Ukraine and Tin Hats

Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink
Ukraine and Tin Hats
Monday 28th February 2022

Ukraine

Yesterday morning on Q and A, Jack Tame interviewed Professor’s Rouben Azizian, Director of Defence and Security Studies at Massey University and formerly a member of the Foreign Services in the former Soviet Union and Russia and Professor Robert Patman, professor of International Studies at Otago University. Amongst many insightful background comments both professors talked about what the International Community could and perhaps should do to limit Putin’s aggression. I would like to highly recommend you watch this 30 minute segment.

Here is an excellent background article published by the BBC.

The European Evangelical Alliance released the following statement:

“The European Evangelical Alliance condemns all attacks upon Ukraine. The General Secretary, Thomas Bucher says: “We see no justification for these actions and are deeply distressed by the death, destruction, chaos and misery that will result.”

The invasion of Ukraine is both unjustified and unprovoked. It has been claimed that the attack is necessary to protect ethnic Russians within Ukraine and to stop Ukraine from threatening Russia. These claims are untrue. This disaster has been provoked into being by President Putin for wider geopolitical purposes.

Russia and Ukraine are both sovereign nations that must be able to live in peace with each other, respecting each other’s borders and internal and geopolitical affairs. EEA calls upon Christians to pray for all who suffer and for those who have the power to save lives, bring humanitarian aid and protection. And let us pray for all those with the power to stop the war and to bring about long-term peace”.

POV. War is a horrible and evil thing. Nobody wins in a war. In a war thousands if not millions of people’s lives are negatively affected (otherwise known as brutalised) and will never be the same again. This war is based on unjustified aggression aimed at destroying the statehood and independence of Ukraine and blatant lies from the lips of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the country’s top leadership.

As a Christian community what can we do? What must we do?

• Let us pray fervently for peace.
• Let us support the call for an international response that we in NZ are part of.
• Let us stand in solidarity with all Ukrainian people especially those living here in NZ - our neighbours.
• Let us give to a trusted humanitarian organisation that is on the ground in Ukraine.

Tin Hats

POV. Over the last 19 days Parliament grounds have become a soapbox for just about every political message imaginable. From anti-mandate views, to anti-vax beliefs, to conspiracy theories and most recently claims that illness at the camp is due to electromagnetic radiation. In fact some protesters believe the police have encased radiation machines in the concrete bollards that they brought in to contain the protest. They believe these machines are behind the wave of illness in the protest camp and that foil hats will protect them. So now it’s foil hats that will protect and definitely not masks. This is quite simply unbelievable but it is more than that, it is actually quite sad.

I am struggling hugely to understand why a few Christians (some whom I personally know quite well) would want to be associated with this? We are living through very strange times.

And finally. I think Prince Andrew would want to say to us,“Be very careful who you hang out with”.

Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.