DR. EDWARD ODISHO’ ARTICLE

Dr. Edward Odisho’s article, which appeared in the last issue of Zinda, has captured the essence of what is facing us in this most critical turning point in our history. He presents:

1. An accurate evaluation of what is taking place now in our various communities.
2. Analyses of what are the factors, which establishes the basis of uniting Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Suryanis into a single nation.
3. An approach to develop a strategy for an intellectual constructive dialogue to create a lasting unity of the indigenous people of Beth Nahrain.

This article is a must read for every member of our nation irrespective of his/her church affiliation, political inclination, and social or economical status. All of us who are genuinely interested in the preservation of our national identity and safe guard our ethnic roots in the homeland must read, evaluate, and is ready to participate in this dialogue.

We must be on our guard that we do not let outsiders and certain misguided church leaders to sabotage our unity and snatch the political leadership of our people. Separation of church from our political and national activities must be ensured. Church leaders have a responsible and significant role to play in our unity but not to lead it. It is their responsibility to instruct, educate, and persuade their parishioners to accept that we are all children of one nation.

It is imperative that we do not undermine the unity efforts because of our disagreement on the proper national name. Let us exercise patience, engage in the dialogue, and help people to have a clear understanding of our history and heritage. Our first objective is to ensure that all Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Suryanis will formally declare and publicly accept that we all belong to one nation.

Let us all hope that Assyrian patriots, especially those active in national organizations, will find love in their hearts for our nation, understanding of the serious problems facing us, and compassion for our people who are still denied their basic human rights. It is time; we all come together, with open minds and loving hearts willing to listen, to forgive and to compromise. All this in anticipation of creating unity among our people for the sake of a glorious objective, the preservation of Assyrian national identity.

Youel A Baaba
California

 

REJECT VENOMOUS INJECTIONS INTO OUR NATIONAL EFFORT

I read with interest the excellent article by my friend Dr. Edward Y. Odisho, Professor of Linguistics at Northeastern Illinois University. In a style, devoid of emotionalism, the writer proposes practical and logical solutions to a damaging and divisive issue. It would behoove us, whether we prefer to call ourselves Assyrians, Chaldeans, Suryanis..etc. to heed Dr. Odisho's suggestions, in particular at these critical times when our future and our ancestral land are at the crossroads. It is incumbent upon all our people of good will to seize the moment and reject any venomous injections into our national effort. Let us learn from history!! Otherwise, as the writer suggests, we will hang separately.

Bailis Y. Shamun
North Carolina

ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST & THE CHALLENGE OF 35 YEARS OF BAATH RULE

I have been monitoring Zinda magazine for the last two years, and I have discovered that the Editorial is obsessed by the Assyrian Church of the East and her ups and downs. This obsession proves the fact that this Church still dominates the whole history, present and future of the Assyrian nation. A domination imposed on her by geo-political and historical circumstances. Today, unfortunately, Zinda Magazine, her supporters and some regular writers have forgotten that by continuing their harmful, gloomy and negative campaign against the Assyrian Church, are indeed serving ‘naively’ a thirty five years old plan to destroy the Assyrian Church of the East, a policy that began by the Baath party in early seventies in Iraq. A policy to Arabize Christian minorities and especially the Assyrian Church of the East and her members, to break the old, strong and traditional relationship that bonded the faithful with their Church hierarchy, to dilute them in the Arab Nationalism Movement which began in early sixties by Jamal Abdel Nasir of Egypt. Unfortunately, the Baath Party of Iraq was able, successfully, to strengthen the Arabization of the Chaldean Church, and fortunately failed miserably to do the same with the Assyrian Church of the East. This Arabization was welcomed by the Chaldeans, in fact it was greeted enthusiastically and in full cooperation by the Chaldean Patriarchs, prelates, clergy and members of this Catholic Church.

