Charity in the Face of Outrage

Charitable giving, philanthropy, is an important facet of personal financial planning. Two religious observances that dominate the late winter/early spring calendar bring immediacy to charity given tragedy and barbarity around the world.

Christians observe Lent this year from February 18 to April 12, a prelude to Good Friday and Easter, pondering the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the heart of Christian faith. For Jews, the observance of Purim on March 15-16 has special significance as Jews are under attack in Europe and the Middle East in particular.

Lent asks Christians to emphasize prayer, fasting, and alms giving. Fasting is not just giving up some favorite food or drink; it is also good works, “stepping out of the boat” to go beyond routine in service to the poor, hungry, the sick and suffering, the oppressed. How does that impact your use of time, talent, and treasure?

The Jewish festival of Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia (today’s Iran) from a plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day.” Aside from reminding us that history repeats and that all humans must be on guard against savagery and intolerance, the themes of Purim emphasize friendship and unity as well of gifts of food to friends in solidarity.

Muslims slaughter Muslims because they are of the wrong sect in Islam. Christians, Jews, Americans, and Europeans are being killed just because they exist. The only continent free of strife and attacks on freedom is Antarctica.

I have travelled in the Middle East, before the Arab Spring, and after. Having been to Egypt before the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and then again, after, I was shocked at the mess Egypt has become. From a cruise ship docked at Alexandria and Port Said, I did not wish to go into Cairo or visit the pyramids, having done that. Instead I hired a guide for a series of private tours, including a trip into the Sinai Desert to the former Israeli military headquarters established in 1967 after capture of the Sinai Peninsula in the Six Day War (now an Egyptian park). Our female guide and male driver were young friends, both Coptic Christians. They said that their church had been burned down by a Muslim mob.

A friend recently received a communication from Ramez Atallah,

General Director, The Bible Society of Egypt. He noted mourning in Egypt for the 21 young Christian men slaughtered by ISIS in Libya because they were “People of the Cross.” The men were from poor villages and in Libya to work.

Reacting to the gruesome ISIS video of the beheading of the Coptic Christians, one young woman at The Bible Society said that, while sad, she was “encouraged.” Asked how that could be she said, “I am encouraged because I know that what we have been taught in history books about Egyptian Christians being martyred for their faith is not just history but that there are Christians today who are brave enough to face death rather than deny their Lord! When I saw these young men praying as they were being prepared for execution and then many of them shouting ‘O Lord Jesus’ as their throats were being slit, I realized that the Gospel message can still help us to hold on to the promises of God even when facing death!”

Ever since Cain slew Abel, history has recorded periods of slaughter, attempts to exterminate people and groups because of ethnicity and beliefs. ISIS floated the beheading video in Egypt to foment sectarian strife between Christians and Muslims. Islamic extremists intended to provoke the 10 million Christians in Egypt to rise up violently against their Muslim neighbors. Egypt reacted by launching airstrikes against ISIS.

Besides resisting and speaking out against intolerance, we can pray for the afflicted, and help victims with charitable giving. A wide variety of organizations, faith-based and other, are doing great work in Africa, the Middle East, and other places. I have a friend who is a coordinator for Doctors Without Borders and their work absolutely is heroic.

We are at war. We must equip the defenders, support the warriors, and aid and comfort the wounded and the displaced. We all have a dog in this fight even as we give thanks and pray for the safety of our own holy places and communities.

Lewis Walker is President of Walker Capital Management, LLC. Certain advisory services offered through The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. (SFA). Lewis Walker is a registered representative of SFA which is otherwise unaffiliated with Walker Capital Management, LLC. lewisw@theinvestmentcoach.com