When Governments Stumble

Freeth MBE Ben

Description

Ben Freeth established his credentials to write on this topic through his courageous and successful resistance to the bullying tactics employed by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe to throw him and his family off their land, a story told in Mugabe and the White African. He now throws his net wider to ask: what response should Christians make to corruption and injustice when perpetrated by governments? Justice is a fundamental aspect of the Judeo-Christian faith. Ben explores this theme through his own experience of government oppression in Zimbabwe, and through contemporary instances where Christians have ' or have not ' stood up to be counted. He considers the Biblical injunction to obey your rulers, and examines the issues of fear and complacency: sometimes Christians are compromised by their relationship with the ruling group. What is our duty? Most Christians feel powerless. What can we actually do, as individuals, and as a group?

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 16 octobre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857214836
• Langue: English

Extrait

Text copyright © 2013 Ben Freeth
This edition copyright © 2013 Lion Hudson
 
The right of Ben Freeth to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
 
Published by Monarch Books an imprint of Lion Hudson plc Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Email: [e-mail] www.lionhudson.com/monarch
 
ISBN 978 0 85721 374 7 e-ISBN 978 0 85721 483 6
 
First edition 2013
 
Text acknowledgments
Every effort has been made to trace the original copyright holders where required. In some cases this has proved impossible. We shall be happy to correct any such omissions in future editions.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790. Extracts (marked KJV) from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
pp. 48–49: Extract from The Zimbabwean , May 2012. Reprinted by kind permission of The Zimbabwean , www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
 
Picture acknowledgments
p. 1: Time & Life Pictures/Getty (top); United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (middle); Wiener Library/epa/Corbis (bottom)
p. 2: Corbis (top left); AP/TopFoto (top right); ITAR-TASS Photo Agency/Alamy (bottom)
p. 3: Forum/UIG/The Bridgeman Art Library (top left); HMK/Release International (top middle); World History Archive/TopFoto (top right); János Antal, ecumenical officer (Reformed Church in Romania) (bottom)
p. 4: Royal Geographical Society, London, UK/The Bridgeman Art Library (top left); Michael Graham-Stewart/The Bridgeman Art Library (top right); Eric Fick (bottom)
p. 5: Robin Hammond/Panos (top and middle); Anonymous for security reasons (bottom)
p. 6: AP/Press Association (top and middle); Solidarity Peace Trust (bottom)
p. 7: Gallo Images/Reuters (top); Robin Hammond/Panos (middle); Ben Freeth (bottom left); Anonymous for security reasons (bottom right)
p. 8: AP/Press Association (top); Peau D’ane supplied by Claire Freeth (bottom)
 
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
 
 
You are holding a prophetic book that is both profoundly disturbing and challenging. This step-by-step exposé is an articulate universal call for socio-political justice that must not go unheeded. Let not Zimbabwe’s extreme pain be in vain.
Alexander F. Venter – Pastor, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Johannesburg
 
Ben Freeth is a man of strong Christian faith – full of love and forgiveness for those who have brought great suffering upon him and his family. In this book, he looks at what it means to be persecuted for one’s faith and the times when God calls upon the church to make a stand. It is a reminder that our faith is nothing if we are not prepared to give everything.
Revd Nicky Gumbel, pioneer of Alpha and Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London
 
This book is a very courageous endeavour to bring to light the terrible injustices in Zimbabwe. It appeals to all Christian people to be faithful to what God is asking us to do: to stand for truth and not to forget justice, mercy, and faithfulness. I believe this book will be used mightily. It is a compelling read.
General the Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, Chief of the General Staff 2006-2009
 
A must read for Christians who take Jesus at his word, believing we must be “salt” and “light” in an unjust world.
Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu
 
Ben Freeth raises the fundamental question of, what would Christ do in the face of gross injustice and extreme violations of human rights? His exploration of his faith, as the wellspring of his values, shows that the answer lies within the reach of us all.
Alice Mogwe, Director, Ditshwanelo – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights
 
“In the vehicle of a brutal dictatorship, fear is the petrol that keeps the engine going,” writes Ben Freeth. He calls on the church to fulfil its God-ordained role to challenge injustice and unrighteousness, and individuals to rally behind the truth so that the curtain of lies and deception that keep ruthless regimes in power can be torn down.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, British explorer and author
 