Mr Youil Baba in his short essay in support of Zinda Magazine’s article has failed to notice the predicament of the famous decree, the so called “rights of the Syrian Speaking minorities in Iraq” “huquq Al-natiqeen bil syria’nieh” of the early 1970’s. This famous publicity stunt was supported fervently by the Chaldeans, Syrians and rejected strongly by the Assyrians especially the Church hierarchy, with exception to a very small minority who were known to be agents and sympathizers of the Baath Party. It seems that we have forgotten the difficulties and humiliation the Assyrian members have faced in the famous Syrian Speaking Organization (Majmaa Al-Natiqeen Bil Suryaniah) of Iraq in its early conception.

We offered in that period, so many of our best youth on the altar of martyrdom to safeguard the Assyrian name, language and culture. We fought gallantly and stood in the face of the dictatorship of the Baath party and said, we need “Huquq al Athorien” (Rights of the Assyrians) and no other name should be invented. And I cannot confirm whether Mr Youil Baba was still in Iraq at that time, and whether he is aware of the whole history of that period and its consequences on the Assyrian Church of the East.

I cannot hold my tears and anger when I hear educated people, intelligent, some claiming to be academic and politicians, clergy men, bishops, calling on the removal of the Assyrian name from the Church of the East. Before you do so, let us look at the background and the reason for adding the word ‘Assyrian’ to the Church of the East title. Before we judge Patriarch Mar Dinkha and the Prelates of 1979 for doing so, let us remember the state of affairs of that phase. I will state this for sake of history and fairness to the Church, because it seems that we Assyrian tend to forget easily when we want to serve a certain purpose in our live, and especially when experience peace and good living.

I am an Assyrian from Iraq, and proud of my name, past, present, and confident of this nation’s future.

When the Baath party came into power in 1968, one of his main items on the agenda, and the pillar of his doctrine was the Nationalistic Aspiration of the Arab Nation, (One United Arab Nation). The promotion of the unity of the Arab Nationalistic movement, compelled them to enforce the famous doctrine of their leader Michell Aflaq which says “ An Arab is a good Muslim, and a good Muslim is a true Arab, there is no Arab if he is not a Muslim, and no Muslim if he is not Arab”. Therefore, we Assyrians, notwithstanding Chaldeans and Syrian, were surprised to see that in the official Iraqi censes of 1975 we were forced to register our (Qou’meiah) (nationality) as Arabs. Obviously, if we were to register Arab, then slowly we will be called Muslims.

Many Chaldean, with ease, registered their nationality Arabs. No Assyrian, only those who sold their souls to the incarnated devil (the Baath regime), have registered themselves Arabs, and we knew who they were, they became a pariah. Many (Assyrian Nationalists) were arrested for calling themselves Assyrians, many were tortured, imprisoned, disappeared, and hanged. We faced hardship at work, schools, universities and even at home.

Dear Mr Baba and Zinda Magazine, that was almost 35 years ago. At that time we did not hear one single Chaldean voice calling in support of the respect of a simple human right of the Assyrian people in Iraq. Not a single Chaldean was arrested. Today, some claim that we need the support of the Vatican to fulfill our dream of unity. Where was that support when we were screaming ‘freedom’? There are documents to prove that some clergy have forced their parishioners in Northern Iraq to register their nationality as Arab instead of Assyrian. Do you remember who was the individual who called upon his flock and said to them “You are Christians, Assyrians, no human-being has the right to take these two privileges of you” Let me refresh your memory, it was the new Patriarch Mar Dinkha of the Assyrian Church of the East.

The adding of the Assyrian name to the Church of the East came as a result of abuses, forced Arabazation, torture, killing of the Assyrian youth in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Musol, Arbil..etc. It was the thunderous cry for existence in the wilderness of the Baath Arabization. Mar Dinkha was the one who called upon his people and said prepare the road for the uprising of the new Assyrian nation, prepare yourselves for anew dawn in the history of this nation, be proud of your past, trust in your present, toil for your future, do not give in to your adversary. It was the perfect answer in an odd situation. It was about time to remind the whole world, that we were not dead, we were there, and we are here, and we are here to stay, and to the end of this world.

