Russia attack in Syria recently

Syria has been in the news almost daily for the last 17 months. Over 18,000 people have lost their lives. And recent developments including the defection of the Prime Minister, and the bombing deaths of both the country's Defense Minister and also President Assad's brother-in-law--the Deputy Defense Minister, have caused the situation to deteriorate even further. So what do we need to know about what is happening in Syria and why? To understand the present, we must look at history. Christians have a special tie to Syria--it was just outside Damascus that (then) Saul of Tarsus, had his miraculous encounter with the risen Jesus and was subsequently converted from Christian persecutor to one of the most dynamic Christian evangelists who has ever lived. And it was on Straight Street in Damascus (which can still be seen today), that Paul's sight was restored, he was baptized and he began to preach for the first time. Damascus-first mentioned in Genesis and called the oldest capital city in the world, has been continuously inhabited since around 2500 B.C. Damascus is "holy land" for Christians. Even today, between 10-20% of the people in Syria are Christians. But since the uprising is primarily a conflict regarding Muslim control of the country, many Christians in the Western world don't understand the relevance to their own lives. Father Nadim Nassar is the first and only Episcopal Priest of Syrian descent in the Church of England. He is also the Founder and Director of The Awareness Foundation in London--a Christian education agency seeking to help Christians be more confident in their own faith and still remain open to their neighbors of differing faiths in order to peacefully co-exist. Because of his nationality and his work, he has a unique perspective on the situation in Syria and recently spoke with me about why the outcome is so critical--not only to the Arab world, but also to Christians and to the West.

 

Source: Military Nuka and technology