Somehow evil has found a way to stick itself in my mind. Blame my recent reading material, I guess. I've been researching apologetics for a series of lessons that I'm teaching. Apologetics is defined as the defense of one's beliefs and this research has called my own into question. For the past decade, I've held a tight grip on my Christian faith. Sometimes I'm not quite sure why, either. Recently I've been reading so many articles and hearing so many stories that could cause me to question my faith. Evil has a way of doing that. It usually pushes people away from God. In fact, the problem of pain is the single biggest obstacle for spiritual seekers. Public-opinion pollster George Barna once conducted a survey that found the top question people would want to ask God was, "Why is there pain and suffering in the world?" In my opinion, these two issues are so closely related to evil that they could be brothers.
To be fair, pain and suffering can do us much good. Sometimes suffering produces in us endurance. Although, the pain I'm talking about is the undeserved and grossly unjust suffering that exists in this world.
I've been to India. I've been up close to those that end up in National Geographic pages. I've read the numbers over and over. 14 million orphaned by AIDS in Africa. 1.9 million street children in Mexico City (over 240,000 of those are abandoned). 1 in every 3 Afghan women experience physical, psychological or sexual violence. An estimated 2.4 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution. I don't even know how to fathom these statistics.
Most of the readers of this blog don't know how to fathom it, either. That's why we don't know how to help or where to start. I've learned throwing money at these problems is NOT the answer. When you give your money away, you are enabling a lifestyle where people expect handouts. It's like the old adage: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. Charity removes the initiative for people to go and do for themselves.
So what's the answer and where am I going with all of this?
Well, there is no single or easy answer. Many factors contribute to the problem of suffering and evil in this world. Poverty, lack of education, corrupt government and a spiritual emptiness plague many parts of the world. These are some of the main causes of the evils we hear about in the news every day. Over half of world's population, which is 3 billion people, lives on less than two dollars a day. That's a statistic worth repeating: Over half of the world's population lives on less than two dollars a day. There is an extreme imbalance here. Can we fix this problem? Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church, has suggested an initiative called The P.E.A.C.E. Plan, which enables churches worldwide to become a global distribution network, providing evangelism, education and health care. This makes sense because there are churches within walking distance almost anywhere in the world, whereas medical facilities are many times a one- to two-day walk. But what good is a plan like this if evil has ridden us of faith? Where is God, who's supposed to look out for "the least of these?" Should we just aim to be global do-gooders, without acknowledging a spiritual connection to it all?
These statistics and issues challenge faith, for sure. They're hope-killers, ripping to shreds any faith that we might have in a greater good. When I hear these statistics, I hear evil. When I read the stories of brothel girls, I read evil. When I see photos of dying children, I see evil. But for me, evil doesn't kill my faith. It actually acts as a spark. Evil, despite its best attempts, ignites my faith. You see, I believe that God is most needed where evil has set up its camp. If I accept that something is evil, it means that I acknowledge that there must be a moral 'good.' Ah, there's my spiritual connection. I choose to be on good's side and to fight injustice when and where I am able—and I am able. Most of us are. We must be honest, though—we cannot rid this world of evil. Still, that doesn't mean we should lay down and let it run all over us.
I will continue to read about evil, day after day, year after year. Somedays I will be numb to it, as many of us have become. It's hard not to numb our ears to its sound. Thankfully, God has used evil as an ignitor for my faith. Now I have to start doing something about it—something other than sending a check.
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