It was during this period, when His Holiness Mar Dinkha met with the officials of the Baath Party in Baghdad, and declared it openly, that we are Assyrian Christians, good citizens of this land, it is our land and we are not Arabs. I will never forget his sermon in Mart Maryam Church, Mar Gewargis in Dorah, and many other churches. After this meeting, and in few months, we saw an outburst of Assyrian Nationalism in Iraq, America, Lebanon, Europe, Australia and the whole world. The youth groups in Baghdad worked so hard to preserve the Assyrian Language and culture. How can we forget the Assyrian Cultural Club of Baghdad “Al Nadi Al Athori Al Thaqafi”. Many members of these groups became active members in Assyrian underground political parties. It was here when the Iraqi Government changed the names of Assyrian Clubs into Arabic names, like Tamouz, Al watani, etc. It was here when Zowaa was born.

The Iraqi government reacted swiftly, by arresting some of these active Assyrians, the closure of the youth group movements in Churches, clubs, and the refusal to give permission to the Church of the East to be called or registered in the government as the Assyrian Church of the East. They forced it to be registered ‘Nestorian Church of the East’, which was a name that pleased the Chaldean hierarchy at that time.

The Assyrian Church of the East under the patrairchate of Mar Dinkha IV, was powerless, marginalized, neglected and refused by the Iraqi government. No lands or monetary grants were donated to the Assyrian Church. We built our churches through donation from the poor and wealthy Assyrian population in Iraq an outside. On the other hand, we saw cathedrals, parcels of lands, millions of Dinars, in early seventies and eighties, donated by the Iraqi government inside and outside Iraq, to the Chaldeans, Syrians and the Ancient Church of the east. The Chaldean Church in Modesto is a living witness to this episode. Not a single penny was given to the Assyrian Church of the East. And when the Iraqi’s offered assistance to Mar Dinkha, they attached to it conditions, but he refused. Nevertheless, we survived, and the Church became the umbrella for the nationalistic aspiration of this nation and its hope. And now, in every country in the Diasporas we own Churches, Clubs, Halls, Cultural Centres, Schools etc. All of these are build by the generosity of the Assyrian people. Every Assyrian is indebted to this Church, not because of this person or that bishop, but for the sake of preserving the distinctiveness of every thing called Assyrian and above all our Christian faith. Thank God we still call ourselves Assyrians not Arabs.

For Mr Baaba, the tragedy is, that what Saddam has failed to achieve in forty years, some Assyrian intellectuals are attempting ‘innocently’ to fulfill. And the reason for that is their lack of true analysis of the past atrocities of the Baath party against the Assyrians of yesterday and today. Living in free societies, away from the action in Iraq for years may be the cause for their narrow examination of true facts and past events.

I know why Mr. Baaba and some of the Assyrian Church of the East “Bishops and clergy” are calling for the removal of the name. They are a victim of a strategy that was plotted by Mar Sarhad Jamoo, and Mar Bavai Soro of California, and their call is the unborn child of that unholy nuptial agreement between the two. Don’t you think that we cannot remove the imprints of history from the minds of this Nation. This unholy marriage cannot reverse the cycle of history. There are martyrs, sacrifices, shedding of tears and blood of thousands in Hakary, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in order to preserve the glorious name of Assyrian and the Christian faith of their forefathers.

Our Children, conservatively speaking, for the last hundred years have been told that they are Assyrians, and their Church is the Assyrian Church of the East, how can we reverse this?. According to some, we need to say “Sorry, we have reinvented our selves, we are not Assyrians, we are Chaldo-Assyrian, (In reference to Mar Jamou’s Drama in Detroit-USA), then another ten years, sorry we are Assyro/chaldo/syro nation, and our church is Assyro-Chaldo-Syro Church of the East, or born again nation. Another twenty years, we will be called again, surprise surprise, the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East. And this nation finally will be called, according to the wishes of some prelates, the Chaldeans “Because the Chadeans are the biggest minority in Iraq” and to prove this see the letter send to President Bush, by the Chaldean federation of America indorsed by Mar Sarhad Jamo and Mar Abraham of the Chaldean Church. (I hope Zinda will re-publish the letter on the web-site).

