Raising the silent voices in a loud world

Thankfully the U.S. election season has come to a close. Our ears were tired of hearing the campaigners' platitudes months ago. The campaigns dropped billions of dollars to tell us what was important, and we could barely get a word in edgewise.

The campaigners and their soft-money contributors weren't the only ones trying to tell us what to think. The Guardian, a British newspaper, launched Operation Clark County to allow well meaning Brits the opportunity to write registered voters in Clark County, Ohio, in hopes of swaying their votes. The voters in Clark County were not too receptive. In fact, the editor in charge of Operation Clark County cried mea culpa and stopped the project after hate mail to the "yellow-toothed pansies" flooded The Guardian.

After all the noise of people trying to sway our votes, a little quiet is nice. This forum has reflected that. What was once a battled-for space in the newspaper has become a battle to fill (Yes, this is a shameless plea for more opinion writers. I know you exist out there somewhere.) Nevertheless, while we enjoy our peace and quiet, many parts of the world have no such luxury.

While we remain quiet, many groups are still talking quite loudly. More importantly, these groups are speaking for you. President Bush's victory has been heralded as a victory by the religious right. The religious right has no qualms about claiming victory. In an open letter to the president, Bob Jones III, president of Bob Jones University, tells Bush, "In your election, God has graciously granted America - though she doesn't deserve it - a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. You have been given a mandate." Other groups, like James Dobson's Focus on the Family, are busy mobilizing members solidify conservative judicial appointments to protect marriage.

Unfortunately, the blatant world issues these groups ignore are growing in intensity. In our insulated setting, it is hard to hear what is going on in the rest of the world. One CBS news producer tried to keep Americans more informed. When Yasser Arafat died, he broke into an episode of CSI to announce the passing of the influential world leader. Viewers were outraged and that producer was fired. American viewers were more concerned in a show that mimics reality than the actual reality of our world.

While our nation's forces are busy liberating Iraq from itself, the world hurts. The Sudan crisis has grown to such a level that the U.N. Security Council is meeting in Kenya to discuss the crisis, which is the first time the council has met outside of New York in 14 years. I hope they can help, but that body is only as strong as the will of its members. The Coalition of the Willing brings freedom from an oppressive government in Iraq, while the Sudanese government is supporting mercenaries in ethnic cleansing. For the moment, I will dispose of political correctness and call this "ethnic cleansing" what it is: killing. Seventy thousand have been killed. The most we as a nation and a world have done for them is talk.

The suffering does not end in the Sudan. Doctors Without Borders recently reported that the death rates in Ugandan refugee camps has reached an "emergency" status. I, for one, did not even realize 1.6 million Ugandans currently live in refugee camps to protect themselves from a rebel group known for torture, abductions, and killing. In Zimbabwe, the country we fellowshipped as an international church just over a year ago, President Mugabe has taken steps to silence the media and block foreign aid groups. Meanwhile, his citizens, our brothers and sisters in Christ, are suffering from famine.

The world cannot claim ignorance of these ills and the many others that exist, and neither can we as Christians stand silently aside. Though our media may ignore the world's woes, we cannot. Though our president may not show any caring, we must. Most importantly, though those that speak loudly in our name seem more concerned about politics, we cannot allow them to be the only voice for Christianity.

The election furor has thankfully died down, but that is even more reason for us to to speak loudly. The issues that brought us out in force for the election have not faded, nor will they fade as long as we remain silent. Our voices may grow hoarse, but the call must not stop.