Christ Without Saddam
Saddam’s not the only thing gone missing from Iraq; according to the British Daily Telegraph, booze and gambling are disappearing as well. The work of Christian missionaries from the west? Hardly. Damien McElroy reports that Iraqi Christians made strong showings in such trades until post-Saddam Muslim activists started shutting them down. Saddam used Christian churches that would pledge loyalty […]
Saddam’s not the only thing gone missing from Iraq; according to the British Daily Telegraph, booze and gambling are disappearing as well. The work of Christian missionaries from the west? Hardly. Damien McElroy reports that Iraqi Christians made strong showings in such trades until post-Saddam Muslim activists started shutting them down. Saddam used Christian churches that would pledge loyalty as a wedge against fundamentalist opponents, writes Stan Guthrie, in a fascinating report on Iraqi Presbyterians for Christianity Today; without his protection, Iraqi Christians accustomed to lives of relative privilege may flee the country. Yonan Ibrahim, an Iraqi Christian liquor dealer, predicted as much inUSA Today months before the invasion. Even conservative Christian sites such asCrosswalk.com seem concerned with Bush’s lack of planning for the safety of Iraqi Christians, who make up 3% of that country’s population — a tiny minority that may loom large in months to come, in Iraq and at home.