Don’t you realize to what abyss you are condemning this nation. We will be lost between name callings. You are creating confusion, chaos and a sense of ‘unknown identity’ in the present and for the coming generation. Our children are having enough problem to explain to others who the Assyrians are. Why are you doing this to this unfortunate nation? Why are the Maronite Church, Chaldean Church, Armenian Church, Roman Catholic Church, Russian Church, Romanian Church, Coptic Church, Syrian Church, Greek Church, Macedonian Church, and many many others have the right to call themselves by their national names, but you deny the Church of the East the Assyrian name? Mr Baaba says “By adding the name Assyrian to the church we have wiped out its universality and reduced it to a church of a very small minority. Some Assyrians may take pride in the fact that their church has their national identity in its title, but that is shortsightedness. We must be more cognizant of the historical place of the church and its significance in the annals of Christianity and preserve its universality. Drop the name Assyrian from its title and let it be known simply as the Church of the East.

But I respectfully disagree with Mr. Baaba’s call. Does he think that the Coptic Church does not think itself to be universal, or the Russian Church, or the Greek Orthodox Church. Of course, they are all universal. Above all the Roman Catholic Church, the main universal Church. Does he truly and honestly believe that all these Churches have wiped out their universality and reduced themselves to a church of a very small minority when they called themselves, Roman, Armenian, etc?. Can’t you see that in the Greek Orthodox Church there are dioceses of non Greeks throughout the world? Didn’t we have Assyrians belonging to the Russian church in Baghdad (Kamp Algailani)?.

The whole world yesterday and today, knows very well that the Assyrian Church of the East is the same old Church of the East, the Church of Selucia Ctesephon, the Church on Fire, the Persian Church. Again to Mr. Baaba, it was Saddam who called on H.H. Mar Dinkha to drop the name Assyrian from its title, forty years ago, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of history. Please don’t create an Assyrian domestic Saddam Hussain phenomenon. The world is contented with the name, so leave it alone

The issue of Mar Aprem of Arizona cannot, and will not, and should not divert our attention from keeping on the dream of this Church and Nation alive. The mistake of one person cannot destroy the truthfulness of this ancient Church and nation. Have not we seen and heard of so many blunders and wrong deeds committed by the prelates of ‘Other Churches’ during the last centuries, even today?.

Furthermore, I am really surprised not to hear a single member of the Chaldean Church criticizing their leadership, while for the last fifty years they had their colorful share of controversies!!!. Even the Syrian Orthodox Church. had her share. How can we forget the excommunication imposed by the Metropolitan of Sweden on those Syrians who declared themselves to be Assyrians and not Syrians. I am yet to hear one single Chaldean member calling on dropping the name Chaldean from their Church title. Or a single Syrian!. I am yet to hear how the Chaldean Church who claims to be the preserver of the language of Christ is planning to educate their people not to speak Arabic at home, Churches, Clubs, and Radios. How can we forget the famous statement of Patriarch Bidawid to Saddan Husein when he addressed the dictator by calling him “You are my father, my lord and my president.” Have you heard any Chaldean objecting to such address by his Patriarch to a blood thirsty dictator?

Therefore, give the Assyrian Church what is due to her, as you give other churches what is due to them.

And now, after a careful scrutiny of this whole debate, I believe that after what came out of Bishop Sarhad Jamou’s mouth lately, there are some points of interests needs to be addressed and carefully digested by every true Assyrian nationalist:

1. The debate of the Assyrian/Chaldean naming is being fueled, financed, and pushed by two individuals since 1997. That is Bishop Sarhad and Bishop Bavai. To prove this we have learned that the Drama of Mar Sarhad will be presented in Modesto, fully financed by Bishop Bavai, up to $40,000 dollars!

2. Both these individuals have a hidden agenda to destroy and dismantle the attachment of the Assyrian nation and people to centuries old tradition that is the Assyrian chain of uniqueness.

