Whatever you think of American political parties and presidents, I think it's important to keep in mind that the issue of Pastor Andrew Brunson lies in two directions.
On the one hand, for me as a Christian, this is about prayer and fasting, showing solidarity with a fellow pastor in my denomination. That's why our congregations engaged in a day of prayer and fasting this past Sunday.
On the other hand, this issue is about a dictator torturing an American citizen in order to achieve his goal: The return of a person who sought sanctuary here in America.
To quote a former member of the Turkish parliament, now living in America:
'"His pretrial detention, I would argue, has become a sort of torture," Aykan Erdemir told CBN News. Erdemir is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former member of Turkey's parliament.
'He says Brunson's trial was historically long -- 12 hours.
I refrain from publicly speaking out for or against politicians, because it seems to me that this is a fruitless thing that tends to divide people unnecessarily, especially in such a polarized time as now. Why can't we all talk kindly, civilly, and rationally with each other?
Why add that last paragraph? Because this issue isn't about President Trump; it's about his doing his DUTY to protect American citizens here and abroad.
Now, to get back to the first issue -- the issue that concerns me as a Christian, especially as a Christian pastor -- as someone has said, our Lord told us to GO; he didn't tell us to return (Cf. Matthew 28:19). I hesitate to quote that because it appears so calloused in the present context, but I do so having smuggled Bibles into a country where this was forbidden.
There is another aspect to this: While the Apostle Paul took advantage of his status as a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-39; 22:25-29), he knew ultimately that Rome would fail him.
And as a dear friend of mine shared some wisdom from The Talmud back in 2005: "Seek no undue intimacy with the ruling power for they only draw a person near when it is to their advantage, but they turn aside in your hour of need."
The issue for me, ultimately is my "place and calling" (WLC, 108). My place and calling is to pray and fast, and I urge you to do the same.
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