wfn.org | TCN Editorial: Protesting against unrighteousness

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2986 Edition

>May 18~24, 2009

>Editorial: Protesting against unrighteousness

>Translated by Lydia Ma

Protesting against a national leader is hardly a new phenomenon. We find  an obvious example of this behavior dating back to 2

Samuel 12 when God sent the prophet Nathan to protest against King David  and reproach him for his unrighteous behavior. Nathan

basically told David that though the king enjoyed popular approval, it  did not give him a license to engage in lawless activities.

Nathan confronted David for using Ammonites, Israel’s enemies, to  kill Uriah the Hittite and then steal Uriah’s wife.

Fortunately, the king who had always been highly esteemed by all of  Israel repented completely of his sins upon being confronted

and admitted his wrongdoings to God. Though this incident left a stain  in King David’s legacy, it nevertheless revealed his courage

>and respect for God.

At least King David did not repeat his mistakes. He even openly admitted  to his people that his actions had incurred God’s wrath

and he was willing to repent and correct his ways.

Nobody likes to see things get worse in Taiwan. Amid rising unemployment  and plummeting moral values, protesting against

President Ma is merely a reminder that the shady intentions of his  administration are all too clear. Protesting against Ma is just about

>right and just the beginning.

Some people say that less than 20,000 people attended the May 17 protest  against Ma, others say that about 600,000 attended the

protest. Regardless of whether 20,000, 200,000, or 600,000 people took  to the streets, this event will be remembered as another

>important milestone in Taiwanese history.

If those in power really love this country and its people as they claim,  they should honestly review their China-leaning policies and

seriously consider how their policies have been detrimental to Taiwan  and how their actions have planted fear and anxiety in

Taiwanese people’s hearts. They should not be spending precious  time betting on how many people actually protested against them

>this past weekend.

On May 17, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) once again raised its  banner and joined thousands of protesters at rallies in an

attempt to live out its confession of faith, which includes  “identifying with the people and through love and suffering  becoming the

sign of hope.” Reaching out to people so that they can be filled  with glorious hope is indeed one of the most important visions of

>our church.

Just before the rally, Chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party  (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen visited PCT headquarters to seek

PCT’s support for the event. On the day of the protest, the PCT  could be seen at the front of the procession.

To be clear, the PCT supported the rally led by the DPP purely because  it identified with Taiwan and recognized that God loved

this land and destined it to be a new and independent country. The PCT  will not only protest against President Ma, but also speak

out against any unrighteous political regime. It is also our duty to  speak out against any force that seeks to oppose Christ. In other

words, it is hope and justice that propels us to stand up and speak out.

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