3. It is quite amazing of the damage, chaos and havoc that these two individuals have created among the Assyrian and Chaldean people. It is amazing indeed to see that the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Church have been so much occupied by these two characters and especially, on the Assyrian side, by Mar Bavai who has done so much damage to the Assyrian cause, and how he, out of no where, became the main and only moral fiber on the arena of the so called unity, armed with a doctorate degree from Rome, fooling the Assyrians into believing that there is no salvation for their Church and Nation without having clergy and laity educated with integrity, knowledge, faith, honesty, dedication, truthfulness and morality according to the Roman Doctrine of Ethics. And by doing so, then and only then, through such operatives, the hope and salvation of this Nation and Church will be visualized. As if only in these “Doctors and Educated Clergy” the hope of this nation lies. I am in support of educated clergy. But have we forgotten that faith, dedication, self denials, sacrifice, hard work, mercy, compassion, meekness, and forgiveness makes a person wise in the eyes of Almighty.

4. And to be a true nationalist is to believe in your identity, history, tradition and culture. To sacrifice everything you have for sake of every thing related to the survival of your nation.

5. Bishops Jamou and Soro are attempting to teach the Assyrians that they are not Assyrians, but they are merely a lost people who lost their identity. And their Church in fact, is a persona non grata without her sister the Chaldean Church, and it is a flickering light that cannot survive without the fuel of the Roman Catholic Church.

So now keep on my dear fellow Assyrians, occupy your minds and souls with the question of what we are, who we are, and by what NEW name should we be called and what name to give our Newly Founded Nation. Keep on, mess up your minds and thoughts by changing, adding and removing. You may occupy yourselves by attacking your only Church who has kept our dream alive for centuries. Keep on sending messages to our enemies, giving them the good news that the Church who they dreamed to destroy is finally coming to an end, and that the name you have labored to eradicate from the face of earth, its end has finally arrived.

Furthermore, I was deeply troubled by the suggestion of Mr Y. Baaba to re-adopt the Julian Calendar. Would you in the Western world or your children, family, or your private business, celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January. Imagine, you tell your 8 years old child that Christmas is coming late this year. Hearing both Patriarchs speaking, Mar Dinkha IV and Mar Adda, we realize that the calendar is not an issue any more. We are very pleased to see the close cooperation and fraternal contacts between the two branches of the Assyrian Church of the East. Good example for such an understanding is the close cooperation between the two branches in Chicago. You have suggested to Mar Dinkha to adopt the Old Calendar in order to bring the two branches into unity. How then we are going to deal with the calls for unity between the Chaldean and the Assyrian Church of the East. I need to remind you that the Chaldeans do celebrate Christmas on 25th December.

On the other hand, does the presence of Mar Bidawid, Mar Adda, Mar Zakka, Mar Sofair, Mar Agnatius or other Patriarchs have prevented their followers from leaving their countries in the Middle East. Why do you think that the presence of Mar Dinkha will indeed encourage our people to remain in their homeland. Good, solid and well managed economy, sense of security and safe political atmosphere, respect of human rights, non discrimination, the respect of dignity of creation, tighter immigration and family reunion laws, and peace will encourage not only Christians but Muslims too to remain in their country of origin. Can you tell some parents in USA not to apply for migration to USA of their children who are still in Iraq or Iran or else where? Go ahead and speak publicly? Or organize some seminars about the subject in San Jose, Chicago, Detroit even in Europe. I think some of us in the west who don’t have close relatives in the Middle East are playing god with the future of those wretched ones in the Middle East. History will prove to us that Muslim countries cannot be a safe haven for our Christian minorities in the Middle East. Have you noticed that the majority of our political leadership is outside the Middle East, with exception to the good old Zowaa and few other minor parties?

Finally, I am proud to say that the Assyrian Church of the East, and our Assyrian Political parties and organization have achieved so much in the last twenty years. We do, indeed live in a challenging world, and to face these challenges, the Church and Nation must face many set backs, trial, tragedies and disappointments. But please give this Church and Nation and the beautiful name of Assyrian a chance to fight its way through, be optimistic, encourage them and learn to forgive. And enough of stabbing in the heart of this Church and Nation. Any way, the good news is that Saddam is a goner! And Long Live the Assyrian Name.

