THYME Magazine: Prisoner for His Faith

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume IX, Issue IV

Prisoner for His Faith

Last week Naghmeh Abedini, wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini, was finally granted a meeting with the President after two years of asking. Saeed, you may recall, is the United States citizen of Iranian ancestry who was arrested as a 'threat to national security' by the Iranians. His crime, meeting with local Christians as he worked to establish an orphanage in the country. Abedini became a Christian in 2000, converting from Islam. Though Christianity at that time was recognized as a 'minority religion,' Christians have been regularly subjected to persecution.

In July of 2012, Abedini, now a Pastor and an American Citizen, made his ninth trip to Iran since 2009. He visited his family and the orphanage project in Rasht. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confiscated his passports and placed him under house arrest. He was then transferred to Evin Prison, where he has been incarcerated since late September. In January of 2013 was sentenced to eight years in prison. Saeed has faced torture and horrible conditions in the prison as his family in America sought the attention of the administration on his behalf.

Though Secretary of State John Kerry has issued statements demanding his release, the administration presses ahead with nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Americans have seen dangerous Guantanamo prisoners exchanged for an American deserter who wanted to join the terrorists. All the while Pastor Saeed languished in a terrible prison. Fortunately the American Center for Law and Justice [click to read] has labored tirelessly to make Pastor Saeed's case known. We urge our readers to visit the ACLJ site and sign the petition for Pastor Saeed's release. [1.]

The President met for ten minutes with Naghmeh Abedini and the couple's two children: Jacob and Rebekka on a post-State of the Union Speech tour stopover in Boise, Idaho. He told them that their husband and father's freedom is a "top priority."

There can be little doubt that the tireless work of this fine organization and the heartfelt support of thousands of citizens has resulted in Naghmeh Saeed gaining the attention of those in Washington. Now we must not relent. America must not hammer out any deal that lifts sanctions while an innocent American citizen is illegally detained and tortured.

Binyamin Netanyahu to Speak

On March 3, 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC. His subject will be the situation in Iran as regards to weapons and the policy the free world must follow in dealing with this nation. Our elected representatives need to heed his clear warning. It is not coincidental that the date the Prime Minister was originally invited to speak to Congress, February 11, is the anniversary of the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi thirty-six years ago.

The invitation to address the joint session was given by Speaker John Boehner and the administration was caught off-guard since such invitations in the past have typically been coordinated first with the White House and the State Department. The President does not plan to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu. In the State of the Union Speech the President had threatened to veto a bill strengthening sanctions against Iran if negotiations failed to result in the curtailment of the country's nuclear enrichment program.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) says of the President's Iran policy: “The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran. And it feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization, when they are the ones with original sin, an illicit nuclear weapons program going back over the course of 20 years that they are unwilling to come clean on. So I don’t know why we feel compelled to make their case.” [2.] 

With Obama’s diplomatic policy toward Iran enabling rather than preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power, members of the House and Senate are seeking a credible, unwavering voice that offers an alternative path. For the past 20 years, Netanyahu has been the global leader most outspoken about the need to take all necessary measures to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, not only for Israel’s benefit, but to protect the entire free world. From the perspective of the congressional leadership, then, inviting Netanyahu to speak was a logical move." -- The Jerusalem Post [3.]

There is little doubt that Tehran under President Hassan Rouhani has aspirations to become a power, at least in the region. [4.][5.]


Saeed Abedini and his children, Jacob and Rebekka.

Photos of Lynchburg Virginia


Houses on Garland Hill, Lynchburg, Virginia.
Photo by Bob Kirchman


Piedmont Flour Mill, Lynchburg,Virginia.
Photo by Bob Kirchman


Amazement Square, Lynchburg, Virginia.
Photo by Bob Kirchman

THYME Magazine: Letter from Rajai Shahr Prison

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VIII, Issue XXVa

A Message from Pastor Saeed
From ACLJ

Rajai Shahr Prison 2014

Merry Christmas!