It is a long, long road, the road to justice and peace in Zimbabwe. Ben Freeth’s personal story of standing up to violence and intimidation by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe sets us a challenge – one way or another wherever we face oppression, we must all take our stand. Black and white together, we must stand for justice, and pray for peace. Love and justice must pervade our environment if we are to embrace peace.
Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
 
Jesus invaded Ben’s horror story with astonishing grace. He stirs us to passion, longing, and hope. May his testimony persuade many to pursue truth and justice in our own lands.
Jackie Pullinger MBE, founder of the St Stephen’s Society, Hong Kong
 
This piece of work is an excellent account of what happens when rulers fail. It is done according to the one real test of a successful ruler, namely whether that ruler succeeded or failed his or her God-given calling to uphold true justice and to protect the lives, dignity and property of his or her subordinates.
Willie Spies, legal representative: AfriForum, South Africa
 

 

 
Ben Freeth MBE is a British-born Zimbabwean farmer who successfully sued Mugabe in an international court in 2008. Since winning the suit he has been harassed and his farm burnt to the ground. His family’s story was told in a compelling and award-winning documentary, Mugabe and the White African (2009), and subsequently in Ben’s first book with the same title (2011).
 
 

 
 
 
 
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword (Bear Grylls)
Would We Ignore?
1. A Departure from the Rule of Law and Justice in Zimbabwe
2. What Does God Call Us To Do?
3. How Nations Become Poor and Hungry
4. The Force of Fear and The Power of Love
5. Godly People Who Overcame Fear and Spoke Truth to Power
6. Jesus and the Law; Injustice and the Authorities
7. Pulling the Christian Thread through History
8. Rising Faith, Turning Tyranny: Sparks of Hope
9. The Truth Will Set You Free!
Postscript
Notes
 
 
 
 
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to all Christians who would take the courage to climb the mountain of the truth in days of persecution to come, and continue to stand on the top of it – however exposed or lonely a place it may appear to be.
 
 

Everyone who has helped with this book and in the often precarious stand for truth against the deceit and violence of evil men in authority knows who they are. My family and my friends and those who have supported the Mike Campbell Foundation have been absolutely amazing. May God bless you and make his face shine upon you, and may you be inspired to carry on standing for the truth. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 
 

 
Ben Freeth’s incredible Christian faith, courageous fight for the rule of law, ability to face fear, and his passion for his home country of Zimbabwe are qualities that I so admire in this humble yet determined man.
Taking on a dictator is no mean feat and he has had countless close shaves, notably the abduction and torture that almost cost his life and later took the life of his father-in-law, Mike Campbell.
When Governments Stumble is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that challenges people’s tendency throughout the ages to avoid confronting tyranny because the backlash is likely to be so brutal.
“As Christians,” he says, “I believe we have been led to fight for justice.” For Ben, Mike, and the family, this involved taking on the Mugabe government in a court case that challenged the violent invasion of commercial farms across the country. Throughout their confrontation with the Mugabe regime they knew the dangers: “A man can defend himself and his family from armed robbers, but not from an entire government,” he reasons.
Standing for justice under a dictatorship is the Mount Everest of faith. When law and order are stripped away – along with your home, livelihood, and possessions – you can only depend on God. This has been the case for people throughout Zimbabwe who were believed to pose a threat to the regime, including opposition party supporters, farm workers, and the urban and rural poor.
A mountain of faith is needed when the threat of an overcrowded, lice- and death-infested prison hangs over you because you have the temerity to stand against injustice, as so many brave innocents have discovered. Overcoming both moral fear and physical fear requires moral and physical courage.
Throughout the book Ben shows the relevance of Bible stories and parables – and their ethics – in modern-day life. He reminds us of godly men and women who overcame fear and defied the authorities, such as the midwives who refused to kill baby boys despite the explicit instructions of the Pharaoh, and Naboth, who refused to sell his vineyard, even under extreme duress.
Ben quotes Martin Luther King Jr: “No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for”, and cites examples like Daniel in the lion’s den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown bound into a burning, fiery furnace by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.
What is especially interesting in each case was the a