naming and claiming evil

In several of my last posts, I have dealt with the so-called ‘problem of evil’. In the past week, it has come to my attention, and I think the attention of many of us, that we may have lost our ability to even define and assign ‘evil’ in the first place.

Last week, Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech took the lives of fellow students and school faculty. The incident immediately attracted our tragedy-hungry media, as could have been expected. However, there are two things I noticed in the coverage about the way we embrace and interact with evil.

First, I noticed, particularly in the news coverage of the incident, a seemingly manufactured feeling of shock. I have no doubt that the students and faculty at Virginia Tech and the family and friends of those killed are experiencing the deep, tangible emotion of grief. Many of the rest of us, however, seem to be trapped in the uncomfortable space in between true grief and apathy. In many media accounts of the incident there seemed to be an inability on the part of the reporter to feel the grief they knew they should feel in such a situation. I know this is true of me. I find myself wondering why these things don’t shock me, don’t affect me. Why doesn’t this cause me to truly grieve?

Secondly, I noticed that we seem to have a really hard time accepting the idea that evil is an individual reality. We easily accept and question God for the reality of evil in general. But we seemed scared to admit that such horrible evil could be contained in one heart. We quickly try and explain it away, scared of the possibility that our heart could contain similar amounts of this evil. Take a moment to read a few articles trying to explain this tragedy. The articles talk about such things as mean family incomes, immigration policies, the lack of social acceptance, academic pressures, psychiatric problems etc. I think we are afraid to admit that we each have the possibility (much less the probability) of being evil.

Ravi Zacharias quotes an article from the International Herald Tribune in which the author notices this aversion from assigning evil to an individual. David Brooks writes:

“In the new science, the individual is like a cork bobbing on the currents of giant forces: evolution, brain chemistry, stress and upbringing…. At the extreme, many scientists now doubt that there is such a thing as free will… Once, Cho Seung Hui would have simply been condemned as evil…but now the language of morality is replaced by the language of determinism…. Responsibility shifts to wider forces.… In short, the killings at Virginia Tech happen at a time when we are renegotiating what you might call the Morality Line, the spot where background forces stop and individual choice … begins…. The killings happen at a moment when the people who explain behavior by talking about biology, chemistry, and social science are assertive and on the march, while the people who explain behavior by talking about individual character are confused and losing ground.

Obviously, we can expect this of our humanist, secular society. But how does it feel? Are we really ready to admit that we are generally incapable of such atrocities and only commit them after being barraged by the forces of society? Or did this young man just act on some of the same feelings that we all have (i.e. jealousy, anger, hate)? This acknowledgement would then required the intervention and sustenance of a good God, which is a place our society will not go. I think we are afraid to admit what we are capable of.

Dr. Zacharias’ full article in response to the VT murders.

Another interesting article

when everything’s ‘emerging’…

I am going to play the village idiot for a second here and admit that I don’t quite understand this whole ‘emerging church’ thing. I’m not trying to blast it (whatever ‘it’ is), I just, honestly, can’t quite put my finger on what the emerging church movement is. Everything I read just tells me what the ‘emerging church’ is not.

From what I can gather, this is supposed to be the genius of it. It is a movement that is supposedly gaining steam even though it is decentralized, unled and disorganized. Is this the kind of thing you become a part of without knowing it? Am I part of an emerging church? How would I know? Where is this movement emerging from…or to?

Hopefully the reason I missed out on all this is because my focus in seminary was cross-cultural ministry. I don’t think many non-American cultures care quite as much about movements and trends as we seem to. Tradition and history don’t play a very big part in the way we Americans do things, except that they are two things we run from. As one of my professors says, “The problem with Protestants is they don’t know when to stop protesting.” Is this something that is really that different? Were we this far off?

The ‘emerging’ title is a bit suspect to me because of the way some have used it in missiology. The so-called ‘emerging missions’ trend is the title given for non-Western Christians sharing the Gospel cross-culturally. How is this ‘emerging’? In Sudan, African Christians have been taking the Gospel to the Sudanese the whole time Western agencies pulled out because of Sudan’s civil war. I think I will be the ‘emerging’ missionary won’t I?

I know the church isn’t perfect, but what have we purported to come up with here? I like stories, thought Blue Like Jazz was funny (though I wondered if there was supposed to be a point) and am annoyed by over-production, but I am committed to the local church. So am I in or out? I’m just confused.

Google Earth vs. genocide

How about this for a good use of technology? Google Earth has joined forces with the U.S. Holocaust Museum to draw more attention to what is happening in Darfur. Google Earth will regularily update close-up images of Sudan (particularily Darfur) on its free satellite imaging software. When using Google Earth to look at the country of Sudan, icons of flames appear in locations where known atrocities have occured. Stories gathered by Holocaust historians can be read directly on the map. Also, clickable camera icons appear where you can see a close-up of a burning or burnt village. Full article.

Google Earth is an amazing program. I have been using it to look at Malakal, Sudan and its airport. If you computer has the memory and capability I would recommend trying it out. Get it here.

re: the problem of evil (an example)

I ran across this video and had to post it for you (be advised, if you are anywhere where you can’t cry, don’t watch it!)

I post it because this is the type of attitude I pray that God will allow me to keep in the midst of any situation. As you may or may not know, we are expecting a little boy in September. My prayer is that whether he is born challenged in any way, born healthy or not born at all, I will be able to have the faith and confidence in the overall purpose and plan of God that these young parents do. It is truly inspiring!

‘that’s my King’

Hope everyone had a great Easter! I wonder…do you know Him?

one of my heros

Ravi Zacharias is a brilliant man. His rearing in an Eastern context gives him a refreshingly non-Western take on both age-old and current theological and philosophical questions. His graciousness to those with whom he debates and with those who ask him questions is an indication of his Christ-like love and concern for the salvation of every person.

If you are struggling with the problem of evil, the supposed benefits of relativism or reconciling the validity and value of a theistic worldview, I would encourage you to check out Ravi’s material. Here is an example of Ravi’s clarity and compassion as he answers the question of a university student who asks about secularism in all government and the popular idea that you cannot legislate morality. Check out his site for more.