I’m not a big fan of Rick Warren, his philosophy, or his ministry, but I read this column by Kay Warren with interest. Christians should probably spend a great deal more time pondering two things: the nature of God, and the nature of evil. We also need to consider the word “judgment” – what it really means to be judged, or to be “judgmental.”
Earlier this year, an interviewer asked me what I believe about evil. I said that the Bible teaches we are inherently evil, with the capacity to do good when Christ reigns over our lives. She was amazed, thinking that people are basically good with some capacity for evil. The Bible says just the opposite.
“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Rom. 7:18).
The first time I visited Rwanda, I went looking for monsters, albeit a different category of monster—the kind that isn’t relegated to B movies. I had heard about the 1994 genocide that had left one million people dead—tortured, raped, viciously murdered—and somehow I thought it would be easy to spot the perpetrators. I naïvely assumed I would be able to look men and women in the eyes and tell if they had been involved. I was full of self-righteous judgment.
What I found left me puzzled, confused, and ultimately frightened. Instead of finding leering, menacing creatures, I met men and women who looked and behaved a lot like me. They took care of their families, went to work, chatted with their neighbors, laughed, cried, prayed, and worshiped. Where were the monsters? Where were the evildoers capable of heinous acts? Slowly, with a deepening sense of dread, I understood the truth: There were no monsters in Rwanda, just people like you and me. The question I was forced to ask myself was, “Could I have done what they did?”
It was certainly a good start, but in the end, the article seems to be just the standard moral equivalence postmodern pap. There certainly are monsters in Rwanda. Good grief, what more proof does she need to conclude that than a million dead bodies? The fact that we also are monsters – morally, spiritually, if not behaviorally – doesn’t lessen the crimes of those who left a million people dead, tortured, and raped. And the bible makes clear that the “morally, spiritually” part counts – if looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to adultery, then we cannot discount the “morally, spiritually” evil within us just because we haven’t carried it out. Yet.
It is indeed naive to think you can look in someone’s eyes and perceive their crimes. President Bush is rightly denigrated for claiming he could see into Vladimir Putin’s soul. People who don’t know me well would be shocked, horrified, at things I did when I was lost. Even now, as a saved person, I fully acknowledge my capacity to murder another human being. I’m capable of it, and not just because I’m a gun owner. I could just as easily stab you, or as Archie Bunker suggested, push you out a window. Arrange the circumstances “just so” and I absolutely could do it. That is the nature of the evil within me, even now warring against the Holy Spirit within me.
I realize Mrs. Warren is trying to make a point – we need to pray for and cultivate a spirit of humility. We need to contemplate the evil of the Pharisees as much as the evil of the Romans and every other group. Assessing sin begins at home – and that spiritual inventory will presumably take up enough of our time that we don’t have much left to devote to other people’s sin. All good, important points.
I think as Christians we often have a tendency to acknowledge, as Kay Warren did, that we are all capable of great evil, and then to downplay it because we’re all capable of it. If “everybody’s doing it” it seems less bad, somehow. And here is where the postmodern prohibition against judging comes in: “Be careful when you call something evil! After all, you’re evil, yourself, so you’ve got no room to talk.” That polite convention further reduces our ability to recognize and call out evil for what it is.
Replace “evil” with “sin” and it seems less morally loaded and a bit easier to discuss. What should our response to sin in ourselves be? Grief, prayer for repentance, humility, and gratitude that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. What should our response to sin in others be? Compassion, and truth. Call it sin, don’t soft-pedal it, but be gentle and compassionate and loving in our truth-telling. It’s not “judgmental” to identify sin, or evil, for what it is.
“Self-righteous judgment” – i.e. “I’m better than you because I behave better,” is out of bounds. So is “I’m better than you because I’m Christian” because that is God’s choice to pluck us out of the fire, not ours. We’ve got nothing to brag about. But we also need to be careful to not let the world continue to excuse, dumb down, and normalize our evil. Just because we are all inherently evil doesn’t make horrible crimes like the Rwandan or Darfur genocides less monstrous, less worthy of our grief and prayer, and less worthy of being openly called evil. That’s not judgment. Judgment is what God will do later – to all of us.
I was lead to this website of yours with great interest. I would like to point out a few things of the bat so that you know where i am coming from. I am from africa, relatively well to do here in the US. I find it quite amazing the rehetoric that goes around in the name of Jesus Christ. I especially was bemused at the idea of you pronouncing in the above article comments which lead to suggest that you do agree everybody has a capacity to be evil. I also want to commend you for mention how that postmodern tendency to downplay the sinfulness of sin when all can come together and agree “we all are sinners” stripping the right to call evil what it is by accusing others that do so as hypocrites, or judges.
