Friday, January 11, 2008 at 1:01am
Can God help Kenya?
Column: Executive Soul
Can God help Kenya? With the rioting and violence that erupted after its Dec. 27 election, the country is in crisis.
Kenya, 77 percent Christian and 10 percent Muslim, is a country that knows God's reality. But according to Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of South Africa, Kenyans do not share the Western preoccupation with questioning God's existence and God's power. The African mindset is different, as Tutu explains:
"Our people do not doubt that God exists. Nor do they need to be convinced that God is good and omnipotent."
During this time of crisis, Kenyan calls to prayer abound, and for the most part, the people have no doubt that God exists and that God is good. Their question is whether their leaders will listen to God.
Religious leaders have significant influence in Kenya. As a case in point, last week Archbishop Tutu flew to Nairobi on a mediation mission where he was able to gain hearings with both President Mwai Kibaki and with Kibaki's opponent, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
In a Jan. 9 Reuters interview, Tutu was sanguine:
"I don't think we should be too despondent. The situation is like a kind of a rollercoaster. Sometimes you get to be on a high, because it looks as if things are promising, and then you plumb the depths, because something has happened or somebody said something."
He observed that both Kibaki and Odinga had expressed openness to talks during his meetings with them.
So the answer to the question posed in this column's title is "Of course." God can help Kenya. Kenyans know the reality and power of God. What remains to be seen is if and how current Kenyan leaders can set aside their egos and be open to God's help, through prayer, and by drawing on the rich resource of their country's and continent's religious leaders. To the extent that Kibaki and Odinga can let go of their egos, be true to their souls, and seek truth and justice, they will come up with a way forward that ultimately will put their country's best interests front and center.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2008 by Margaret Benefiel.
Kenya, 77 percent Christian and 10 percent Muslim, is a country that knows God's reality. But according to Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of South Africa, Kenyans do not share the Western preoccupation with questioning God's existence and God's power. The African mindset is different, as Tutu explains:
"Our people do not doubt that God exists. Nor do they need to be convinced that God is good and omnipotent."
During this time of crisis, Kenyan calls to prayer abound, and for the most part, the people have no doubt that God exists and that God is good. Their question is whether their leaders will listen to God.
Religious leaders have significant influence in Kenya. As a case in point, last week Archbishop Tutu flew to Nairobi on a mediation mission where he was able to gain hearings with both President Mwai Kibaki and with Kibaki's opponent, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
In a Jan. 9 Reuters interview, Tutu was sanguine:
"I don't think we should be too despondent. The situation is like a kind of a rollercoaster. Sometimes you get to be on a high, because it looks as if things are promising, and then you plumb the depths, because something has happened or somebody said something."
He observed that both Kibaki and Odinga had expressed openness to talks during his meetings with them.
So the answer to the question posed in this column's title is "Of course." God can help Kenya. Kenyans know the reality and power of God. What remains to be seen is if and how current Kenyan leaders can set aside their egos and be open to God's help, through prayer, and by drawing on the rich resource of their country's and continent's religious leaders. To the extent that Kibaki and Odinga can let go of their egos, be true to their souls, and seek truth and justice, they will come up with a way forward that ultimately will put their country's best interests front and center.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2008 by Margaret Benefiel.