be ready [compassion and christian ethics]

I recently posted some questions that seemed to hit a sensitive spot for lots of people.

See it here: can you give me a ride? [a question in christian ethics]

While I wanted to generate some discussion around this question, I never expected it to spark as much interest as it did. But that was awesome, and I really learned a lot from the conversation that this has generated for me both online and offline.

So here’s what I learned:

I think that everyone agrees that when in a situation where somebody needs help, the appropriate Christian response is to help them. Where people tend to differ is in how they help.

Through this conversation I’ve become much more aware of other ways that I could have helped this young lady without having her jump into my car with me (creating a potential accountability situation). Some of the possibilities include:

• Call (and pay for) a cab
• Call someone to or ride with us
• Call someone (female) to come pick her up
• Call my wife to let her know what I was doing

All of these scenarios only require one thing… making a simple phone call.

But I’ve also learned that my knee-jerk response closed the door to any of these possibilities happening at all. This is why it is important to be willing to talk before responding.

If I had taken the opportunity to ask her about what was going on and where she wanted to go, I would have been able to gather some important information on how I might be able to best help her out.

Engaging her in conversation may have given me the opportunity to even make suggestions. If she told me that her husband (or boyfriend) was beating her, then I may have been able to direct her to a safe house or shelter for battered women. Regardless of what her need was, I only would be able to discover it by actually talking to her.

Even if I did talk to her and found some ways to help her, I’ve since realized that I wasn’t prepared to really help her out anyway. So I’ve decided that I need to have some phone numbers programmed into my phone. Some of the places that I would need to be able to call might include:

• A reliable cab company (or two)
• Homeless shelters
• Food banks/kitchens
• Safe houses/shelters for battered women
• 24-hour medical centers/clinics

If she needed to get to a safe place to sleep for the night, having these phone numbers at my fingertips would have allowed me to call ahead to ensure that we wouldn’t end up running all over town to find what we need.

I would challenge you to also be ready in the same way.

So what numbers did I miss? What other resources do you think we should always have at the ready so that we can respond (appropriately) with compassion when the time comes?

can you give me a ride? [a question in christian ethics]

So I noticed her on my way into the 7-11 store. I was on my way to teaching my Homiletics class and I stopped to get a bottle of water. The 21-day Daniel fast that I’m on kept me from stopping at Starbucks for my venti non-fat chai latte, but I needed something with me to drink in class.

She was clearly upset as she cried on the phone with someone. She was wearing a short skirt, and that just revealed the bruises all up and down her legs. I’m not sure what they were from, but the first thing that I could think of was that she was in an abusive relationship. While I got my bottle of water she had stepped outside.

She stopped me on my way out the door. With tears rolling down her cheeks she looked at me with desperation and asked if I could help her out by giving her a ride somewhere.

Being a married man who is very active in ministry in my local church, I suddenly found myself in a dilemma.

On one hand my Christian belief is to help those who are needy and in times of trouble. That side of me wanted to help her into my car and take her to wherever she could get the help that she needed. After all, I know of several places that could help her regardless of the situation that she was in.

The other side of me kicked back and said, “DON’T DO IT!” The last thing that I needed was to put myself in a situation where I was alone with another woman in my car. A false accusation from her, or even someone I know driving by and seeing this woman with me could bring a world of problems for a faithful husband and servant of the church.

So I told her that I was really sorry, but I could not help her.

This raises the question that I’d like to discuss here. Which of these options should a faithful Christian be more concerned about?

Is it better to not care what others might think, and to just do the right thing to help out another human being in need?

Or is it more important to maintain a level of trust with people like my wife and those that I minister to?

Or is there another way to handle a situation like this?

What do you think?

Editors note: See the follow-up response to this discussion at be ready [compassion and christian ethics].

[the truth about evolution] tough questions that nobody is asking

The look of judgement that came when the question was asked indicated that she already had her mind made up that my position was unacceptable. She had a secular humanist worldview, and I had (and still have) a strong Biblical Christian worldview. And yet regardless of these fundamental differences, we were still friends. I forget how we got on the topic that day, but she asked me what I believed about homosexuals.

Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to respond in a way that contradicts the Bible, she assumed that I would completely reject everything that had to do with homosexuality. To her this was one of the worst things about Christians, because she valued them as people, and passed no judgement on their right to choose a sexual preference.

This encounter with my friend made me realize that much of the world is extremely judgemental of Christianity for having such a strict standard. However, people often fail to consider what the alternative (the evolutionary view) has to say about things like race and homosexuality. These are important questions to consider because if one rejects the Biblical view, then they are forced to accept the humanist view…

The Evolutionary View and Racism 

In 1926, H. Homma from Johns Hopkins University published a study that showed that showed that black people possess three times the number of sweat glands as white people. This makes logical sense. When one considers the differences needed to deal with and manage heat regulation between our African and European ancestors, it is obvious that this is much more needed in one group over the other.