Well and good.
I find it quite ironic though that with the same mouth you prescribe that “business is good” and “capitalism” somehow subscribes closely to what the Bible teaches on how to handle our wealth. First off, I challenge you to read Numbers and Leviticus and come back with the same assertions. The year of Jubliee shurely doesn’t sound like anything capitalistic- to let go of your “possession” that you had for 49 years, free because it was decreed by God. Making sure that one leaves enough food for the stranger that is picking after the sheaves doesn’t sound like a capitalistic idea- why wouldn’t the owner maximize his profits?
I would argue at the heart of Christ’s teachings about our wealth is- a) our reliance upon God for daily needs and how much we would be dependent upon him b) our rememberance of our “neighbor” – i.e, the whole world. It is not about capitalism or socialism, or communism. It’s very disheartening to hear somebody that so claims to be “pursuing holiness” not understanding that the natural mind is enmity to God; i.e, no matter how much you want to sugar coat it, those that have money will always be greedy – no matter what the situation is- because that is the tendency of the heart. Capitalism has worked here in the US not because it was perfect but because the majority of the people that were partakers of the system were in some sense or form limited by their moral responsibility. Once that started to become unglued in the 1920s, everything started to fall apart. If we want to see our nation (and i have a vested interest not only because i make my dwelling here, but the implications are global) succeed, we would need to bring people to the cross of Jesus Christ and focus them there. Forget arguing to them about abortion and tv and stuff….talk to them about the conditions of their hearts…
i said too much… apologies…..
thanks for letting me comment
Thanks for your comment, Samuel. I agree that we need to bring people to the cross and focus them there, but the condition of people’s hearts is directly tied to their views on the daily issues of life – that is how to reach them. It is not my goal for this blog to function as a witnessing tool. I’m not a big believer in “online ministry” in any event. At best, I think it’s an icebreaker – a way for people to see a Christian as less “other.” Genuine ministry is conducted at a much deeper personal level than I see online. Granted, God can use anything, and often does – but I believe personal contact; relational ministry and personal witnessing are most effective and that is where my focus is in real life. (Things I can’t write about in a public forum, for various reasons.) If I parachuted into Darfur (language issues aside) what would I have to say to the people there? I can say, “God is sufficient” and He IS. But it’s going to look a lot different when a woman whose family has been killed and who has been raped by the Janjaweed says, “God is sufficient.” As to your being disheartened, I suggest that you take another look at the title of this blog. It’s “pursuing” holiness, not “has achieved” holiness.
I often think of changing the name – when I started this blog years ago it was dedicated to bible studies and devotionals. I stopped that because I realized as one who is not called to preach or teach, it was inappropriate. Since I like writing and like the blogging format, I continued it more as a personal account of my sanctification and my thoughts on various issues. The election is taking up a great deal of my attention right now – a few more weeks and I’ll feel less consumed by it, but I will still be writing articles that address faith indirectly – how my faith intersects with various matters.
The Jubilee, like many things in the OT, point us to the redemption and forgiveness of the NT. Of course, we no longer have the Jubilee, just as we are now able to eat shellfish and do many other things BECAUSE of the NT. There’s no doubt that we are required all over the bible to rely wholly on God, and to love our neighbor, including giving him our material possessions if he needs them. However, I don’t think you should conflate individual greed with a financial system; the matters are separate. Greed is a sin issue and is evidenced in EVERY financial system. In the USSR, government elites were able to purchase goods from private stores. In Cuba today, certain people enjoy access to private hospitals. Castro has amassed enormous personal wealth under a Communist system.
I think the bible does not prescribe a specific financial system in the NT because God intended to give us freedom in that area. He gave us guidelines, instead. Do justice, love mercy… share generously… focus on the eternal; trust God to supply your daily needs. All of those things are on the individual level. The bible doesn’t address them on the societal level in the NT; in Acts 2 they were essentially practicing communism but it was literally, a commune – people chose to be there individually and did not attempt to force others to comply. And as we saw with Ananias and Saphira and with the widow’s mites, it is the motives of the heart that matter, not the outward behavior.