These days are very cold here. My small space beside the window is without glass making most nights unbearable to sleep. The treatment by fellow prisoners is also quite cold and at times hostile. Some of my fellow prisoners don’t like me because I am a convert and a pastor. They look at me with shame as someone who has betrayed his former religion. The guards can’t even stand the paper cross that I have made and hung next to me as a sign of my faith and in anticipation of celebrating my Savior’s birth. They have threatened me and forced me to remove it. This is the first Christmas that I am completely without my family; all of my family is presently outside of the country. These conditions have made this upcoming Christmas season very hard, cold and shattering for me. It appears that I am alone with no one left beside me.

These cold and brittle conditions have made me wonder why G-d chose the hardest time of the year to become flesh and why He came to the earth in the weakest human condition (as a baby). Why did G-d choose the hardest place to be born in the cold weather? Why did G-d choose to be born in a manger in a stable, which is very cold, filthy and unsanitary with an unpleasant smell? Why did the birth have to be in such a way that it was not only hard physically, but also socially? It must have brought such shame for Mary and her fiancé that she was pregnant before marriage in the religious society of that time.

Dear sisters and brothers, the fact of the Gospel is that it is not only the story of Jesus, but it is the key of how we are to live and serve like Jesus. Today we like Him should come out of our safe comfort zone in order to proclaim the Word of Life and Salvation though faith in Jesus Christ and the penalty of sin that He paid on the cross and to proclaim His resurrection. We should be able to tolerate the cold, the difficulties and the shame in order to serve G-d. We should be able to enter into the pain of the cold dark world. Then we are able to give the fiery love of Christ to the cold wintery manger of those who are spiritually dead. It might be necessary to come out of the comfort of our lives and leave the loving embrace of our family to enter the manger of the lives of others, such as it has been for me for the third consecutive Christmas. It may be that we will be called fools and traitors and face many difficulties, but we should crucify our will and wishes even more until the world hears and tastes the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas means that G-d came so that He would enter your hearts today and transform your lives and to replace your pain with indescribable joy.

Christmas is the manifestation of the radiant brightness of the Glory of G-d in the birth of a child named Emmanuel, which means G-d is with us.

Christmas is the day that the heat of the life-giving fire of G-d’s love shone in the dark cold wintry frozen hearts and burst forth in this deadly wicked world.

The same way that the heat from the earth’s core melts the hard stones in itself and produces lava, the fiery love of G-d, Jesus Christ, through the virgin Mary’s womb came to earth on Christmas to melt the hard heart of sin and wickedness of the world and removes them from our life. In the same process, the work of the Holy Spirit is a fiery rain of G-d’s Holiness and Mercy that flows into our body, soul and spirit and brings the light of Christ into us and through us making this dark, cold, wintry world into radiant burning brightness. He is turning our world into a world full of peace, joy, and love that is so different than the dark, cold, and wintry world that we used to live in. Hallelujah!

So this Christmas let the lava-like love of Christ enter into the depth of your heart and make you fiery, ready to pay any cost in order to bring the same lava love to the cold world around you, transforming them with the true message of Christmas.

Pastor Saeed Abedini Soaking in the lava love of Christ [1.]


Saeed Abedini and his children.


"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." -- Psalm 91:4 Photo by Bob Kirchman


Heart shape found on Betsy Bell Mountain in Staunton, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXI

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- American Declaration of Independence.

The Divine Design
In Defense of 'Self Evident Truth'

There is in nature an element of beauty that transcends functionality. Observation of the created world leads us to see something of the nature of the Creator. Thus it is significant that the framers of our original documents saw the dignity and significance of individual men as rooted in the concept of Imago Dei -- that mankind was created in the image of the Divine. Consider the impact that observation has had on the affairs of mankind. Two hundred years ago these principles were invoked as the foundations for our nation. No, slavery was not immediately abolished and sin was not obliterated... but that such principles were laid as foundation for our revolution led to a place where they formed a clear and unmistakable map for our future direction.

