During Holy Week we take the opportunity to remember and meditate on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon himself the punishment we deserve. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)! God is faithful to his promises, and he has assured us that we too will share in Christ's resurrection in his own good time.
The past month has been a difficult one for so many of us. The Russo-Ukrainian war is into its seventh week, with footage of grisly atrocities committed by Russian soldiers coming into our living rooms on a daily basis. With the psalmist we cry, "How long, O LORD?" (Psalms 6:3, 13:1) We pray for justice to be done and for the perpetrators to be brought before the relevant tribunals to answer for their crimes.
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has kept me busy over the past month. On 20 March I made a presentation to a group of current undergraduate and graduate students spanning the Atlantic: Every Square Inch lecture: Ukraine. Some of these include the last students I taught and one I mentored informally after my retirement. You can view my PowerPoint slides by clicking the link in my post.
Among the posts I have written since my last newsletter are these: Debunking russophilia and russophobia, Russia: political culture and the weakness of institutions, Nationalism's deadly allure, and Corporate responsibility for a criminal war. Last month, I alerted readers to this heartening confession of faith published by Orthodox Christian clergy and laity: A Declaration on the “Russian World” (Russkii mir) Teaching, modelled after the 1934 Barmen Declaration. This month a group of Christians in the United Kingdom published a supportive Statement of solidarity with the Orthodox declaration on the “Russian World” (russkii mir) teaching, and against Christian Nationalism and New Totalitarianism, which I eagerly signed. I hope and pray that Patriarch Kirill, who supports President Putin and refuses to discipline his most powerful parishioner, will read these statements and repent of his evident betrayal of the gospel message.
Other writings include The Liberal-New Democrat pact, which was picked up and republished by Christian Courier. Whether or not we agree with the policies the Liberals and New Democrats are pursuing, their alliance is not undemocratic or unconstitutional. There are many precedents for this within our Westminster political tradition. Yet there is more to be said, which I take up in the rest of the article.
Christian Courier also published my regular column: Gerrymandering injustice, which I wrote in response to the flawed method Americans use to redraw their congressional districts every ten years. There is definitely a better way.
Of course, I continue to speak and write on topics related to my Political Visions and Illusions. On 28 March I was part of a bate-papo (informal chat) with young people in Cuiabá, Brazil (screen shot at right). Last month, the Seventh-Day Adventists in Brazil published an interview with me: Adventist interview, which was later picked up by the Adventist News Network in English: How to Deal with Political Ideologies in the Face of the Biblical Worldview.
Finally, I would like to call your attention to an interview that Tish Harrison Warren conducted with Tim Keller, retired pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City: Warren interviews Keller, published in The New York Times. I have a great deal of admiration for both Warren and Keller. I am especially grateful to Keller, who has publicly endorsed my first book several times over the past two years. Please pray for him and his family as he battles cancer.
Calvin University has now posted information on my forthcoming lecture on the Genevan Psalter sponsored by the Meeter Center for Calvin Studies.
As always, I am grateful for your financial and prayer support for my continuing work. I would ask you again to consider a regular monthly donation, as it makes it easier for Global Scholars to set a budget for the coming year, including the modest salary I receive from the organization. Not everyone, of course, is in a position to contribute in this way, but if you are, please consider this option seriously. If you know someone with an interest in and means to support my work, I would be grateful if you could give me their name and contact information. GSC's page for giving can be found here. Once you are in the page, scroll down to the heading marked DONATION DETAILS, and then choose one of the options under FUND. Americans may donate through our sister organization in the US.
May you have a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Pascha!
Yours in God's service,
David Koyzis, Global Scholar
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