England's Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants the world's biggest economic countries (G20) to give the International Monetary Fund monies for a "World Stimulus." The United States isn't happy with Europe for not following their lead with their own huge stimulus packages. Germany does not have a huge real estate or banking problem and is hesitant to move much at all. The Czech Republic's Vaclav Klaus made headlines recently on a trip to America. In a Wall Street Journal interview he said "coming from, first Europe, and, second, from a former communist country where I spent most of my life I almost don't believe my eyes to see how much you believe in government and how much you don't believe in the market. This is for me a shocking experience." His comments are reminiscent of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's speech at Harvard in 1978 where he admonished the West in not defending it's traditions and embracing excessive materialism.
Quite a number of years ago I received a mailing from a "ministry" that sent Christian youth to foreign countries to evangelize. The photos showed American teenagers in "white face" and clown outfits. The audience were rural African villagers. The teens where playing out a skit of the gospel. It was not surprising to hear an African pastor at that time say that maybe it was the United States that needed evangelized. The turbulence, volatility and confusion in the world today call for extreme soberness.
Quite a number of years ago I received a mailing from a "ministry" that sent Christian youth to foreign countries to evangelize. The photos showed American teenagers in "white face" and clown outfits. The audience were rural African villagers. The teens where playing out a skit of the gospel. It was not surprising to hear an African pastor at that time say that maybe it was the United States that needed evangelized. The turbulence, volatility and confusion in the world today call for extreme soberness.
