Demagogue Democracy

Not too long ago I would teach English to a bunch of young Cambodians. These guys would ask me lots of questions about life in Canada. And through these questions I discovered that a lot of young Cambodians have no real idea what western democratic life is like at all. In fact, here’s what they thought democracy is: you only have to work three days a week, you will make anywhere between $100 000 to $1 000 000 per year (without paying taxes), and you get lots of free stuff from the government–woo hoo!

But then I would explain the reality of high taxes, and the requirement to get government permits to do stuff on your own land which you don’t really own, and how hard people really do work, and that many people are in serious debt, and that the government is in serious debt, and the lack of real freedom for most people.

Cambodia needs liberty and freedom, yes. But, democracy being introduced into this country by a guy who’s spent much of his life in France is not what this country needs. Just imagine the culture of corruption which already exists being combined with a European style democratic nanny state. And it’s laughable to think that democracy will eliminate corruption, it’ll just allow corruption to grow, especially when more foreign aid comes pouring in as a reward for the new democracy.

Cambodia needs a government that will back off, limit its own power, reject foreign aid, and let the people prosper on their own. Cambodia needs help with this, absolutely. Help will come through non-governmental organizations and, infinitely more important, help will come from the Christian church. Cambodia will find its true freedom through local Christians and foreign missionaries working together to spread the Good News.

The Gospel is pervasive, and it penetrates every crack, every dark place of a society. The Gospel brings true freedom as it brings people under the, very undemocratic, rule of Christ. This is a very realizable goal for Cambodia. Western style humanistic democracy will be one of its greatest obstacles, even more so, I’d say, than a brutal dictatorship would be.

My prayer for Cambodia will continue to be that Jesus takes this nation as His own, and that Cambodia will worship Him alone and not fall for any false gods introduced from the west disguising themselves as freedom, or equality, or prosperity, or whatever.

Who Will Save?~Added Note

The above picture, and others like it, is what I’m seeing floating around Facebook now.

In my last post I asked, “Who will save Cambodia?” And of course, being a Christian, my answer is God through His Son will save Cambodia. I also made mention of how we ought not to look to politicians or activists for some kind of political salvation.

It’s interesting how the apostle Paul was not an activist. He lived in a dictatorship and slavery was normal. But Paul never made it his mission to abolish slavery or incite change in the government. It wasn’t because Paul didn’t care about those things. Paul understood that the reason that our societies are such a mess is because we live in the darkness of sin.

As Christians, we need to think the same way in regards to our own societies. The gospel of Jesus Christ is what will transform whole nations. The political situation will be healed after a nation has embraced that gospel.

Paul and the other apostles were not activists and they never entered politics, but, because they stayed true to the gospel, they changed the world.

Anyways, that’s just a quick added note to my last post.

Who Will Save Cambodia?

We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

When Sam Rainsy returned to Cambodia from exile he said, “I have come to rescue the country!”*

His party did not win and Hun Sen still has majority power (although greatly reduced**). But this is okay, because Sam Rainsy is not the savior of Cambodia.

Is Hun Sen a good guy? Well, click here to read for yourself. But I am personally happy with the election results.

If you study Cambodia’s history you will see that ever since the fall of the Khmer empire this small country has always seemed to be in the middle of someone else’s conflicts–Vietnam and Thailand, France and Thailand, the USA and Vietnam, the USA and China. And then there was that whole Khmer Rouge thing. As a result, Cambodia has not enjoyed any kind of lasting stability for hundreds of years.

For the last fifteen years or so Cambodia has had some measure of stability, more than its had in a long time. Older Cambodians support Hun Sen because they remember well the Khmer Rouge days and they are very happy with where the country is at now, and they credit this to Hun Sen as he is the one who’s been in power for the last three decades. Younger Cambodians have no memory of the Khmer Rouge days as they were born afterwards. They only see Hun Sen as a brutish thug who needs to be replaced quickly.

But at this time an abrupt radical change in the Cambodian government would only bring more instability, and most likely more violence. Those of us who are Christians know and trust who is really in charge. And in trusting God we can be patient and not foolishly rush into a humanistic kind of radicalism which sees political figures (and the UN, and the USA) as saviors.

What about Hun Sen? God will judge Hun Sen. And as the Gospel spreads, and the Cambodian people are shown the light of the truth, the condition of the government will follow what the people believe.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:1-4

*Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy Returns to Cambodia

**Hun Sen’s Ruling Party Claims Victory

Further reading: Time to Stop the Rhetoric; Survey of Cambodian Public Opinion; Cambodia Strives for Credible Election

A Glimpse At Fatherhood

We need to remember that when God gives us a gift, that gift is given in the context of us being created in His image.

