Abolition in the 21st Century
Last night, I watched The Devil Came on Horseback. It follows Brian Steidle, a former Marine captain, as he documents genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. A few nights ago, I was reminded of Machine Gun Preacher. It tells the story of Sam Childers, a former gang biker who became a Christian and now personally rescues children from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in South Sudan. But massacre and child soldiers are not the only problems facing Sudan. A few years ago, I discovered that, although the enslavement of Africans in America ended nearly 150 years ago, slavery is still very much alive in Africa. And, it occurred to me that I, too, could be an abolitionist.
This notion of a modern abolitionist movement led me to Christian Solidarity International (Facebook page). Founded in Switzerland in 1977 by the Reverend Hans Stückelberger, with American headquarters in California, CSI campaign “for religious liberty and human dignity, and [assist] victims of religious persecution, victimized children and victims of catastrophe.”
A key function of CSI is the direct liberation of Sudanese slaves. While Harriet Tubman is revered in American history for helping 300-500 slaves find freedom, many Americans have never heard of CSI. Yet beginning in 1995, they have documented the liberation of over 80,000 African slaves, at a price between 35 and 50 USD each. The total cost for liberation and basic humanitarian aid is currently around 109 USD per person.
My wife and I have decided to financially support CSI in their efforts to liberate Sudanese slaves. While not everyone can be a Harriet Tubman or a Hans Stückelberger, anyone can be an abolitionist. Join us.
“…he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound… to comfort all that mourn… to give unto them beauty for ashes…” -from Isaiah 61 (KJV)