My best and sincere respect to Mr. Youil Baba and Zinda Magazine whom I have no doubt of their deep integrity and love for the Assyrian Church and Nation.

Sargon H. Malik
California

LET’S NOT CHANGE THE NAME OF OUR CHURCH

From the time of Abgar Ochoma in Urhai (Edessa) to Baghdad and on, Assyrian missionaries walked on foot throughout the East-Asia spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ - peace, love, and dignity of the human beings. Their missionary work and their persecutions have been told in many books such as the Nestorian Missionary Enterprise, A Church on Fire, and On Foot to China.

Many nationalities on their way to China, Korea and Japan received the message and adopted Christianity, but in time all abandoned their new faith by force, by economic necessity or by political intrigues.

Today, a few thousands remain faithfully to the church of their parents despite political intrigues, economic necessities, and for self-preservation. Therefore, in honor of the Assyrian missionaries, and those few who have remained faithful to their parents' church, they have every right to call their church ‘Assyrian’, because only Assyrians have remained members of this church.

To honor the Assyrian missionaries and those who today remain faithful to their church, the name of the Assyrian Church of the East must not be changed and should be awarded a ‘Medal of Honor’. MEDAL OF HONOR.

Youkhanna Youkhanna
Finland

A Church Accountable to the Holy Sunhadus

 

 

We are not sure if the Church of the East: Challenging Issues article by Youel A. Baaba challenged the leaders; but I can assure you that it had a profound effect on the parishioners of the Saint Mary’s church in Los Angeles California. We realize that church polity is just a starting point in the restoration of Biblical practices in the church. We are also holding church practices to the “light” of Scripture and try to make it a practice to test all things by the Word of God. We believe The Church Sunhadus contains the inspired word of God and it is held to the light of the Scripture. All church leaders must be accountable to this Holy Sunhadus no one is above the law. Saint Mark said, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. And he said to them; You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:7-9).  Once for all let us forget the traditions and demand that our learned leaders obey the Holy Sunhadus. This demand started with a group of Concerned Assyrians of the Church of the East in Los Angeles, circulating a petition among the members of the Saint Mary’s church encouraging the parishioners to ask HH Mar Dinkha to fulfill the demands of the Sunhadus as related to the case of Mar Aprim Khamis. People’s support for this petition has been overwhelming, in two-Sundays more than 250 petitions were solicited and signed.  In addition, a campaign is underway asking Los Angeles church community to review an extract from the January 6, 2003 issue of the Zinda Magazine article as described by Mr. Baaba.  It is expected that more than 400 signatures altogether will be collected.

 

Our church is only as godly as its leaders, because its leaders represent Christ and His Holy Priesthood.  They are different from the Priesthood of the Old Testament to whom Jesus said, “do what they say but don’t do what they do.”  Quite often when our church is failing to have an impact on its members or is experiencing strife and conflict within; its leaders will blame others or look for peripheral things for answers, when the real issue may be its very own unqualified leaders. Qualification is the first thing they should check. Unqualified spiritual leadership has always impacted the quality and integrity of our church’s ministry. When Saint Paul described the qualification for a church leader, he focused on the character rather than the function. “If he commits sin, he is subject to discipline in front of the whole congregation” (1Tim 5:20). The church must carefully guard the sacred office of priesthood.   In Acts 14: 23 we see Saint Paul begins profiling the elders’ qualification and duties “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust”. An elder is a spiritually mature man who leads and teaches the church. Such a man is also referred to as a pastor, overseer, presbyter, shepherd, and bishop. “Elder” refers to the spiritual maturity of the individual, “bishop”, and “overseer” refer to his leadership responsibility and “shepherd” and “pastor refer to his responsibility to nurture the flock. Each term describes a different facet of the same office (Acts 20: 28; Titus1:5; 1Pet 5: 1-2).

 

Hugh Latimer, a popular preacher of the sixteenth century English Reformation who was martyred for his faith.  He couldn't restrain himself from preaching. The bewilderness of men and women and the emptiness of the clergy of his day compelled him to speak out.

