ChristianUnion Interview (Excerpt)
I was interviewed by a magazine (from the ChristianUnion). I told them what motivates me to be a candidate for the Amsterdam City Council in the next elections. Here is an excerpt. The whole English translation you wil find on my personal blog: Yet I Will Rejoice.
(Question about my personal opinion about contemporary Amsterdam)
...Personally, I think engaging with the city of Amsterdam, as a Christian resident, is not a choice but a Christian duty. A Ukranian church leader once told be about his first Amsterdam visit. He cried over what he saw, drug abuse, prostitution, agression,...
My initial reaction was: 'don't exaggerate, this happens everywhere in the world'. However, I often had to think back of our conversation. I realized: it is NOT normal that Amsterdam is worldfamous for its drugs and prostitution; it is NOT normal that our economy has become so dependent on abuse. And it is NOT normal that Amsterdam is a center of drug trafficking, trade in weaponry and trade in women. The more I think about this, the more I realize I cannot remain unaffected by all the injustice.
One of the easier but - I believe - also more effective ways of showing that you care for Amsterdam, is to vote ChristianUnion in these elections!
(Question about the ChristianUnion and the environment)
I think the ChristianUnion is already one of the greenest parties in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the ChristianUnion could raise awareness of the environment with Christians. I have to say that often Christians are somewhat uncaring about the environment. One of the greatest challenges of our time is being claimed by other social groups than the Christian community.
I do not encourage us to become tree huggers. However, I think an active stance on a better environment is necessary, furthermore it will make a good impression on non-Chrisians as well. This way we show that Christianity has answers for contemporary problems and that Christianity is an excellent alternative to political philosophies.
Maybe the ChristianUnion could start by changing the discours in the fields of economics and society. Usually people talk about the growth of the Gross National Product (GNP), but if you begin to understand what God produces through nature: clean air, food, energy, wood,... So many blessings need to be treated with gratitude.
I believe that when we start pursuing a better environmental policy, we will soon find out that God really made us to be good stewards of His creation.
www.amsterdam.christenunie.nl
Amsterdam, social justice, politics
(Question about my personal opinion about contemporary Amsterdam)
...Personally, I think engaging with the city of Amsterdam, as a Christian resident, is not a choice but a Christian duty. A Ukranian church leader once told be about his first Amsterdam visit. He cried over what he saw, drug abuse, prostitution, agression,...
My initial reaction was: 'don't exaggerate, this happens everywhere in the world'. However, I often had to think back of our conversation. I realized: it is NOT normal that Amsterdam is worldfamous for its drugs and prostitution; it is NOT normal that our economy has become so dependent on abuse. And it is NOT normal that Amsterdam is a center of drug trafficking, trade in weaponry and trade in women. The more I think about this, the more I realize I cannot remain unaffected by all the injustice.
One of the easier but - I believe - also more effective ways of showing that you care for Amsterdam, is to vote ChristianUnion in these elections!
(Question about the ChristianUnion and the environment)
I think the ChristianUnion is already one of the greenest parties in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the ChristianUnion could raise awareness of the environment with Christians. I have to say that often Christians are somewhat uncaring about the environment. One of the greatest challenges of our time is being claimed by other social groups than the Christian community.
I do not encourage us to become tree huggers. However, I think an active stance on a better environment is necessary, furthermore it will make a good impression on non-Chrisians as well. This way we show that Christianity has answers for contemporary problems and that Christianity is an excellent alternative to political philosophies.
Maybe the ChristianUnion could start by changing the discours in the fields of economics and society. Usually people talk about the growth of the Gross National Product (GNP), but if you begin to understand what God produces through nature: clean air, food, energy, wood,... So many blessings need to be treated with gratitude.
I believe that when we start pursuing a better environmental policy, we will soon find out that God really made us to be good stewards of His creation.
www.amsterdam.christenunie.nl
Amsterdam, social justice, politics
posted by Sander Chan at 12:36 AM
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