Lausanne World Pulse – Bringing a Relevant and Holistic Message of Hope to a Broken World: A Case Study in Uganda

January 2008

By Dana Ryan

Child mothers in Uganda who escape from the Lord’s Resistance Army continue to suffer even after they obtain freedom.

A 19-year war in northern Uganda, initiated by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) against the government of Uganda, has subjected its people to brutality and violence beyond imagination. Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, abducts children from their homes to use as soldiers and sex slaves; sadly, since the start of the conflict, an estimated fifty thousand children have been abducted. Once the children are kidnapped, they are taken to a training camp where LRA soldiers beat and often disfigure them. Many of these children are forced to kill. They receive little food even while working up to twelve hours a day, and girls given to LRA officers as sex slaves are regularly raped. Girls who escape often return as child mothers with children they conceived as the “wives” of LRA rebels.

Proclaiming Christ to Traumatized and Victimized Children
How do we, as Christians, proclaim the message of Christ in this context? How do we tell children who have been abducted, traumatized and forced to kill that there is the hope of a kingdom of truth and light beyond the dark kingdom they have seen and experienced? Where do we even start?

While we know the gospel holds the power to bring freedom, hope and light, we must deliver the message while addressing the reality of a child who has been engaging in guerilla warfare or who has been sexually violated and abused. We must face all truth—even the truth of a broken, depraved world where children are exploited and power is used for corruption.

During Jesus’ ministry, he addressed the realities of his day head-on. He stood up for the rights of children (Luke 18:16) and rebuked corrupt religious leaders (Matthew 23:13-29). He proclaimed God’s kingdom with relevance. His example shows us how to declare the message of Christ as we walk in a world suffering from the consequences of sin.

As Jesus interacted with the crowds, he healed the sick and fed the hungry. He met the needs of the whole person. His attention to both physical and spiritual needs emphasizes the fact that a relationship with God involves the entire individual. We see this especially in Jesus’ admonishment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). We cannot speak to the needs of the soul while ignoring the needs of the body.

Dana Ryan is a writer at Food for the Hungry.