Waterboarding is the practice of pouring water over someone's head to give them the 'sensation of drowning.' Its purpose is to elicit information from suspected terrorists or others who may have information that would be useful to national security.
Richard Wurmbrand (1909 - 2001) was a Christian minister who suffered intense persecution and torture for preaching the gospel in Romania during the 'grand ole days' of communism.
I don't know what Pastor Wurmbrand would have thought of waterboarding. But I do know what he thought about torture - especially torture that was inflicted against Christians who faithfully proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are two short quotes from his great book, Tortured for Christ:
"It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners, as it is in
captive nations today. It was understood that whoever was caught doing
this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price
for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their terms. It was a
deal: we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching; they were
happy beating us—so everyone was happy."
"The following scene happened more times than I can remember. A brother
was preaching to the other prisoners when the guards suddenly burst in,
surprising him halfway through a phrase. They hauled him down the
corridor to their beating room. After what seemed an endless beating,
they brought him back and threw him—bloody and bruised—on the prison
floor. Slowly, he picked up his battered body, painfully straightened
his clothing and said, 'Now, brethren, where did I leave off when I was
interrupted?' He continued his gospel message! I have seen beautiful
things!"
Richard Wurmbrand went to be with his Lord on February 17, 2001. I'm looking forward to meeting him one day in glory!
The Bible says:
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and their shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor signing, neither shall their be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4
Recommended reading:
Tortured for Christ, by Richard Warmbrand
