Not paying electricity bills can be deadly

I was astonished this morning while listening to the BBC and hearing that in New Zealand, a sick woman, Mrs Folole Muliaga passed away because she did not pay her electricity bills.

Actually, the woman was very sick, and had to breath with the help of an oxygen machine. When the guy from the company came to cut the power off, he was warned by the relatives that it could be deadly to the woman. However, and according to the BBC account, the guy from the company coldly said something like "i'm doing my job, am here to cut power off" and that's what he did. Mrs Folole Muliaga, a mother of four, died two hours later at the age of forty-four, victim of the system.

I wonder.

Apparently humans are lacking their humanity lately.

Pictures from Portugese friends visiting Gent

Some weeks ago, at the beginning of April, a good friend of mine, Sara Rodrigues, from Porto, visited Gent together with her husband Manuel and son Joao. What a wonderful opportunity to meet each other and catch-up on the news and developments in our respective lives and carreers. We spent the afternoon walking in the centrum of the city, making some pictures, which i'm sharing now. Sara is now part of the HECTOR project, a kind of continuation of the DAFNE initiative, but this time focusing on the out-of home eating. We did actually eat out of home that day ;-)

As you can see, the day was rather cold, though it was spring already. We also faced some rain intentions, but nothing serious.



Sara also defended her phd thesis recently, so she is the third of the DAFNE-III people in doing so (if i'm not mistaken). Congratulations dear friend! though it was such a stress, the expected outcome is there, and you got your PhD. Now it is over, and you don't have to write another tesis ever!

It was also a good opportunity to meet the Joao, since my last visit to Porto dates from 2002, earlier than his actual birth.

We visited a couple of places, had a good "warm chocolate" in the area of the Patershol, and basically followed Joao's rythm. It's a different approach to city-touring when you are with a 4y/o kid. Finally, as the picture shows, he accepted to make a picture with me, in front of the oldest houses in Gent centrum.

Friday

Well, the first week at the new job is gone. I'm starting to settle, and to get to know the names of all the colleagues. For them is easy to learn one name, for me a challenge to learn more than 35. I'm still struggling with the Burundi report. I hope to finalise it in the forthcoming days, so that the burden is taken off my shoulders.

The new job is interesting. The EU funded project is called Q-Porkchains, and our part is to determine the attitudes of citizens, consumers or not, with respect to the pork productions chains and products. It looks interesting, and it will be a challenge to produce the right questionnaires.

But weekend is starting soon :-)

BBC and Benedict 16th visiting Brazil

I was listening this morning to the BBC News. They were making a huge deal on the visit of Ratzinger to Brazil. Apparently, the main preocupation of the pope is the steady growth of evangelicalism in Latin America, and Brazil in particular. In the Spanish version, he accuses evangelicals of "stealing" or "taking away" catholics into their congregations.

Catholic concern

Brazil still enjoys the position as the largest Catholic country in the world, with some 125 million followers recorded in 2000. But according to the US Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, successive Brazilian censuses show the Catholic share of the population decreased by 4.1% in the 20 years from 1960 to 1980, and dropped almost three times as much in the next 20 years. By contrast, the number of Protestants increased by 2.6% between 1960 and 1980, but more than tripled the rate of increase in the following 20 years.

Probably it is important to make some points. Due to the legislations and the agreements between the Vatican and most of Latin American countries, each person that is born there becomes automatically (or is considered) a Roman Catholic. There is no choice or freedom. So, indeed from that point of view, of course Rome can feel that Chirsitans are getting their people in her detriment. However, it is also crucial to think how many "practicing" catholics are there. I would not say that many. Unless if by practicing we mean "people attending religious services for weddings and funerals". In most of Latin American countries, at least 25% of the population is evangelical. The majority of those Evangelicals are committed ones.

What bothers me from all the comments on the visit of Ratzinger to Brazil, is that very little is said about the syncretism of catholicism and paganism in the region. Almost nothing is said about doctrinal and theological differences that make the fact that so many people leave Rome. That people find a biblical faith, a true spiritual experience, hence the full gospel with the new challenges and hope is not even mentioned! They are still in the moral debate of abortion, as if that were the only point to be considered in the agenda. Lots is said about liberation theology (Leonardo Boff), and social involvement (two "aspects" that Joseph Ratzinger dislikes very much, and that probably could outweigth ... )

For Latin American Christians, particularly those coming from the revival movements, the pope is perceived as one of the main anti-Christ figures, (following the normal reformed theology), and linked with all historical faith persecutions against believers. Persecution happens still today in countries where catholicism remains the majour official religion (or the most powerful one).

BBC makes a very interesting statement: catholicism in Europe is very different from catholicism elsewhere. I would not be sure. To be one with the Roman church, they have to agree with all of it, and viceversa. Anyway, what all articles say is that Rome needs "vocations" ergo: new priests to counter balance the growth of the Evangelical Church. If Ratzinger expects to raise the "callings" of Brazilian priests he must also think of some political and strategic moves.

This made me think of the verse in Psal 127.1:

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

How do evangelicals undermine the message

I was visiting some blogs from wordpress.com and the following one captured my attention: How Pop-Evangelicals Undermine God in Evangelism. It is a very good and sound artcle, worht of reading.

Particularly now that some "emergent-movement" ideas have been going arround, not only in my church or this city, but in many places, I believe that whoever is the blog's author makes a good point. First of all, he tells the story of how mega -churches in the thirst of grotwth will develop strategies to get more and more people. But the surprise in the article is the lack of biblical perspective in the new methodology. Don't use the Bible in its original sense ... but use what is politically correct.

I just wanted to quote the following:

This really is perverted. See in effort to accommodate “seekers” or the “unchurched” or the “dechurched”, (unbelievers) they undermine the only message that can truly save their souls. It is no different than the doctor telling the guy with a tumor that he just has allergies. It is gospel malpractice. It is worse than being silent, it is misleading sinners and undermining God. God saves through his gospel of his son and this gospel is not up for revision. Evangelicals who try to get cute and smart (regardless of motives, for I do not know them) undermine God.

Whatever openness to "other gospels" or to accommodate the Bible to the "modern times" or "phylosophies" falls in the same category of perverted. Jesus himself warned his followers of those who would "change the message". I think that our calling is to remain firm and steady in the principles of the Kingdom, even to counterbalance perverted gospels.

Update II from Rome (colleagues)

Alessandra Pani

Lisa Paglietti

Ignace Bineyimana and Liesbeth Kellens

May 1st, Labour Day

I found this picture on the intranet here at the IFAD, while actually working on Labour Day. It made me think of how often people can have one public speech, which is different from what they actually have in their hearts. May God let us be men and women of integrity, that our words and actions reflect truly what is there in our hearts and minds.