With all of the negativity Christianity has been receiving lately, it seems the bigger and overarching picture may have disappeared from view. Robert Morgan conveys it well in his book, The Strength You Need (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2016). From page 43:
Christianity has changed the planet more than any other philosophy or faith system ever conceived on our globe. Christians have been at the vanguard of the abolition of slavery, the promotion of human rights, the advance of prison reform, the establishing of child labor laws, the creation of hospitals and educational systems. We’re the ones championing the rights of preborn children and the care of orphans and widows. At this very moment, armies of Christians are engaged all over the globe in feeding the hungry, providing clean drinking water, and granting relief in areas devastated by natural disasters. We’re the ones taking the hope of the gospel to the downtrodden of the earth.
For two-thousand years, since Jesus illustrated how we should love and care for one another, Christianity stands out as a light in a world of darkness. Again quoting from Mr. Morgan’s book,
True religion has always carried the poor on its back. As I indicated in an earlier chapter, this is what Christianity has done for two thousand years. We care for people. We care about racial justice. We care about adequate wages. We care about malnutrition. We care about disease. We care for those in prison. We care for the illiterate. We care about clean water, unborn children, and empty stomachs. We give our money to help them. We share our time and energy to minister to them in ways that meet tangible needs. This is what we do – the Bible calls it “good works” – and this is what the world notices. (p.106)
It is unfortunate and discomforting that those pouring out blame and wrath focus on Christianity as being some sort of “culprit” causing many or all the problems in the world today, when, in reality, the opposite is true.. I don’t see any single group trying harder to stave off the real enemy than the true Christ-followers. Christians are now dying almost daily (see Voice of the Martyrs) to promote Jesus Christ’s love throughout the world. Jesus said (Matthew 22:37-40):
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
