"Embracing 'Radical' Christianity Can Defeat Islamic State" published by The Huffington Post

My latest article, "Embracing 'Radical' Christianity Can Defeat Islamic State", was published by The Huffington Post. My central argument is this:

"The world body should be willing to try anything, even a solution which employs core spiritual ideas from a faith which finds itself peculiarly (and some say prophetically) targeted for annihilation by the Islamic State."

This is the essential issue of our era. Thanks for reading and sharing. - R.O.
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"Embracing 'Radical' Christianity Can Defeat Islamic State"
The Huffington Post - January 25, 2016
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robert-d-onley/love-your-enemies_b_9066214.html

As this article is being written, men and women are choosing to leave the modern comforts of Western civilization to join an apocalyptic death cult in the most war-torn region on Earth.

Their decision -- to exit the stability, prosperity and security afforded by the wealthiest nations to instead become a soldier in the genocidal army of the Islamic State -- betrays the unsettling truth of our present era: that secular, materialist, hyper-connected modern life offers no meaningful, coherent counter-narrative against the preachers of hate, destruction and messianic end-of-the-world fantasies.

Because if there were a counter-narrative that worked, it would have been employed by now.

Unfortunately, perhaps to the chagrin of the prevailing progressive, mainstream Western opinion, the only counter-ideology capable of ultimately defeating the evil of the Islamic State is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in a radically genuine application of Jesus' teachings.

One need only witness the American presidential primaries, the rising nationalist parties across Europe and the general xenophobia surrounding refugees to realize that fear of the "other" is on the march globally, lockstep with the unchecked evil espoused by the Islamic State.

Compounding the West's failure to grapple with this problem of evil, persecution and violence directed at all communities continues unabated. Random stabbing and ramming attacks continue across Israel; Sunni-Shia sectarian bombings in Syria, Iraq, Indonesia, Burkina Faso and Yemen; and Western-born ISIS terrorists are beheading journalists and aid workers alike.

Philosophically and practically, an ideology which both promotes total hatred of others and cherishes death -- such as that of the Islamic State -- can only be comprehensively countered by one which promotes total unconditional love, even of enemies, and which values life.

To defeat an ideology which trumpets as its maxim death itself, it is imperative to foremost promote individual-level reconciliation, that is, to make a personal decision to irrefutably change, as is capable inside every human heart and soul. This type of internal, personal healing is only truly offered through the salvation gospel message of Jesus Christ.

This is not a call for new a Crusade, or the deployment of Bible-thumping Marines, or merely wishful Evangelical thinking. Rather it is a call for the considered application of the words of Jesus Christ, who imparted on humanity this eternal, relevant order: "This is my command: Love each other." (John 15:17 NLT)

"The world body should be willing to try anything, even a solution which employs core spiritual ideas from a faith which finds itself peculiarly (and some say prophetically) targeted for annihilation by the Islamic State."

Love each other: on what other foundational, elemental basis can lasting peace find footing in the world today? Consider that despite nearly 70 years of attempts to "negotiate" a peace treaty in Israel and Palestine through traditional, secular, political diplomatic channels, the international community is absolutely no closer to finding peace there in 2016 than it was in May 1948 at the outbreak of war over Israel's independence.

Similarly, in Iraq and Syria, attempts to engage in any manner of shared intellectual dialogue with extremist Islamist fighters are utterly fruitless, driven as they are by visions of an end of the world battle in the Middle East.

In turn, endless killing has become the West's only effective policy tool.

Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke 6:27-28, "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you."

This verse, objectively radical given its relevance today, is particularly applicable in the context of terrorist violence, where strangers are willing to viciously stab, shoot and murder total strangers. One need only think back to the Paris attacks and ask: how can such hatred be justified? How has humanity sunk to such an extremely dim view of existence?

At John 15:12-13, Jesus counters this depravity once again, saying, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."

Jesus implores us that the highest love is found in saving lives, rather than ending them. And if indeed there is a God above us all, Jesus reminds humanity in this verse that He, God, first loved us.

Consider the potential impact if the above verses were to be recognized, promoted and encouraged by the United Nations. For the sake of argument, imagine these messages were stripped of their biblical origin and promoted purely on the basis of their conceptual ideals.

If there were a better alternative -- politically, diplomatically, philosophically or intellectually -- would it not have been comprehensively tested, attempted and enforced by now? In the pursuit of global peace, the world body should be willing to try anything, even a solution which employs core spiritual ideas from a faith which finds itself peculiarly (and some say prophetically) targeted for annihilation by the Islamic State.

