A Use for the "Useless Nations"
If I had a crystal ball and was wont to use it, I might predict that these are the waning days of the UN. In spite of their inflated sense of self-importance, I don't know if the UN will last in its present state. The UN needs an intervention, or perhaps needs to be destroyed in order to be rebuilt in the proper fashion. Maybe we could send all the delegates to an international version an EST seminar.
I'm fond of referring to the UN as the "Useless Nations." (Hardly original, I'm sure.) It's just an incubator for anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. But I recently learned that there is one very good purpose for the existence of the UN. They are a very ripe and very important mission field.
A few weeks back, we had a pair of guest speakers at our church, a husband and wife who operate out of The Christian Embassy to the UN. They talked about the opportunities the UN presents for sharing the gospel. The Christian Embassy conducts Bible discussions with UN diplomats, and holds special events just for the wives of the diplomats. (Their website looks like it could use some updating, I see.) In this context, the gospel message is heard by high officials of nations where it may be difficult for missionaries to enter, and these officials can often have great influence when they return to their native countries.
So when I find myself railing at the brood of vipers in Turtle Bay, I must remember that there are people working hard to bring the gospel to the far-flung corners of the globe through sharing the good news with UN diplomats.
posted by Drew @ 7:21 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Interesting. A "special event just for the wives of the diplomats." Apparently there are no women or gay diplomats. If they do exist, their spouses don't get any "special events."
I don't know if this is your wording, Drew, or if it's their wording, but it truly reflects how the church disrespects women.
All I know is that among the things they do are events for diplomats' wives; the idea being that these women are dragged along to a distant country by their husbands, often alone in a confusing place, knowing no one, and not being familiar with the customs and language. You'll see on their website that they do language classes, orientation classes, "finding your way around New York" classes, etc. It has nothing to do with them being women so much as them being the spouses of the diplomats who are left to fend for themselves (while their spouses take meetings and apparently plan ways to thwart the US and Israel).
Not sure how this demonstrates a "disrespect for women," though, as you suggest. If you mean that it sees them only in their capacity as wives, then realize that it is only in their capacity as wives of ambassadors that they end up at the UN anyway. Are their female delegates to the UN whose husbands get dragged to New York? Possibly, probably. Are there unmarried delegates? Probably. And if that's the case, there is no tagalong spouse who needs something to do.
Granted I'm not entirely familiar with the Christian Embassy to the UN, but they only refer to "activities for women" and "women in the diplomatic community." I guess it's you who assume that all "women in the diplomatic community" are wives of diplomats and not diplomats themselves.
Maybe I'm reading into this (but hey, at least I'm reading, even if it is a blog) but this seems representative of most U.S. religions in which women are seen as mere companions.
At 8:59 AM, Anonymous said...
Interesting. A "special event just for the wives of the diplomats." Apparently there are no women or gay diplomats. If they do exist, their spouses don't get any "special events."
I'm gonna make it my personal goal in life to ensure that there are more women and gay diplomats at the UN. I'm not gonna rest until the UN is FILLED with women and gay diplomats!
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