The Price of Freedom
Aug 29, 2007 Uncategorized | Print This Post
.:mood:. Bittersweet
.:itunes:. Love Song by 311
OK, we now know the price that was paid for the release of the hostages. According to FOXNews.com, here’s the price:
To secure the hostages’ release, South Korea reaffirmed a pledge to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year and prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working there. The Taliban apparently backed down on earlier demands for a prisoner exchange.
Let me put it in bullet form:
1) Withdrawal of South Korean troops this year
2) No more South Korean Christian Missionaries in Afghanistan
The second condition made my stomach ache. Seriously.
I am so happy for the hostages and their families, but I am sad for the Gospel. Luckily, I have the word’s of Joseph I am teaching on this weekend:
Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
God is in control. He has a plan.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:12 am
[...] Eugene ChoDJ Chuang.:hay’kin’en:. [...]
August 29th, 2007 at 9:52 am
How cool is it that the Taliban sees Christian missionaries as such a threat! That’s a strong testimony to their effectiveness. Legal issues have never stopped the Gospel, God does indeed have a plan.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
It’s worth noting that South Korea was planning to withdrawal by the end of the year anyhow, so for them, that’s not as big of a deal as it may seem.
The bigger deal is that, so far, only half of the hostages have been released (or so says the BBC), though the Talaban is promising to release the other half soon. Furthermore, the BBC is reporting that there are rumors of a large exchange of money under the table in order to secure the hostages release.
While I’m glad the hostages have (mostly) been released, I do worry that the circumstances surrounding it are only going to spur on the Talaban in Afghanistan, and that more hostages are going to be taken as a result. A German engineer is still being held at a different location, and with more and more aid and support workers moving into the country, mixed with a strengthening Talaban and weakening international military support, I doubt this will be the last story of this kind…
August 29th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Exactly. The only official concession is the ban of Korean Missionaries. The withdrawal of troops was just an affirmation that it was going to happen.
I hadn’t heard about the money, but that doesn’t surprise me. I share you concern about what is going to happen as a result.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Yeah, Jack Bauer wouldn’t deal with the Taliban. Bad things happen when you head down that road…