OSLO – Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Christian doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was named a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week. Dr. Mukwege is a world-renowned gynecologist who specializes in treating the survivors of sexual violence within war-torn regions like his own beloved DRC.

Mukwege is the son of a Pentecostal pastor and a product of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). Inspired by his father’s faithful ministry but driven to be able to do something to help people heal from their pain and disease, he chose medicine as a means of demonstrating the love of Christ. Although he says that his father gave him the gift of being there for others, “I discovered there are things that my father couldn’t do, and I said to him, ‘I will be a medical doctor.'”

He has been described as “a model of Christian engagement in society who selflessly brings the character of God to broken people.”

We are called to impact our world for the glory of Christ. In the face of opposition and the devastating effects of sin, we may feel helpless. What can we do? On one hand, it is true, we cannot change the world around us. But God can. And He is calling us to be his agents of transformation. We need to be bold and intentional in fulfilling that mandate because God wants to work through us. He calls us to be salt and light in our broken societies.

Over the past two decades, Dr. Mukgewe has treated 50,000 rape victims, primarily from the Panzi Hospital in the city of Bukavu, DRC. His dedication to providing a holistic recovery ranging from reconstructive surgery to sharing his faith so that the thousands of women in his clinic can rebuild their lives and accept the free gift of eternal life available through Jesus Christ.

In an address before the Lutheran World Federation Assembly in May 2017, he emphasized that “the credibility of the Gospel in the 21^st century [is to make] the Church a light that still shines in this world of darkness.”

While his team ministers to the women at the Panzi Hospital, he works tirelessly as an advocate for the safety and dignity of women at the national and international level. He has been described as having a bold, Spirit-filled faith and a solid commitment to peacemaking and treating women with dignity before our Creator.

Dr. Mukwege has been described as a 21^st century Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who said,

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

Learn more about “Ending Violence Against Women,” in this Special Report published by Gospel for Asia.

To read more news on the Deomcratic Republic of Congo on Missions Box, go here.