Böcker av Benedict Rogers

Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant provides the first-ever account of Than Shwe's journey from postal clerk to dictator, analyzing his rise through the ranks of the army, his training in psychological warfare, his belief in astrology, his elimination of rivals and his ruthless suppression of dissent.

On Palm Sunday 2013, in St Mary's Cathedral, Rangoon, Burma, Benedict Rogers was baptised, confirmed and received into the Church by Cardinal Bo, with Lord Alton as his sponsor. This book tells the remarkable story of his journey to the Catholic Faith, through the lives of those who inspired him, from Burma to Rome.Benedict Rogers has travelled extensively in Asia, reporting on human rights violations and conflict and acting as an advocate for religious freedom. This work has taken him to North Korea, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, East Timor, Burma and beyond. Through his travels, he encountered courageous Catholics whose faith and lives inspired him: Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan, assassinated in 2011; Bishop Carlos Belo and the fearless nun, Sister Lourdes, in East Timor; and Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong. Catholics in public life in Britain, such as Colonel Chris Keeble, the man who took the Argentine surrender at the Battle of Goose Green in the Falklands War, also played a significant part in his path to conversion. Further inspiration came from Catholic writers - G. K. Chesterton, Thomas Merton, Malcolm Muggeridge, Scott Hahn and Pope Benedict XVI. But it was Burma's first Cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, who played the crucial role, inviting him into the Church in Burma.

All too often, missions have been narrowly defined as evangelism or at best, extending to practical, physical social action such as medical mission or education. On the Side of the Angels argues that human rights and justice need to be reclaimed by evangelical Christians and that human rights work should be seen as central to Kingdom mission, not just regarded as a secondary activity and labeled "political. "The book draws on the authors a first-hand experiences of places of persecution and oppression, including Burma, East Timor and India, along with their work of advocacy in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, United Nations and other forums. Its chapters include examining the biblical basis for activism, real-life stories of crimes against humanity, religious persecution, torture, discrimination and injustice. Concrete examples of how to do advocacy and inspiring examples of great Christian human rights activists, past and present, will motivate and challenge readers to be advocates of God as love and justice.

For more than 50 years, Burma has been ruled by a succession of military regimes which rank among the most oppressive dictatorships in the world. Accused of crimes against humanity, they have brutally mistreated their people. This book explains the country's conflicted history, as well as its contemporary struggle for justice.