I contend that of the available financial systems, capitalism is the least incompatible with biblical principles on the societal level. I’d have no problem with a different financial system that is equally consistent with biblical principles. What is completely inconsistent with the bible is any form of socialism, and my focus on capitalism is aimed squarely at rebutting those Christians who mistakenly believe that Socialism, “social justice” or any other form of involuntary redistributionism is within the boundaries of Christian principles. Here is a post of mine from last February that might interest you:
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Social Justice, For The Glory of Government
February 11, 2008 by Laura | Trackback URI
With all of the populist rhetoric flying around this election season, there are a few themes worth addressing. The idea that the government providing “universal health care” is the Christian thing to do, for example. The idea that Christians should work to compel the government to solve the problem of poverty, for another. I’m told, “It’s not socialism, it’s social justice.”
In what bible verse can I find Jesus telling his disciples to petition the government to forcibly confiscate other people’s money to heal the sick, feed the poor, or buy a cloak for someone who is cold?
I can understand the desire to “do something” when we see someone suffering. I know about poverty first hand – well, about as much as any American will, because obviously even our poor are abundantly wealthy compared to third world countries. I’ve been cold, hungry, underclothed, dirty, and evicted. I did things to get by that I’m still ashamed of today. Anyone who accuses me of being mean or unsympathetic is way off base. We choose, as a society, to have a welfare system, and I have benefited from it and I have supported it. But don’t ever tell me that taking care of the poor in this way is the Christian thing to do, or that Christians should seek to expand it.
Jesus made it clear that the poor “will be with us always.” We’re not going to ever completely solve the problem of poverty. But in spite of that Jesus gave explicit instructions on what we should do about it. And the result of those instructions is that God is glorified. When Christians cede their responsibility to government, God is NOT glorified. Government is glorified. Voluntarily giving in order to show those in need the love of Christ glorifies God. Forcible income redistribution empowers and glorifies government.
We draw people away from God and teach them to depend on government – and further facilitate the weakening of the Church as we fail to obey Jesus’ instructions with regard to the poor. We don’t just harm the poor, we harm ourselves. When Christians see – instead of poverty and a mission field – our commission taken over by government, we don’t see the results of a lost world to the extent that we should. We fail to grieve over these people and fail to get motivated to do OUR JOBS. Why do our hearts break over people in countries far away, who are just as lost as our countrymen – the ones that God placed in our lives and surely wants us to minister to? We neglect our own mission field because the government tends it for us, but government only addresses the problem we see – and we ignore the eternal issues that go unaddressed. I’m not suggesting that we completely abandon the foreign mission field. I’m saying that because government already does so much of our jobs, we fail to tend to the bigger job that He gave us right here at home. If we did our jobs at home, we would be better able to serve other countries.
The question at the heart of the matter is what, exactly, is our mission? Is it to eradicate poverty and to make this world a better place? Or is it to glorify God and enjoy Him forever? How can we best love our neighbor? By teaching him to rely on government, or on God? It’s not social justice. It’s ungodly socialism.
hi Laura,
thanks for the response. I took some time to mull over a lot of what you said. I was going to go through the whole post and see what i agree and disagree with you. And then it occured to me, maybe we do have a fundamental difference in the way we view Christ and our Lord because the following statement that you made brought questions in my mind about what you think a christian is in the 21st century: “I’m not a big believer in “online ministry” in any event. At best, I think it’s an icebreaker – a way for people to see a Christian as less “other.” In the context that you present it, it is fine because we do have to build a reference point otherwise our words and even our actions become useless. On the other hand, if you extrapolate that statement, I don’t know if I view Christianity the same way that you do. I am very curious about this as I would love an explanation on how that statement relates to the notion that others have of christians when they see a real christian- and i wonder if we even have this as a good threshold because I believe only 10% of those that claim to be so here in the US really are (do they like us, do they hate us, do they despise us, do they think we are dumb, do they think we are idiots, do they think we are gulilbe, do they think we are irrational, do they think we are superstitious etc), and vice versa, but more importantly- how would God view the so called 21st century unbelievers, the 21st century American believers(though i argue this phenom is present also everywhere in the world thanks to a lot of different factors). You don’t have to comment but that will be a good test because I can make a conclusion from what you have written in your blogs and infer and deduce that I have a complete different view on what being “other-”ness means for a christian than you believe in. But, i am not really sure.
If any comfort though, I see that you do aspire to seek God and that’s noble. If you have not visited sermonindex, there you find brothers and sisters that dearly love the Lord and are one of the sweetest most noble, most loving community that you find. Please visit there. I have deleted my account from there for some personal reasons but every christian, if they want to grow should be involved and commune there. I mentioned sermonindex because that community truly focuses on the Bible, not on the rehotoric of what conservatives believe, or what the ones that carry the “social jusitce” banner believe. It’s unlike any other christian forum that i have come across for they truly are impartial and unearthly in every sense of what the Bible teaches.
samuel