The Evil that Men Do
More reminders of man’s sin problem. In the news today…
World Leaders Mark Auschwitz Liberation
In Poland, where leaders from 30 countries gathered to remember the victims of the Holocaust, Vice President Dick Cheney noted that it did not happen in some far-off place but “in the heart of the civilized world.”
“The story of the camps shows that evil is real and must be called by its name and must be confronted,” he said.
1/29 Update: Note the priorities of the American media in the following story…
Cheney’s Auschwitz outfit raises eyebrows
They are worried about what outfit Cheney wore!
Yesterday, Chuck Colson brought us this disturbing story of human predators in the tsunami ravaged areas…
The Evil that Men Do - A New Perspective on an Old Question
Washington Post reporter DeNeen L. Brown adds, “Those who have long worked in disaster zones say human predators are part of a pattern. The natural disaster strikes, people die, people mourn, compassion and aid roll in - and so do the predators.” …
The stories from Asia led Brown to make a lame attempt to try to explain the problem of human evil. She quotes psychologists who state that people behave this way when they are overwhelmed with stress, or when their needs are not being met. But in the end, she was not able to come up with any real explanation of the root problem. She could only conclude, “It raises questions about the nature of humanity and its capacity for evil, for wickedness.”Indeed, it does - questions I have heard through years of prison ministry from those who want to believe that human nature is basically good. It’s not. Forget the excuses.
It may be hard to believe that God is good during a time of natural disaster, but it becomes easier when we recognize just how depraved human beings can be. Seeing the kind of evil that humanity is capable of, we know that something has gone tragically wrong with the whole world, including creation. That’s what we mean by the Fall: It is very real, despite secular society’s desire to ignore it or to excuse it away. But then when we look at God’s work of redemption and mercy, it helps us understand that God looks lovingly upon us despite our own natures and that, by His grace, He understands more about goodness than we ever will.
Tags: Theology
