Ridgell's Originals

 Our world is a mess.  Always has been and always will be.  Hatred, abuse, greed, racism, addictions, broken relationships.  Well, you know this as well as I do.

I think we often look in the wrong place for answers.

Country.  Living in the United States, I am still amazed how many people conflate America with the Kingdom of God.  You are not going to fix the problems of this world thru any political system.  Abuse and evil occur under every system of governing known to man.  You can never pass enough laws to get people to do right all the time.  Laws may control actions but they do not change hearts.  And eventually everyone is true to their heart.  Countries are about self-preservation.  Countries go to war to protect their way of life.  Or to preseve power.  To expect a country to advance real God values is an exercise in futility.  And most of all, countries rise... and countries fall.  

Culture.  Christians will never accomplish anything if they follow culture.  Because the morality of cultures constantly change.  Something that today is lauded as a right was condemned as evil just a few years ago.  And something today seen as right will be labeled as wrong in the future.  Much of the evil in this world has often by supported and endorsed by culture.  Everyone may be sure that the culture they are in has it just right.  Finally.  Until you realize that people of every culture forever have believed that.

Church.  At first glance you might assume that church is the answer for what is wrong in our world.  But which church?  The church of culture?  The church of polical power?  The church supported by country or culture?  Churches often grow into a reflection of their culture.  Even tho every church I have known insists it is not influenced by culture.  As church evolves into an institution, it accumulates power and then begins to do whatever necessary to perpetrate the institution.  It even seems that the larger the church, the easier it is to focus more and more on the members and less and less on those on the outside.  

I do need to say one thing about church.  Church actually is just a gathering/group/spiritual family/community of faith.  It was never designed to be an organized institution.

Everyone of these three seeks to change the world into their image.  Top down.  Rules.  Enforce the community group think.  

Trouble is, our world is not made up of organizations.  It is made up of people.  

So it just may be that the Christians living as the family of God may have something to say about the real answer to the problems of the world. 

More about that next time. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM