In the play Richelieu Bulwer-Lytton quipped the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword". Indeed, the word is more powerful than dictators.
As Christians we have a mandate to speak the good news to a world that sorely needs it. Christ stood in the temple and announced: "The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favour" (Luke 4:18).
On her sixteenth birthday, July 12, 2013 Malala Yousafzai spoke in the United Nations: "Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed.
"And out of that silence, came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born."
Malala adds, "The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them."
On July 12, at the United Nations, 600 of these young people from around the world raised their voices to call for a response to the "education emergency":
If world leaders, governments, civil society and the global community do not take decisive action now, the result is clear: the largest generation of youth in human history will be exposed to unemployment, poor health, civil unrest and increased vulnerability. We firmly believe that education is the most effective solution to poverty. We cannot afford not to educate the future generations of our planet - education is a smart investment.
Malala went on to say, "No one can stop us. We will speak up for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. We believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the whole world So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.Education is the only solution.
A Canadian youth offered this reaction: "The feeling in that chamber was exhilarating the voices of the world's youthwill carry this resolution through If we don't join her, that small girl in pink who inspired us, no matter how loud her voice, will disappear behind another wall of tall men, bureaucracy, and words without meaning or resolve"(Jaxson Khan). The Globe and Mail July 14, 2013.
As a Christian I echo the words of American poet Ezra Pound:
Be eager to find new evils and new good
Be against all forms of oppression
(from "Commission")
