I was sick last week and not in much of a mood to blog. The mood is returning, though.
Relatively mundane weekend except for Saturday night's viewing of 24, season 2 when the nuclear weapon blew up. We enjoyed the "pork chop supper" I learned from my stint into German cuisine and more German potato salad. We had a good group at church on Sunday.
Today we are back to work trying to finish the UEC fall newsletter. It's a slow process but progress is being made. I have been at the UEC reception desk some today and when I decided to reshelve some returned books, these are some of the books that had been returned:
C. S. Lewis The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, along with The Abolition of Man
C. S. Lewis on Heaven and Hell: Beyond the Shadowlands
Erasmus and the Age of Reformation
Marketing Wars
Wonderful Life in the Spirit
4-D Branding
Blaise Pascal
Since we are being thankful this week, I am very thankful that the UEC exists and that we are able to provide quality reading materials in multiple languages and that we have a large patron base that uses these resources.
In the last several months, a few people have asked me what I think about an organization that makes massive distributions of Bibles to schools in Russia. To tell the truth, I don't think much about it. For one, I don't know exactly what they are doing so I can't make too much of a judgment.
On the other hand, the massive free distribution of just about anything means a lot of people get something they didn't want or didn't ask for, and thus the item that is being distributed normally isn't used. Think about all the junk mail you get or if someone mailed you a book you weren't much interested in reading. What would you do with it? Probably throw it away. Now, instead of it being mailed directly to you, imagine that 30 of those books were given to the school your kid goes to and those books have to stay in the library. Depending on their teacher, the kids may or may not get a chance to read them and considering there is already a state-required curriculum which is rather cumbersome already, does it seem very likely that much time is going to be spent reading those books? No matter if the head of the local education department has requested the books. He can't change government policy.
The real question, though, is if they are ever used andif the use is broad scale enough to justify $1.4 million being spent on the distribution. Has an independent, objective observer who speaks Russian and is familiar with Russian culture been sent to schools where this has already been done to find out exactly how the books are being used? I would suggest that what they will find will be staggeringly disappointing. This will be especially true if the observer is able to check without it being known that he is from the organization that made the donation.
I've been here too long to know that appearance is everything. And only with great effort and a little cunning is one able to get to the truth of what is really going on, of what is really happening, of why people are motivated to cooperate with Western Christian organizations.
It sure makes us feel better to think that little kids in Russia are reading the Bible? But shouldn't we also be as wise as serpents and make sure that is exactly what is happening.
Relatively mundane weekend except for Saturday night's viewing of 24, season 2 when the nuclear weapon blew up. We enjoyed the "pork chop supper" I learned from my stint into German cuisine and more German potato salad. We had a good group at church on Sunday.
Today we are back to work trying to finish the UEC fall newsletter. It's a slow process but progress is being made. I have been at the UEC reception desk some today and when I decided to reshelve some returned books, these are some of the books that had been returned:
C. S. Lewis The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, along with The Abolition of Man
C. S. Lewis on Heaven and Hell: Beyond the Shadowlands
Erasmus and the Age of Reformation
Marketing Wars
Wonderful Life in the Spirit
4-D Branding
Blaise Pascal
Since we are being thankful this week, I am very thankful that the UEC exists and that we are able to provide quality reading materials in multiple languages and that we have a large patron base that uses these resources.
In the last several months, a few people have asked me what I think about an organization that makes massive distributions of Bibles to schools in Russia. To tell the truth, I don't think much about it. For one, I don't know exactly what they are doing so I can't make too much of a judgment.
On the other hand, the massive free distribution of just about anything means a lot of people get something they didn't want or didn't ask for, and thus the item that is being distributed normally isn't used. Think about all the junk mail you get or if someone mailed you a book you weren't much interested in reading. What would you do with it? Probably throw it away. Now, instead of it being mailed directly to you, imagine that 30 of those books were given to the school your kid goes to and those books have to stay in the library. Depending on their teacher, the kids may or may not get a chance to read them and considering there is already a state-required curriculum which is rather cumbersome already, does it seem very likely that much time is going to be spent reading those books? No matter if the head of the local education department has requested the books. He can't change government policy.
The real question, though, is if they are ever used andif the use is broad scale enough to justify $1.4 million being spent on the distribution. Has an independent, objective observer who speaks Russian and is familiar with Russian culture been sent to schools where this has already been done to find out exactly how the books are being used? I would suggest that what they will find will be staggeringly disappointing. This will be especially true if the observer is able to check without it being known that he is from the organization that made the donation.
I've been here too long to know that appearance is everything. And only with great effort and a little cunning is one able to get to the truth of what is really going on, of what is really happening, of why people are motivated to cooperate with Western Christian organizations.
It sure makes us feel better to think that little kids in Russia are reading the Bible? But shouldn't we also be as wise as serpents and make sure that is exactly what is happening.
posted by Kyivmission at 4:38 PM
3 Comments:
Looks like you formed a judgment about this even if you don't think so. I don't know anything about this organization. But here is some input about a similar situation. When I was in what's equivalent of junior high some Christian organization gave two New Testaments to my dad. He gave one copy to me. I was interested in it. I was proud to own it and took great comfort in having in my home as if God's presence entered my life then. My dad also read his copy some. I was greatful to the people who gave us this gift. The only other time I held or read a Bible was when I checked it out at the library for a school assignment. Perhaps it is worth the effort and money. Perhaps even if the true intentions of the receiving party are masked the harts of the children remain pure. -- Victoria
I do believe and support Bible distribution if the Bibles ae actually given to the kids so they could have them, take them home, read through it, share it with others. At least then people have an opportunity to read the Bible even though many don't want it. But with them being stuck in a library and with limited access, it seems hard to justify the huge expense. Also, since you school a few years ago already had a Bible in its library, it makes me wonder whether or not many schools don't already have Bibles in their libraries. I guess it would be much better to debate this in person since some of the details matter, and some of the details I don't have access to; that's why the organization isn't named.
OK, I wrote my comment at 1 in the morning after I came home from work, and in tired daze didn't notice the fact that the Bibles had to stay in the school library. That is a strange decision.
My school library did not have a Bible. I had to go to a city library, and I had to read it there. Oh, and the assignment was to read the Book of Revelation. I think I was fifteen. Isn't it funny?
I will be happy to discuss this with you more in person, maybe when you come for a visit? -- Victoria
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