Much has been said in the past week since the tragic massacre
of innocent children in Newtown, Connecticut concerning evil within our
culture. The questions seem to hinge on just what can we do as a nation to ensure
this is never repeated. I can assure you that legislation of any sort will only
act as one of those cheap bandages that refuses stick more than two hours.
Men have the choice between good and evil. Most choices are
thought out based upon our learning of the difference between the two. It
stands to reason that we consider two points in this connection: 1) what basis
should be used to determine what good is and what evil is; and 2) if the
culture desires individuals to choose that which is good, than should not all
be taught from the same basis?
And that is the crux of the matter. Who or what decides what
good is and what evil is.
The only long lasting solution is to change the hearts and
minds of people. This is obviously easier said than done. Our culture is not
interested in any type of morality training. The forced secularization of our
culture and its open hostility towards “religion” makes it considerably hopeless.
However, this is the answer. According to theologian Lewis
S. Chafer, “moral evil is an ultimate fact in the universe which can neither be
explained nor explained away.”
Evil takes on many forms. Not only in the form of the recent massacre, but it
includes all murders, all crimes, hatred towards others, disobedience to
parents, parents who abuse their children, spouses who abuse each other, and
the list could go on, but you see the point.
There is a tendency by the secularists to believe that most things
in our culture are normal, except for the tragedies. When in reality, most do
not recognize the fact that man does not exist in a state normalcy. Chafer points
out this problem when he states that man “is created to be God-centered. To
become self-centered is a contradiction of the basic law of creature existence.”
Man is out of sync with his Creator’s divinely intended ‘basic
law of creature existence’ – to serve Him and bring glory to His name. The individual needs to experience the
normalcy of his existence. This entails accepting the Creator’s remedy from
what separates the individual from Him – namely sin (the evil of
self-centeredness). Jesus Christ was sent to mankind to die on the cross and provide
the atonement possible for all mankind. (I believe this is why we celebrate Christmas!)
Trusting Christ as savior and accepting His work on your
behalf begins a relationship with the Creator which brings normalcy to your
existence, and the power to counteract evil in our own lives. That is how
hearts and minds are changed and evil averted in our culture, one person at a
time.
