A couple of weeks ago on my way home I surfed the radio dial to NPR. I usually only listen to NPR when I need some quiet background noise, but don't want to listen to the crap on the radio and am tired of the 3,000 songs I have on my ipod (completely American).
Anyway, on the ride home one of the stories was that George Clooney was appearing before the UN to address the crisis in Darfur. My immediate response was to laugh. My immediate thought was, "Why in the world is George Clooney meeting with the UN?" "How arrogant for him to think he has something to say!" And, "How ignorant of the UN to waste time with him!" Surely the UN can find someone more intelligent and more in touch with the situation to listen to.
These thoughts were almost immediately followed by my realization that it is so easy for me to point the finger at Clooney and complain. Instead, I should focus that energy on finding out what I could do to help the situation! My initial reaction to the story was the same that the Pharisees would have had! It's easier to pass judgement than to extend grace! And, besides, if the church were doing more to help in these situations we wouldn't be relying on Hollywood stars to issue a call to action.
I know that there are some Christians and Christian organizations serving in the area, but where is the rest of the church? Why do we always seem to be the last to respond to these social issues? Why is it that sometimes the non-Chrisitans seem to follow the example of Christ better than those that profess to follow him? Maybe it is because we are too busy following the example of the pharisees. Maybe it is because we are too busy passing judgement on those who are setting an example, we should be setting.
There are two songs that speak to the injustice in the world in light of the sovereignty of God in an incredibly powerful way! Well worth downloading!! One is called Our God Reigns and is by Delirious. The other is Oh My God by Jars of Clay! Seriously, check them out!
2 comments:
Hey Todd --
I just thought I'd weigh in a little on the subject. First of all, I completely agree with you that often times we go for the pharisee role when we need to be playing Jesus instead. But I also wanted to point some other things out.
First of all, I know a lot of Christians helping out in world issues. Most of them aren't doing press releases about it. I know many in the secular world are also humble about what they do, but I think sometimes the Church gets a bad rap because we do in fact do our good in secret. It's just the bad stuff that's out in the open :)
Even in Tulsa, there are several movements I'm aware of from the Christian community to reach out to those in need with whatever resources we have. It's possible to be an engineer in Tulsa and change the world 8 timezones away. In whatever way you are gifted, we have people here in Tulsa trying to put that into a helping ministry throughout the world. Keep your eyes open for a project called BTYFI in the coming years. It's still in its inceptional stages at the moment, but rest assured it will be coming.
As an example, in Africa, before someone fixes the AIDS crisis, there are about ten other crises which must be dealt with first, like the clean water crisis. Rather than just giving money, what if we gave our resources to come up with ingenious solutions? I mean really, how many engineers and geologists do we have in Tulsa who go on VIM trips? What if instead of building a house, they worked together to try to solve access to water in poor areas who had none?
Anyway, the goal is to stop thinking small, and think big. Not big money, but how individuals can make huge changes by getting involved themselves and solving problems creatively.
Hey Todd...
I just wanted to jump in and give you a little FYI. While I, too, would have been one to be quick to wonder why in the world an Oscar winner feels he has the right to speak out on a genocide crisis, in this case it's a little different. George Clooney and his dad actually returned to the US in April of this year after travelling to Darfur to secretly tape footage in order to make a documentary that is to be released to the public as a cry for help.
The crisis in Darfur has been kept far too quiet, and if it takes an Oscar winning actor to get up in front of Congress, or be on NPR, or go on Oprah to talk about what is going on in order for people to listen, I have to commend that person because he is doing more than I am to help the situation.
Just my two cents, for what it's worth.
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