Generations of young men have grown up being taught nothing but extremist hatred and enmity, and now desperately need the redeeming messages of love, salvation and hope found in Christianity.

These equally radical messages are the most powerful forces on Earth, and must be shared widely if the West wants to win the fight against an enemy so hell bent on its defeat.

"Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet" - Published in Huffington Post

Here is my first article for the Global Shapers Community published today by The Huffington Post, titled, "Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet."

The article was written in consideration of the upcoming centennial of the First World War, and calls for humanity to reflect on the implications of that war in light of our modern hyper-connected reality. Enjoy. - R.O.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/global-shapers-community-ottawa/global-shapers_b_4967133.html
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"Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet."

The Huffington Post - 15 March 2015

By: Robert D. Onley, Global Shaper in the Ottawa Hub

As we approach 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, it is imperative to appreciate the magnitude of that global catastrophe and contrast that dark period with the overwhelming potential that our networked civilization now possesses in 2014.

Rising from the trenches, humanity has established mesmerizing infrastructure that allows instantaneous communication through high-speed mobile internet and near omniscient search capabilities. Such power has made the prospect of transformational change and cooperative development seem limitless.

But just as no one living in 1914 could have foreseen the exponential horrors of the Second World War a mere twenty-five years later, likewise today we face the simultaneous onslaught of technological advances and government-sanctioned invasions of privacy, whose combined long-term ramifications for humanity are simply unknowable.

Such uncertainty about our collective digital future demands careful scrutiny of our governing practices today, and necessitates the development of visionary information policies which comprehensively confront these complex dilemmas.

Individually, this is a daunting task for even the most socially aware global citizen. However our modern-day capacity to connect, build and share has never been greater. One organization with the intellect and will to help tackle these challenges head-on is the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community, an exclusive network of 3000 young leaders who are daily demonstrating what is possible when people unite.

Global Shapers seek to better the state of the world through city-based Hubs of young professional leaders who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements, and their drive to make a contribution to their communities.

Through support for initiatives like Global Dignity Day, Solar for Syria and numerous education programs, Global Shapers are leveraging the internet to unite communities and give hope in an era of increasing conflict, sectarianism and despair.

These young professionals are also thought leaders in their own right, passionate about foreign affairs, and seek to understand the drivers of future conflicts in order to counter them with actionable solutions.

In reflecting on the Great War's centennial, the Shapers recognize that the internet has become so pervasive and so routine that most people take for granted the very fact that billions of us are now perpetually 'online'.

Given this reality, it has become necessary to disconnect, pause, and examine the state of the world, as recent events have unfolded to expose a choice facing humanity which will decide the fate of generations to come.

Revelations about governments reading emails, spying on video chats, and listening in on phone calls, have done nothing to halt the continued growth of these plainly compromised platforms. Our dependency on these tools appears irreversible.

The conclusion is that many have unconsciously conceded defeat in the battle that is being waged for the future of information and the control of knowledge.

Briefly examine the sheer capability of Google, for example, by no means singling out the company. Any number of web-based companies could be similarly assessed.

Nonetheless in our present world, there exists a single corporate entity -- Google -- which controls the vast majority of transnational information flows for the most advanced economies. Its reach into the daily lives of billions of citizens is unmatched, and its appetite for growth in all areas is exponential.

Google's informal corporate motto, "Don't be evil", is only passively reassuring when one considers Google's venture capital group purchasing the military robot research company Boston Dynamics.

The latter development is amplified as the world witnesses the propaganda and cyber wars between the West and Russia over Crimea. In such a context we must decide to what end profit-driven web corporations such as Google can wield their unprecedented control of information flows, search results, and communications technologies.

As the preeminent internet hyperpower in 2014, Google uniquely bears the significant burden of being almost completely responsible for -- and capable of influencing -- the choice we face between one of two worlds:

The first choice is to entrench ourselves in the increasingly hostile, selectively curated and self-serving Internet nether-realm of hacking, pervasive spying, and digital thievery. The trajectory of this choice leads to the active segregation of the global commune into 'state internets' (as exists in China), recreating the walled off nationalist borders which have historically sparked widespread conflict.

The alternative is a web-based world that supplies information neutrally and universally, collaborates freely and shares legally, and is one that collects user data solely to support the transparent backbone of a renewed human condition of collective responsibility.

It is in this open world, pluralistic and non-partisan, where the Global Shapers Community thrives, by creating and facilitating opportunities for some of the brightest young leaders to work together to better the state of the world. In Part 2 of this series, we will examine how we can collectively shape the rules that govern our web-based future.

By Robert D. Onley, a Global Shaper in the Ottawa Hub.