This finding is widely accepted in the scientific community, and many other studies are founded on these facts. But the evolutionary impacts are often overlooked. There are three possible evolutionary scenarios to consider when evaluating facts like this:

1. Blacks (African descent) are further evolved than other races.
2. Whites and Asians (non-African descent) are de-evolved from Blacks.
3. We are separate evolutions growing in different directions.

In the evolutionary model, humans are considered the most evolved creatures yet and are considered superior to all other creatures. Does this ‘evolutionary’ difference between Blacks and the other races mean that they are superior to the other races? If not, then how is that superiority defined by a system that holds no moral distinctions? How can the evolutionary view ever hold a non-racist perspective considering the potentially different evolutionary paths?

The Evolutionary View and Homosexuality 

The other issue is related to homosexuality and the secular humanist worldview. Since the humanist worldview states that the origin of life comes from evolution, there is this fundamental belief that only the strong survive.

Survival involves reproduction.

The problem here may be an obvious one. The evolutionary view essentially would put no value on the lives of people living homosexual lifestyles. Since people who practice homosexuality do not reproduce, then it would be perceived as nature’s way of eliminating an undesirable characteristic or trait.

The truth is that an evolutionist simply cannot account for any value in the life of someone who lives a homosexual lifestyle. It certainly does not represent ’survival of the fittest,’ and therefore would label homosexuality as a weakness.

The Biblical-Christian View

The issue that these perspectives create is this idea that evolutionary theory would mean that stronger, more advanced forms of life have greater value. This is the kind of trap that leads people like Hitler to try to create a ‘master race’. Think about that one…

While many might say that the Biblical Christian worldview allows Christians to condemn people for the sin that they have (such as homosexuality), the truth is that Bible teaches us that God values ALL human life.

All people are created by God and have equal value in the eyes of God. This means that God loves the black man and the white man equally. God loves the person who practices homosexuality just as much as the one who practices heterosexuality.

The issue of sin in someones life is a different issue, and should not cloud the fact that God loves the person regardless. People in the church don’t always get this right, and we often alienate people for being different than what we think they should be.

Our response as Christians should be to love people regardless of race, or sexual-preference, or any other thing that could separate us. All people have value in God’s eyes, and the church is what He uses to show that to people. Can I get an amen?

Related posts:

• what is truth?
• what is truth? (part deux)
• the truth about evolution: what separates us from the animals

[the case for christmas] conclusion

As Lee Strobel closes the book, he points out that even with all of the evidence that indicates that it was the Messiah that was born in that manger, it is all meaningless unless you consider it in light of Easter. It’s not enough to believe that a great teacher, healer, or even a prophet was born. Easter was the reason that this child was born. And THAT is what makes this child different than all the rest…

A Savior for all mankind was born!

Strobel’s book The Case for Christmas is an amazing presentation of the evidence about Jesus being born. This evidence is the kind of work that helps the logical mind believe that the Bible might actually mean what it says about Jesus. And this is an important step in coming to faith.

But one thing that this project has shown me, is that each of the contributors has their own testimony about who Jesus is. Each has a story, and can share how Jesus has changed their life. And I do too…

I’ve lived most of my life far away from God. I’ve spent a lot of energy only trying to do what was in my own selfish interest. And eventually I started to realize that no matter what I did to fill my selfish pleasures, nothing truly satisfied me. I was always striving for more. It was like eating a meal that left you hungry again shortly after you finished eating. It wasn’t until I surrendered my life to this Savior that we are talking about that I found the fulfillment, purpose, and hope that my life lacked before. That doesn’t mean that my life has been easy, only that it has been fulfilling.

For me, THIS is what Christmas is all about! It is about my testimony and how He has changed my life. It is about the things that He has done for the others who contributed to this project. And it is about what he has done, or can do, for you!

If you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then I ask that you join us in taking a moment to praise the God who came to save us from ourselves. I pray that you be richly blessed with His presence as you continue to walk out your faith.

But if you do not know Him as your personal Lord and Savior, then I encourage you to ask Him to reveal Himself to you. The Bible tells us to ask and it will be given.

All you have to do is ask.

It also tells us that the Truth will set us free. This is not entering into any sort of bondage, but into a relationship that frees you from the bondage of the junk that holds you down. So ask God to guide you into the Truth.

The Bible also teaches us that all it takes to accept this free gift of salvation is that we must turn from our sins, ask His forgiveness, and follow Him. Pray these things and you will be among those of us who have a hope that surpasses all understanding!

So may we all celebrate the TRUE meaning of Christmas, and give honor to the One who came to give us the greatest gift that we could ever hope or ask for! And may we never forget that the reason for Christmas was so that there could be an Easter.

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