School of Missions

Spent four days at Issaquah in the School of Missions last week. This year we studied how music is/was affected/affective in the mission of the church (how missionaries of old would try to bring Christianity to the Heathen" using European style and wiping out the cultural songs). Now there is an actual study course you can take at college level on Ethnomusicology. That would be quite interesting if you were really into music.
The other course was on Israel-Palestine. Now I've got to admit, I was not "up" on what has been happening in the Holy Land. With the "giving" of land to the Jews after WWII through the 7 day war, I was all for the Jews - getting back the Promised Land, fulfillment of scripture, yada, yada, yada. Recently I read "Queen Noor" and heard how this land was given (taken from the Jordanians). This study told how the people living in Palestine were driven out and displaced (still are). Present day Israel was not just some vast area on uninhabited land waiting for its' "people" to return. There were people who had lived there for generations who all of a sudden were told to leave without any say or compensation for their land or goods. This is not fair. I can understand why there has been tension. And the US government is behind Israel and refuses to acknowledge Palestine even exists.
And then there is the issue of the WALL. Israel has constructed a 30' high wall supposedly along the "green line" (the border between Israel and Palestine). This wall of separation was to keep the Palestinian terrorists out of Israel. (Sound familiar?) Well, the wall is encroaching ever more into the Palestinian territory, taking olive groves, farmland, water sources and separating farmers from their lands, family units from each other. Checkpoints along the wall are manned by Israeli soldiers who determine if or if not you can cross from one side to the other. The oppressed Jews are now the oppressors. Not very fair in my mind.
So now I come to the "American Wall". This fantastic barrier that is supposed to keep the Mexicans out of the US. Guess what? Just as the US supported the Israeli government financially to build their wall of separation, so is the Israeli government going to support us. We are hiring their expertise. Can you believe that? Israel is going to build the wall for us. No bull. This wall is not going to help matters. Only make them worse. Did we learn nothing from the Berlin Wall? Even the Great Wall of China didn't keep out the invaders for ever.
I know now where Brian gets his passion. I just have mine down deeper - he brings is to the surface and lets it boil over more often.
Peace.

Oh, Yeah. I finished Harry Potter. It was great. It ended as it should. Very just.