Some Thoughts on Current Affairs

When government officials are arrested, tried and convicted for embezzlement, what happens to the stolen wealth? In Cameroon for example, obscene amounts of money have been stolen by ministers and directors in charge of large public funds. A few of these criminals are currently serving time at the nation's central prison; Kondengui. This includes the likes of Alain Mebe Ng'o, Gervais Mendo Ze and Marafa Hamidou Yaya. So a few weeks ago when I came across this story on Mexico auctioning off pricey possessions of criminals, it got me thinking. What if the money stolen through embezzlement is actually recovered by a qualified and reliable body? This way the money can be put to excellent use in these poor African countries where corruption is still a major problem. We are talking about amounts as large as 152 million US dollars! The convictions in Cameroon usually come with an order to refund the money to the State, but who follows up on that? Not to mention that it will be unwise to have the government recover these funds, because chances are they will be misappropriated again, unless the government strategically puts new measures in place to prevent theft and hold responsible parties accountable. However, if an external entity is called upon by international bodies like Transparency International, the United Nations, even the World Bank, to recover the stolen funds and put it to good use in the country from which it was stolen, it will go a long way towards reducing dependence on foreign aid and foreign intervention. Road infrastructure, access to health care and education are just a few examples of basic needs that these funds can be directed towards, and have tremendous impact.

Now let's talk about what is going on in Venezuela, actually summarized in this article. There is no denying the fact that Nicolas Maduro's government is seriously flawed and it will most likely do the country good to have him replaced. This is actually almost the same thing happening in Cameroon, but why is it not receiving the attention the United States and the rest of the world is giving Venezuela? The US and several other EU countries have publicly declared their support for the opposition, led by Juan Guaido, with the US has even imposing several sanctions on Venezuela to worsen the economic situation in the country and force Maduro to step down. What about Cameroon? Cameroon is suffering severely from a far more corrupt and ineffective government led by long-time president Paul Biya whose leadership has led to the escalating crisis that has claimed thousands of lives. This crisis has not only prevented hundreds of thousands of children from receiving an education, it has also resulted in many of these children becoming child soldiers. Despite these horrors, the international community stays silent. Any intelligent body that cared to follow the 2018 elections would have concluded that they were rigged and unfair. But who has questioned Biya's supposed re-election? Who supported the opposition (led by Maurice Kamto)? How many sanctions have been levied on the Cameroonian government?

So a few weeks ago Joshua Harris publicly rejected his Christian faith. This one hit me real bad because about seven years ago, I read and was strongly impacted by a book he wrote titled "I kissed Dating Goodbye." How could someone whom I believed to have been so inspired by the Holy Spirit up and reject Christ? That is truly scary...could I do the same someday? God forbid. God help me. This tragic news finally got to me only a couple of Sundays ago, the day our pastor happened to preach on Hebrews 6, and of course the debate on whether salvation could be lost or not was touched on.

Hebrews 6:4-6 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."

So in this case, has Joshua lost his salvation? or was he never really saved? or has he not lost his salvation? I happen to be one of those who finds it hard not to believe that these verses are actually talking about losing one's salvation. They are in fact preceded by a warning to grow spiritually after being saved. Moreover only those who are truly saved partake of the Holy Spirit, and therefore these can also fall away. It's not that God will not forgive such a person if he repents, it is that such a person will not even come to that place of repentance again. For the grace to believe and confess Christ is not our doing but God's. Furthermore if Adam and Eve could disobey and fall away from perfection, so can we. Or else the New Testament will not be full of warnings. But let us not make the mistake of depending on ourselves to remain in Christ. Let's rely on God alone to keep us from falling away.