Vista Online

Fall/Winter 2001

The Shadow Man

Humanitarian Images

We have all heard the promise of the lion and the lamb living together in peace, yet we often think of this as an unattainable, unearthly goal. Recently, I have been forced to re-evaluate this opinion. In part, this change in view is due to a different understanding of scripture; but in like manner I have been changed as I am forced to look at situations of gross injustice around the world, all the while trying to reconcile this knowledge with the belief in a good God.

Philip Yancey has stated that the reason so many people question the existence of God is due to the nature of the Church in this world. I can see this happening in two specific ways. First of all, it could be true that the Church is not active in seeking justice and bringing good out of horrible situations occurring throughout the world.

Secondly, there are times when specific churches directly aid in the propagation of fear, hate, and violence. I have been grappling with both of these sobering truths as I look back at my childhood in Rwanda–a country recently shattered by a devastating genocide.

The Rwandan genocide in 1994 was not simply a product of years of ethnic conflict and violence, but rather found its roots in European colonialization. Inspired by the overtly racist theories of the 19th century, Roman Catholic missionaries propagated a system of racial superiority and cleavage.

Years later, such propagation resulted in the distribution of ethnic identity cards, which, sadly, were later used in the mass extermination. Though this is a broad reduction–it takes much more than the myth of racist teachings to lead to the mass extermination of a specific tribe–the conflict was not simply due to pre-historic ethnic diversity.

Before European colonialization, the Rwandan people shared a language, a religion, a geography, and even appearance. In many ways, the only pre-historic differences among the tribes were occupational rather than ethnic. How, then, do tribes who are in many ways complementary, end up in a society based completely on racial inequality and ethnic hatred, eventually ending in genocide?

Other factors surrounding the genocide are more perplexing and disturbing. For instance, it has been reported by The International Panel of Eminent Personalities to Investigate the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, that the Western world, including the UN Security Council, the United States, and many European countries knew of the potential for the genocide as many as two years before it actually occurred.

In addition to this, the Panel has reported that the UN Security Council could have prevented much of what occurred, even to the point of quenching the entire genocidal regime, had they deployed a significant force of peacekeepers. More disconcerting than this is the apparent portrayal of ignorance that the West showed. Though they knew of the events, they spoke with a forked tongue, denying that what was occurring was actually genocide.

Furthermore, humanitarian groups seeking to help the mass of refugees fleeing from the country unwittingly provided a haven for the safety of wanted war criminals. Their continued presence hindered the process of justice, as it was hard to separate the truly innocent refugees from the guilty perpetrators of the genocide. When this was brought to the attention of these humanitarian groups, many of them did nothing to deal with the problem.

Recently, President Clinton, along with other groups, including the Anglican Church, have offered an official apology for their disregard of what was actually going on in Rwanda. An apology. 500,000 to 800,000 lives killed in less than a month under the watchful--or should I say blind--eye of the Western world. An apology, in light of this fact, is bitterly insulting.

Underlying these examples of injustice is a general disregard for nations that have little or no impact upon our own country economically, politically, or socially.
In addition, there is no interest in risking our own lives of comfort to aid a country haunted by war and tribal conflict. Perhaps we view the conflict as unsophisticated, stemming from pre-historic disputes between two primitive tribes. Thus, we suppose this conflict will never be resolved, and any attempt on our part to help would simply end in more death. Perhaps this cynicism is part of a deeply entrenched racism with which we regard any person who is black.
Our disregard for nations that have no bearing on our politics or economy and our cynicism toward ethnic conflict are not the only problems, however.

A third issue, specifically related to the Church is this: we are not motivated by any sense of moral obligation; instead we are motivated by political and economic gain. The Church throughout the history of this situation not only failed to use its position within the African society to combat the rising ethnic polarity and human rights abuses, but also often perpetuated the problems through ungodly teaching and inaction.

The common denominator in all of these problem areas is the apathy with which people regard the dignity of humanity, especially in countries which have no direct effect upon their own life. We have sold our souls to a lie: that somehow we are not going to be held responsible for our fellow humans.

As the Church, we are in a unique place as God’s chosen instrument to speak good news and bring peace and reconciliation to a fractured world.

Yet God has chosen a church which is replete with people who do not resemble the character of God. This is the risk God has taken in choosing fractured people to represent God’s self. So, the response of those of us who claim to be a part of the body of Christ is essential as we respond to the Rwandan genocide–among a legion of other areas of injustice in the world.

I recently purchased a CD by a singer/songwriter from Burundi, which speaks to the hope for a reconciliation of the people of Africa. She speaks of a Shadow Man–that is a man who lives in the darkness, who wanders anonymously, spilling the blood of the innocent. She chides her listeners to turn a deaf ear to this man for our worth is much greater.

Those who have sold themselves to the lie that we are not responsible for each other are those who live in a shadow. They have chosen to live in darkness, where they are convinced that light cannot penetrate, and slowly they have been deceived. However, those who are Children of God, do not believe this lie. Instead, we are told that even in the uttermost darkness, God is there. We are told the deeds done in the darkness will be exposed for what they are. We are told that God is light, in God there is no darkness. We are beckoned to be children of the light.

To be a child of the light is to recognize the human inability to separate righteousness from justice. Throughout scripture we are taught to feed and care for the orphan, to take care of the poor, to clothe the naked, to love the widow. Jesus himself commands us to follow this path; and in the same breath he warns that failure to do so will result in eternal death. It seems as though God is concerned that in all our pious ramblings, we are not to pass by the homeless, the broken, the victims of genocide, the orphans, the widowed.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to help bring about God’s kingdom on this earth–where the lion can live peaceably with the lamb. In Rwanda, both tribes–the lion and the lamb–already live together, yet peace is far off.

To be a child of God is to recognize injustice both at home and abroad.
We must pray for those intimately involved in providing justice and charity. We must seek to be involved in pursuing justice for the poor, the disenfranchised, the oppressed, and the victim. There is great need and also great potential; there is also great hope, for the Shadow Man cannot steal the true light.

Aaron Cobb

Last updated: July 9, 2001