 

His "Sermon of the Plow" was directed at preachers who lacked passion and used their pastoral office for self-promotion rather than proclaiming God's truth.  In it he said, "I would ask a strange question: who is the most [diligent] bishop and prelate in all England, that has passed all the rest in doing his office? I can tell, for I . . . know him well.  But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him. . . . I will tell you: it is the devil.

 

"He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his [diocese]; he is never from his [curate]; you shall never find him unoccupied. . . . The most diligent preacher in all the realm; he is ever at his plough: no lording nor loitering can hinder him; he is ever applying his business, you shall never find him idle, I warrant you. . . ."Where the devil is resident, and hath his plough going, there away with books, and up with candles; away with bibles, and up with beads; away with the light of the gospel, and up with the light of candles, yea, at noon days. . . . Up with man's traditions and his laws, down with God's traditions and his most holy word. . . .

 

"Oh that our prelates would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockle and darnel! . . . There was never such a preacher in England as he is. . . ."The prelates . . . are lords, and no labourers: but the devil is diligent at his plough. He is no unpreaching prelate: he is no lordly loiterer from his [curate], but a busy ploughman. . . . Therefore, you unpreaching prelates, learn of the devil: to be diligent in doing of your office, learn of the devil: and if you will not learn of God, nor good men, for shame learn of the devil" (Sermons by Hugh Latimer, edited by George Elwes Corrie [Cambridge: University Press, 1844], pp. 70 77).

 

Latimer was calling for passion in this ministry. Our church needs leaders who are compelled to minister out of love for God’s Word and passion for lost souls.

 

You can see that church leadership is a sacred task that requires the highest level of spiritual credibility, maturity and accountability.   Sadly, some people pursue church leadership for wrong motives such as money, job security, or prestige.  If one is in a position of spiritual leadership, we should question his motives?  Peter said, "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Petet 5: 2-3).  Guard your motives carefully so that you will receive a "crown of glory that will never fade away" (verse 4) when Jesus returns.

 

God has prescribed the moral character, family life, maturity, and reputation He requires of an elder.  For our church to be all that God designed it to be, it must be led by qualified men.  God requires qualified leadership for His church because He wants to mediate His rule (Kingdom) through holy vessels, and because they are the models of what every believer should be.  So the qualifications apply to every believer, but the congregation will learn only what they see modeled in their leadership. It must begin with them.

 

 

Shamasha Dan Daniel

California

BOYCOTT HYPOCRITES!

To say one thing and do the opposite is hypocrisy at its best. Assyrians cannot afford to, and must not, promote or tolerate hypocrites in their society, especially among individuals in leading positions, who should lead by example.

From one hand we have listened to Bishop Sarhad Jammo's speech in Detroit couple weeks ago when he presented a lecture titled “the Chaldean renaissance”. In his lecture this man of God commits two sins: First, he promotes what he calls the unique Chaldean nation; and second, he refuses to subscribe to the principle of the separation of state and church. On the other hand I understand that Bishop Sarhad Jammo is taking his play (drama), which is in essence about our oneness, on tour in the next couple weeks and he will be visit San Jose and Modesto regions! Amazing!

I call upon all Assyrians to boycott the play. Do not purchase tickets ,and if you have purchased them already, please return them. These are times of distress in our history, therefore, it is of utmost importance that we take strong and a bold stands to face such times.

BTW, please read my reflections on a book written by Bishop Sarhad Jammo's father regarding the Assyrian origin of Telkaif and its people, which is published in this week's Zinda Magazine.

Fred Aprim
California

WORDS OF PASSION & INTELLECT

Wilfred Bet-Alkhas’ “Green Eyes Of Krasnodar” was splendid and refreshing. Suddenly, upon reading this essay and Professor Odisho’s article, I stood tall with a bigger heart than ever before, in praise and proud of my two fellow Assyrians for the passion of one’s words and the intellect in the other’s message. The mixture of politics, culture, literature and poetry would portray Zinda Magazine as a symphony, making its pages more interesting and delightful to the reader.

Sargon R. Michael
California

Zindamagazine would like to thank:

Ervin Haghopian
(California)

Nadia Joseph
(Chicago)