season, there are little to no external markers of Christmas.  We hear the complaints of the over-commercialization of Christmas from friends in the States, but we can attest that the opposite experience is even more sad.

We have our tree and decorations up in the house; and we're trying to play Christmas music a lot--otherwise, it's just easy to forget that it's Christmas around here.

And back to the first world/third world problems, we're caught in the middle here, too.  We have been cold and complaining of cold, but we also see the homeless man walking our streets with no shoes looking for a place to stay warm; we see the smoke filling the air as people light fires to help provide heat for the cold evenings; we complain about the layers we have to put on even in the house, while we know there are refugee families who have to huddle together in their makeshift shelters and hold tight through the night; we wonder what we can get as stocking stuffers for the kids while we know there are families struggling to feed their children nearby.

Colder than the air and darker than the night are people without hope.  O that the people in this region knew the Christmas hope and declaration, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

There is no more appropriate carol than Edmund H. Sears' It Came Upon a Midnight Clear for such a place:

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth,

To touch their harps of gold;

“Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From Heaven’s all gracious King.”

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

O’er all the weary world;

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing,

And ever over its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song which they bring;

O hush the noise, ye men of strife

And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on,

By prophet-bards foretold,

When with the ever circling years

Comes round the age of gold;

When peace shall over all the earth

Its ancient splendors fling,

And the whole world send back the song

Which now the angels sing.

#BeBold or Belligerent: the struggle between Maintenance and Mission

Here is where I will lose several of you because this may not relate to very many of our readers.  We serve churches in the Middle East and Europe and have been aligned with the Church of God throughout our ministry "career".  I grew up in this small corner of Christendom, and many of my relatives served or worshipped in the same.  Keli's family worshipped in various church backgrounds, and several of them joined us in the church we pastored in Alabama.  

The ChoG began as a "reformation movement" in the late 1800's; seeking to put an emphasis on holy living as a part of the stream that produced several Wesleyan Holiness churches at the time, but also, what at the time was a unique emphasis on unity of all Christians as opposed to membership of a particular group such as Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, or whatever.  This "Kingdom" value emphasized a lack of belonging to one narrow group and instead that we as believers belong to one Church, God's Church.  Now this Kingdom theology is hardly anything unique as many Christians and groups have a greater deal of openness in working with and worshipping with one another despite theological differences.  At it's founding, there was a sense that the second coming was at hand and that this reformation to bring all Christians under one banner was a part of the Church's preparation--there was not an emphasis on buildings or organization because those things would pass away--the emphasis was on the message: come out from denominationalism, come together as one, and be holy, prepared for the return of Christ.

100+ years later, we have the buildings, the institutions, and the organization of the "movement" that was not ever intended.  There is a great degree of autonomy in that each church has it's own unique culture and traditions, and there is very little forced association or connection to one another or the whole.  The early days were full of passion and innovation to get the message out, and people traveled the globe to prepare the Church; but over time, passion has given way to programs, innovation to standardization, and mission to maintenance of traditions.  Most agree that there does not appear to be any sense of movement together in any direction.

One of our friends, a mentor really, has moved from being the pastor of the congregation where we were married to the newly appointed "general director" of the ChoG.  Jim Lyon is a gifted communicator, creative, and is passionate that the Church matter in a world of need.  He has been making decisions and setting the foundation for things to be different and along a couple of new themes, #BeBold (the theme for the upcoming annual convention of the church), and #JesusIsTheSubject (intending to move us from a multitude of foci to a singular focus).  

And, as you might expect, there has been an outpouring of praise and criticism, excitement and apprehension.  Some have gone beyond skepticism to belligerence, which has been appalling to read and witness.

How long will we waver between two opinions?  How long will we be caught in the middle between mission or maintenance?

We say that we need vision and leadership, and then we complain when we have the presentation and the plan.  

Look, I am a friend and have been blessed by Jim--but I am no bandwagon groupie.

the logo ChoG is currently "experimenting"
with in new publications.  I find most of the complaints
against all the announced changes and ideas to be
complaints along the themes of losing something that
has been deemed sacred, untouchable.  There are fears
expressed that the ChoG cannot survive such changes.
Such complaints remind me of one of my favorite quotes,
"If survival has become our supreme goal,
we have lost our way.  The church is not called to
survive history, but to serve humanity."
~ Erwin McManus
Let's stop complaining about what we will lose and
start figuring out how we can better serve a lost world.

• I love Anderson--it's my birthplace, my alma mater, and the only home I've really known through a lifetime of moves--but I love the Kingdom more.  I'm not excited about going to Oklahoma City, and I hope we can find better locations, but I'm not going as a tourist wherever we host the convention.

• I'm not a big fan of the new "experimental logo" (nor completely a fan of the old flames), but I dislike languishing with no real identity more.  I am a fan of creativity, believing it to be the fingerprint of God upon our souls, and I hope that we can eventually find a good representation  as we continue to experiment not just with logos but with identity.

• I don't know a fraction of Jim's hopes or vision--I wonder where we, as "employees" of the Church, will end up as there will be new direction for Global ministries as well.  But I trust Jim and I believe that he can lead us to be more effective as a group rather than just continue to leave us to our own devices which have only led to greater splintering through the decades.  I am eager to see and hear more about this vision and direction for the church, because I know that Jim wants to lead the ChoG to matter, and not just maintain; to make a difference and not just continue to whine for something different.

When I was in my ordination process, my mentoring pastor actually left the ChoG for a different stream of the Christian church.  It was a strange event and the ordination committee wondered about it's affect on me.  As I mentioned, I had grown up in the ChoG, and they knew that history, but they asked me this question, "Would you ever consider leaving the Church of God?"  I remember my answer quite clearly; I said, "I love the Church of God.  I believe in the founding and core emphases upon salvation by Grace, a holy life, and the unity of God's church.  I find these things prominently in the Scriptures and I am committed to them even if I do not fully agree with every other theological detail that may be attributed to the movement.  But I love God more; and if I ever find that the Church of God is drifting from these cores then you will find me further away from the Church of God."

I do not think that Jim is leading the Church of God away from these cores; rather, I think he is helping the ChoG to understand and express these core truths for the world today.  What will the movement look like in promoting grace where a majority of the world thinks of Christians as judgmental?  What will the movement look like when holiness is not just what we stand against but what we stand for?  What will the movement look like when we are willing to set aside our autonomy for the greater good of the world around us?

What will the movement look like on mission rather than just seeking to maintain?

We're so thankful to not only to be serving where we are, but to be serving under the leadership and alongside of the team of Three Worlds.  We are constantly seeking to be bold, to be on mission, to be engaging our region with compassion and cooperation; we believe that we are a part of something special that is a model for how international ministry should work now and in the future.  As a result, exciting things are happening within and through ChoG congregations in Europe and Middle East.  If you didn't see our recent video update about our staff meeting last month, here it is and you can see and hear a little more from the people we're honored to serve alongside.

3W Staff Meeting Rome from Three Worlds on Vimeo.