Guilty Campaign
I wanted to bring to your attention the work of a couple friends of mine, the Guilty Campaign (or, I Am What's Wrong With the World). Things are still being developed, but the central philosophy is that the problems of the world are all simply an outpouring of the problem of the human heart--that education, health and wealth, while good in themselves, won't turn sinners into saints. Only Jesus can change people's hearts, so the ultimate solution to the problems of the world is the gospel. Pray for this message to go out to the campus here in Boulder, and to everyone whose heart is the source of the greed, violence, pride, hatred and injustice in this world. (That is, everybody.)
posted by Seth | 10:46 PM
4 Comments:
Good Grief! You've really been brainwashed, haven't you? You're nothing but another religious slave and you can't see it. Try going to pianofritz2.blogspot.com and reading the article I wrote on "Religious Slaves". It might open your eyes for a second or two!
I'm wondering if you have the nerve to let others see this comment?
Fritz,
When you're a slave, and someone sets you free, what's your response? You love them! You say, "Thank you so much for giving me my freedom!" The reality is that I, and you, and everyone in this world, is naturally a slave to sin. We screw our lives up and screw our world up by our selfishness and greed and lust and pride and everything else. Don't tell me you haven't hurt other people, and hurt yourself in the process, by your inability to really, truly and deeply love. You even said in your post, "It is my sincere wish that they who [brainwash children into believing in God's judgment] all burn for all eternity!" You yourself are a slave to your own hatred! How can you claim to have the moral high ground? We are ALL guilty--you, me, Adolf Hitler, everybody else. That's a reality, it's not brainwashing, and somewhere deep in your heart, you know it's true.
We're all slaves to sin, and we can't free ourselves. But, the good news is that Jesus can free us--He became a slave so that we could be free, free to love truly and deeply, and one day, free to be in His presence forever.
True Christianity is not driven by guilt, although I can't argue that some have made it so, and other religions may be based primarily on fear as well. But 1 John 4:18 says, "Perfect love drives out fear." When we understand what God has done for us in Jesus, we are able to freely love God and love others--and forgive them for the wrongs they do to us, just as God in Christ has forgiven us. This is true freedom--knowing that God loved us so much, that He sent His Son to die for us and set us free.
I hope my strong words help you understand what this is all about--it's not all about feeling guilty, but if you never recognize your guilt, and the fact that you are part of the reason why this world is so messed up, then you'll never be able to have the freedom that repentance brings.
I'll be praying for you, Fritz, that God might show you how guilty you are, so that you might know how much He loves you, and love Him and others in return. For "He who has been forgiven much loves much."
God bless you.
Though I don't really disagree with you, Seth, I have to point out that your claim -- that all the problems in the world flow from the human heart -- depends on a theory of value that doesn't regard human suffering as necessarily a problem. Or at least, I think it does.
You could claim either a) that natural disasters, illness, and other such problems in some way stem from human sin, or b) that the properly loving person would not suffer, either from themselves experiencing the devastation caused by these phenomena, or from watching others' lives be affected by them. In that case, your claim about all problems flowing from defects in human hearts might be true, while still acknowledging that human suffering is a problem.
I don't find either a or b to be very plausible. So I am left with a choice between denying that all problems are human in origin, or denying that suffering is a problem in the deepest sense. I'll admit that I'm inclined towards the latter position, and perhaps you are as well. The idea behind it must be that, even though we should try to help other people, their (and our) pain and grief is not important in the long run; as Julian of Norwich famously says, "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well!" But offenses against God do matter, of course, particularly if you think they can lead a person towards damnation.
However, most people are a little startled by the claim that suffering doesn't matter per se. So the claim that all problems flow from the human heart will probably seem a little silly to them on face. I don't know the details of your friends' campaign, but from what you write, it sounds like the thing would need to be explained carefully in order to have a very deep impact.
Clara,
I would tend to argue for the first--that all the problems of the world are essentially human in origin. Certainly Satan has some role in the whole affair, but ultimately, "by man came death." The universe is broken, and in need of redemption--our relationship to God, our relationships to each other, and our relationship to nature are all tainted by sin. We can enjoy nature, but we also devalue and exploit it. Similarly, nature provides us with food and life, but it can also take our lives. And all of this happened ultimately because of our rebellion as humans against God's plan, through the fall.
As for the second part, if I understand you rightly then I agree with you--that for those who are found in Christ, the greatest suffering ultimately pales in comparison to the glory of God to be revealed in us. That's an amazing and beautiful truth, applicable no matter how intense the suffering may be. I don't believe that in any way minimizes the reality or difficulty of suffering, which seemed to be what troubled you. After all, if we minimize suffering in the world then we minimize the cross, and therefore God's glory. Despite the intensity of the evil and suffering in the world, God's grace is even more. That's the good news--not watered down, but powerful to redeem.
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