Putin over my shoulder
by Brian Grim
Flying above the globe, I realized that the deranged ambition of the man over my shoulder in the 2014 picture above (Putin) has unleashed what could spiral into WWIII. My flight was nonstop from New York to New Delhi, across Europe and the Black Sea, south of Ukraine and Russia and onwards to the Caspian Sea, then over Afghanistan and Pakistan. And if you missed it, a misfired Indian missile had just flown into Pakistan the day before (we did zigzag near the end).
The picture at the top was of the Q&A with faculty following my 2014 talk on the socio-economic benefits of religious freedom in dialogue with the rector (president) of Russia’s National Nuclear University (MEPhI). MEPhI had just launched a Theology Department and opened a chapel for students, aiming to encourage them to apply faith and ethics to their professional and scientific lives (see RFBF Press Release and MEPhI Press in Russian or English translation.)
As we deplore Putin’s war and stand with Ukraine’s people, I also mourn for the oppression of the people in Russia who sought, even in the unlikely place of a nuclear university, to introduce free thought and open the door for religious freedom.
It is for those who have lost their voice — wherever they are on our small globe — that I dedicate my work. Freedom of religion and belief for all is definitely an antidote to what ails society when put to practice through Covenantal Pluralism. Now is the time to increase our efforts; please consider getting involved!