Indeed these principles predate the American experiment, finding expression in the work of men such as John Locke. England's own move from absolute monarchy to Parliamentary government, as seen in her 'Glorious Revolution,' gave wind to the sails of representative government and individual dignity. William Wilberforce's faith led him to fight for decades to abolish slavery. He is most remembered for this but he also championed reform of the culture and humane treatment of animals. History shows us time and time again, that conviction and passion lead to action. What a person truly believes will direct his steps. That is why we should indeed ask our leaders what they believe. It affects their leadership!

Well into the Twentieth Century, we still find faith directed persons in conflict with the degrading of humanity. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a prime example. The Lutheran theologian could not keep his faith 'personal' as the National Socialists oppressed the Jews. He spoke out against it. Then he joined in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Many 'modern thinkers' will likely be repelled by the thought that a Christian's faith could be reconciled with the assassination plot. But consider this: Hitler's 'beliefs' in a superior race led to the deaths of millions of people. Hitler implemented HIS beliefs unashamedly. When the smoke had cleared over six million Jews, scores of Gypsies and other 'undesirables,' homosexuals and "Righteous Gentiles" lay dead!

Why do we universally condemn Hitler? 'Self Evident Truth' tells us to. In fact, without such self evident truth, we can actually argue for the elimination of those 'not like us' with some authority. This is the frightening dark side of Relativism. If nothing is 'right' or 'wrong,' then NOTHING is 'right' or 'wrong!' Pro-choice arguments for abortion reside here. Locke is careful to temper the reality of human freedom with the moral obligation to respect the freedoms of others. This underlying concern leads us to condemn slavery, leads to the actions of the 'Righteous Gentiles' and now leads us to plead the cause of the unseen unborn!

So, what do we do when modern leaders insist that we not question their beliefs? I think history tells us to question them anyway! What a man truly believes will indeed shape his actions. Simple due diligence requires that we ask our leaders to share the basis upon which they will act. To be fair, Barack Hussein Obama did so in his book: Dreams of My Father. The Obamas occassionally attend St. John’s Church, an Episcopalian church in Washington, but when he was a young Chicago politician he freely chose to attend the church of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a disciple of Black Liberation Theologian James Cone. This association with Liberation Theology would be in keeping with his father's stated Anti-colonialism.

Of course, privately held beliefs have no effect on public policy, right? If you consider Obama's policies carefully, you will find a Justice Department that overlooks VOTER INTIMIDATION by the New Black Panther Party while Obama's State Department virtually ignores the plight of evangelical Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American imprisoned in Iran! Obama's boyhood is remarkably removed from that of a typical American who would have experienced church picnics, Fourth of July celebrations and such. He studied at a Muslim school in Indonesia and was introduced to Hanuman the Monkey God by his stepfather Lolo.

While the American experience is quite tolerant of diversity, it is not at all unreasonable to ask a PRESIDENT what he believes. When Obama made a quite contorted and subservient bow to the Saudi King, Americans are right to ask what this means? If I am disturbed that Eric Holder's acceptance of voter intimidation seems similar to the 'righting of wrongs' between tribes in post-colonial Africa, is it unreasonable for me as a citizen journalist to draw comparisons to the ideals of Dreams of My Father? One only has to look at Uganda and Rwanda to see the results when settling the score for the oppressed peoples of the world becomes the goal rather than elevating the human condition.

The American experiment, rooted in a sense of Divinely ordained principle, created unprecedented opportunity for scores of people. Contrast that with the wreckage of a slew of Socialist 'utopias' that descended all too rapidly into dystopia. It would seem to me that America's founding, based on Divine insight into the nature of man, has produced far more good than subsequent attempts to 'reform' institutions with NO regard for Divine insight. That is at the heart of why I must be in Washington on May 16 to stand against those who would 'fundamentally change' that nation based on self evident truths.

Standing for Truth [click to listen], Some thoughts from Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery.

How Do You Kill 11 Million People [click to listen], Are there really similarities between Nazi Germany and the government of the United States?  NY Times Best-selling author Andy Andrews answers that very question, while also helping us discover a way to turn our country back to the truth on which it was founded.