For example, marriage is not something God thought up as something that would be great for us, but has no connection to who He Himself is. The idea of creating a bride for His son was an idea which existed long before any man or woman walked the earth. The idea of two different kinds of persons, being equal, with one submitting to the other, is something that has existed in the Trinity for eternity.

Fatherhood is another of these gifts. We have fathers, we are fathers, because God is a Father first.

I am currently reading “Father Hunger” by Doug Wilson. In it he suggests reading biographies of great godly fathers. Why? Because so many of us today have such poor images of what a good father looks like, and how you perceive earthly fathers is how you’re likely to perceive God as father. Of course the Gospel will correct any wrong ideas of what God as Father looks like, but it helps to see some good examples here on the ground as well.

I found this book online: “The Story of John G Paton Or Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals“. It’s an autobiography about Paton’s missionary work. In the book Paton refers lovingly to his father, and it is very eye opening and heart warming.

The book is free for Kindle, so there’s little reason not to read it yourself. Here is an excerpt where Paton talks about his father…

My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are fresh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears are on my cheeks as freely now as then, whenever memory steals me away to the scene.

For the last half mile or so we walked on together in almost unbroken silence—my father, as was often his custom, carrying hat in hand, while his long flowing yellow hair (then yellow, but in later years white as snow) streamed like a girl’s down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain!

We halted on reaching the appointed parting place; he grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence, and then solemnly and affectionately said: “God bless you, my son! Your father’s God prosper you, and keep you from all evil!”

Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in tears we embraced, and parted.

I ran off as fast as I could; and, when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him—gazing after me. Waving my hat in adieu, I rounded the corner and out of sight in instant.

But my heart was too full and sore to carry me further, so I darted into the side of the road and wept for time.

Then, rising up cautiously, I climbed the dike to see if he yet stood where I had left him; and just at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike and looking out for me! He did not see me, and after he gazed eagerly in my direction for a while he got down, set his face toward home, and began to return—his head still uncovered, and his heart, I felt sure, still rising in prayers for me.

I watched through blinding tears, till his form faded from my gaze; and then, hastening on my way, vowed deeply and oft, by the help of God, to live and act so as never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me. The appearance of my father, when we parted,–his advice, prayers, and tears–the road, the dike, the climbing up on it and then walking away, head uncovered–have often, often, all through life, risen vividly before my mind, and do so now while I am writing, as if it had been but an hour ago. In my earlier years particularly, when exposed to many temptations, his parting form rose before me as that of a guardian angel.

(Chapter 5)

Know Thy System, Know Thy Self

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.”
~Isaiah 48:17

I am a blessed man. Four short years ago I came out to Cambodia a pathetic bachelor. Now I have a great wife, two wonderful kids, a good home, and a successful Christian elementary school. I am well supported by my home church, as well as by some individual donors. The organization I work with supports the school faithfully. God teaches His own to profit and I am very thankful.

I remember hearing of one missionary who mentioned to his organization’s leader that he needed music equipment for his church. The leader offered to help with the cost. The missionary went ahead and bought all the equipment: sound system, drums, guitars, etc… Afterwards he presented the receipt to the leader. The leader refused to pay for any of it. People got offended and angry.

I knew a different missionary who organized an outreach event. Again, the leader offered to cover some of the costs. After the event, no money came in. This missionary got offended and angry.

So I went ahead and asked the leader of the organization, “Why do you say you’ll help, but then don’t?”

The response was, “If we say we will help, we will help. But when someone wants money, they first need to submit a budget, then we need to approve that budget, and then we will give money, not before. We can’t just hand out money blindly. There is a system which must be followed.”

Ah, a system.

I went back to the missionary and asked, “Did you know you had to submit a budget first?”

He rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, but I don’t have time for that!”

Don’t have time? You don’t have time to do the one thing required to get the money being offered to you? I guess it’s easier to sabotage your own chances and complain about it later.

It is like being very hungry, having a delicious plate of food in front of you, but not having the time to lift the spoon to your mouth. (Proverbs 19:24)

But I shouldn’t be too hard on him. No one had taught him the system.

When I started up the school, I knew I would need financial support. I knew there was a system to follow in order to get that support. The one problem was that I didn’t know the system. So what did I do? I got help from someone who did know the system, and she was able to guide me through the process. And it worked! I received the funding as promised. I learned the system, I respected the system, and I was able to profit from it.

The system will not be perfect, and where it needs change, we can work to change it. But to effectively change it, we must work within it. My prayer to God is that He will always be teaching me how to profit, how to work within the system, how to do what is required of me.

God willing, I will be an old experienced man one day, then it will be my job to teach the younger missionaries the system, and how to profit within it.