Honduras Government Promotes Large-Scale US Evangelical Mission Event

Honduras Newspaper

Charisma News reports:

The government of Honduras—including the department of governments, the military, the police and judicial departments—gathered this weekend with thousands of people, leading pastors and civic leaders for the first government transformation session for national change.

The event, given the name “1Nation1Day“, was organized by Missons.me, which in turn was founded by a certain Dominic Russo along with Jedidiah Thurner and Gabe Bahlhorn. However, Bahamian prosperity gospel evengelist Myles Munroe (previously discussed here) was also part of the action:

Myles Munroe was a special guest at the event Friday and delivered the powerful message “Transforming Politicians Into Leaders.” Honduras President [Porfirio] Lobo Sosa has invited Munroe to return to the country to continue his training.

We’re told that members of the military “rose to their feet” in response to his message.

Russo met Lobo Sosa ahead of the event back in March; the Christian Post reported Russo as saying that:

“We have almost 1,600 people already signed up to come with us to Honduras July 13-21. We have already shipped 10 containers of aid and we’re gathering eight more…. We’re going to be broadcast live in Honduras on the government channel. We’re going to be on every radio station in Honduras and broadcast hopefully across the world with a couple of different Christian networks.

“…I believe that President Lobo wants to see the challenges that the country faces overcome. I believe he wants to see healing, unity and peace. He wants to bridge the divide that currently exists.”

“I think he’s also a wise man and wants to open his arms to international investment. Having business leaders and students and ministry leaders all coming and focusing on his nation in one campaign, could only bring benefit to Honduras,” he added.

Lobo Sosa  – a conservative rancher – was elected in November 2009, six months after a coup removed Manuel Zelaya, who had attempted to call a referendum on allowing a Presidential re-election. Depending on who you read, Zelaya was ousted either because he had committed “an offense, in fact a wrongdoing that is tantamount to treason”, or because of “the Honduran oligarchy’s fear of what would happen if the people got a chance to write their own Constitution”.

Either way, though, there are serious concerns about human rights in the country; last month in the USA, 20 Democrat senators put their names to a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry:

Since June of 2009, international and Honduran human rights organizations have documented a pattern of violence and threats against journalists, human rights defenders, members of the clergy, union leaders, opposition figures, students, small farmers, and LGBT activists.  There are also recent reports of death squads working with police, and in some cases consisting of on- or off-duty police, to kill gang members even after they surrender. The Honduran Congress created a “Directorate for Investigation and Evaluation of the Police Career” in December 2011 to address corruption and criminality in the police force, but it has turned out to be a disappointing failure.  Only a handful of the hundreds of officers recommended for dismissal have been removed.  The Honduran judiciary routinely fails to prosecute human rights violations, and many other crimes go unpunished

The Honduran city of San Pedro Sula was recently described as the most violent city in the world; a recent NPR report noted the assessment of the country’s Minister for Justice and Human Rights, Ana Pineda:

She says the public doesn’t trust the government. Most agencies collude with organized crime or use the institutions for their own political power and wealth, a situation many say has increasingly worsened since the 2009 coup that ousted the left-of-center president.

Last year, the U.S. Congress held up funding to Honduras over concerns of alleged human rights abuses and corruption, particularly in the Honduran police force. Part of the funds are still on hold.

One looks forward to seeing the effect of further “training” from Myles Munroe.

One can’t help but recall uncritical support that was given by US evangelical leaders to Rios Montt back in the 1980s.