Only on Brody File: Clinton Global Initiative Honors Jesus Loving Bishop
In a story that you will see on The Brody File first, we've learned that the Clinton Global Initiative has named South Sudan Bishop Elias Taban as one of the winners of their Global Citizen Awards.
Bishop Taban, who is the National Bishop of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, is being honored for his vision and leadership in addressing global problems. The Brody File interviewed him this week and you can watch that below.
He will be one of guests on this week's Brody File Program. The CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) annual meeting is taking place this week in New York. Bishop Taban will close out the meeting with a one-on-one interview between him and Hillary Clinton.
Courtesy: CBN News/The Brody File
Bishop Taban has a remarkable story. He was a child soldier during Sudan's civil wars and despite a brutal and impoverished childhood, he came to know Jesus Christ as his savior and now spreads the Gospel throughout Africa.
He was actually sentenced to death for his faith but survived. He served as a colonel in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and founded the army's chaplain's corps. The chaplain corp he led was very important within the SPLA because it changed the fighting mindset from one of a guerilla type movement to more humanitarian in nature.
As for Bishop Taban’s belief in Jesus Christ here is what he says about what motivates him:
“I believe that God has called me to preach the Gospel. In my area of Africa many people are Christians in name only. They think they are Christians because they have a Christian name. Sadly, many have not heard or understood the message of salvation. Also, only a small percentage of the people in my area of Africa have a bible. Under the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ, my fellow evangelists and I want to take the Gospel to Sudan, and the borderlands of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. We want to distribute bibles. Our goal is for every literate Christian household to have their own personal bible. Finally, we want to plant churches and disciple the believers.”
Here is what CGI says about him and all his humanitarian efforts in their upcoming press release:
“By acknowledging him as a Global Citizen, CGI is recognizing Bishop Taban for his role in bringing stability to Southern Sudan through his ministries that have created a network of wells, orphanages, health clinics and schools across the newly formed country.”
"Each year, honorees are nominated by the CGI community based on their visionary leadership, demonstrated impact, and sustainable and scalable work in solving global issues," said the Clinton Global Initiative. "Bishop Taban's courage and selfless efforts have saved many lives, and after the war, he became known throughout South Sudan as he built schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the region."
“Praised as a respected broker for peace in both North and South Sudan, Taban has built an effective and sustainable ministry centered on engaging Sudanese communities to find solutions to the challenges they face. In partnership with American churches, his Water is Basic ministry has drilled nearly 500 wells since 2008, providing clean water to approximately 10% of the people in South Sudan. His ministry has also won recognition for its sustainable model that uses proceeds from wells and job training businesses to support orphanages, health clinics, and schools throughout the country. “
For Bishop Taban, this is a well-deserved honor and it comes from a very important and influential organization. CGI should be commended for giving an award to someone who not only has contributed mightily to a more peaceful society but who wears Jesus on his sleeve and is not ashamed of the Gospel one bit.