Hope, Unredacted
Facing Widely Publicized Evil with the Gospel
A Handmaid’s Tale
A young woman—stolen from her home, robbed of her family and comforts, made to feel less than human through her abuse and shame—serves in the house of one of her captors, the military commander of the enemy forces who have pillaged her homeland and made her a trophy. She is a refugee, a slave, a victim.
Her master is sick. He is dying of a terminal disease and suffering with the stigma of a highly infectious illness that threatens to take everything from him, including his family and his very life. Due to his captive maid’s suggestion, the man is put in contact with an expert who reveals his cure, and not only is he cured, but he is restored to health in a manner that is nothing short of miraculous.
She could have let him die. After all, he was a monster in her life’s story. She could have kept her comments to herself. She could have prayed for his death and exacted vengeance through silence. But she desired him to be healed. That doesn’t make any sense. This is not even the kind of narrative that fiction writers and film producers would risk publishing to the masses because it is too outside reality. Yet, it’s a historical fact. 2 Kings 5 records the story.1
What force of motive could inspire such a merciful and humble act on the part of this young Israeli maid? I contend that—for all the moral reasoning and basic human decency innate to our race—such compassion is impossible without the divine influence of God’s work within her heart.
Grace promotes indescribable kindness and lenience where the heaviest punishments are deserved.
If this seems a difficult and complicated premise, I invite you to think through this verse:
“But God [showcases] his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)2
Monsters in Media
“Sometimes human places create inhuman monsters.”
—Stephen King
We used to say that monsters were the fodder of childhood fancy, “boogeymen” born out of the wild imaginations of adolescents who could not cope with the dark or the unknown. These were villains made to give shape to undefinable anxieties, but once those anxieties were clarified—the dark simply covers what you normally see in the day and the closet is just where your clothes and toys go—the monsters were defanged and thrown back into the land of fantasy.
Unfortunately, adulthood may have removed those cartoonish specters living in the recesses of our mind, but reality has shown that the monsters we imagined were actually way less fearsome than the very real monsters that walk among us.
There is a sickening and disturbing element in our world that doesn’t even deserve attention lest it sully the minds of decent men and women. On the outlying coasts of society, a vile fog has hung over the darker, more obscure areas, momentarily stretching its tendrils into public consciousness here and there through violence, murder, and abuses perpetrated against victims. Be it present-day changing moral standards, mass communication technologies, or simply that the barriers are eroding, I think we could say that the fog is darker and much more widespread these days. Beyond this, “true horror” has become a merchandisable commodity, a gruesome and macabre phenomenon exploited through multiple television, film, literary, and podcast channels. People love to become amateur sleuths themselves, applying a mixture of humor and shock to their interactions with some of the most unspeakable crimes committed in contemporary history.
As of this writing, the collective culture is looking into a million windows, each one providing an increasingly disturbing look into the Hydra of human iniquity. Amongst them are the recently released “Epstein files,” which chronicle further evidence and information into the labyrinth of Jeffrey Epstein’s inhuman behavior of sex-trafficking and prostitution, and the alleged co-conspirators who made use of his influence, which include a number of high-profile politicians and celebrities (and the remaining redactions have left many victims and lawyers frustrated); television host Savanna Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother has been abducted by criminals seeking who-knows-what by their kidnapping; an ongoing battle between ICE agents and protestors has led to multiple deaths in violent clashes; across the country, even the most innocent and helpless are subject to the abuse and destruction of those stronger around them; lawmakers are literally swamped with endless debates on any number of topics but with very little justice or substance for the people they serve. The list is already massive and like Hell, it is daily expanding and seemingly insatiable.
In our world, we recognize that regular citizens—ranging from office managers to stay-at-home moms—have also perused these reports and revelations from their tv and smartphone screens. And many are alarmed.
“We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
The days of assumed security in America are long gone. We cannot say as we once did that “every man’s house is a castle,” because the mote has been drained and the battlements are torn down. Even in communities once considered sacred spaces for citizens to roam and transact freely are no longer to be considered truly safe—not just because of the influx of the populace but because of the lessened inhibitions of those who have already been engaged in less conspicuous evil but have not had the wide access until now. The world is smaller due to the communication age, but it is also more sinister and there are machinations at work that must not be ignored. To obsess to the point of mental anguish is not the order of the day, for our Heavenly Father numbers the follicles of our head, watches the single sparrow as it falls, and counts and names the stars, so you can be sure that good or ill works in His children’s lives are not without notice and action on His part.
I am a Christian, father, and pastor. I cannot ignore the cycles of wickedness and have to, at the very least, filter these realities through scripture and morality for the good of my family and congregation. The bishop of the home and the pastor of the church has the undesirable yet necessary duty to be both prophet and protector. There must be a measured hand in the use of certain kinds of information from the culture or media but the prevailing wisdom comes from applying the scriptures as guide for how we as Christians interpret and interact with the environment around us. In other words, the pastor or spiritual leader cannot simply “take the lids” off over every swirling mass of filth and degeneracy floating in the public consciousness, and when the hour makes it necessary for him to address a hot topic, he must do so with his eyes on Christ and his heart beating for the spiritual good of his flock. To be sure, our family and the flock of our local church are certainly being inundated daily with the bad news, but as leaders, we owe it to them to be modest and helpful in our efforts to overcome darkness with good.
For preachers specifically, it is easy—and lazy—to pick a headline out of the past week’s world or national news cycle and spend a forty minute rant on it for your Sunday homily or midweek Bible lesson. This is an erroneous approach to teaching, first, because it is not the fundamental onus of our ministry. We are to “preach the word, be instant in season and out of season,” and whether the season be inundated with public scandal or tragedy (when is it not?) or if it be a little less active for a time, we who minister aren’t succeeding by chasing the headlines. Preachers are not politicians, personalities, or professionals (right, brothers?)3
And when we do venture into the uncomfortable waters, we had better batten down the hatches of our loved ones’ souls with a firm and steady investment of Gospel guardianship. The Ship of Christ sails many a rough sea, but never faces shipwreck. Those conversations that leave room for speculation or that incite fear or anger in our audience are not only wastes but they are abuses within themselves. Don’t leave your loved ones empty-handed whatever you do! God’s Word is the ammunition needed to give us peace in a world lost in chaos.
Charles and Jack
In the late summer and early fall of 1888, London was in the grip of city-wide panic due to a series of ghastly murders that had taken place in the Whitechapel district. Whitechapel was an impoverished and crime-ridden area known for its seedy criminal element, various shops of ill-repute and vice, and the heavy traffic of prostitution. Now infamously known as “The Ripper Attacks” owing to a string of letters sent to newspapers and authorities supposedly written by the killer where he refers to himself as “Jack” or “the Ripper.” The crimes were of such a violent and gruesome nature that even today those who reflect on that season shiver at their ferocity. At least five victims and up to eleven (if other similar murders in Whitechapel and nearby Spitalfields were also committed by the same killer) are attributed to Jack the Ripper. The crimes remain unsolved and no certain perpetrator has ever been identified.
Some 3 miles (5 km) from Whitechapel is the famed Metropolitan Tabernacle, evangelistic and missionary hub from which the Reverend Charles H. Spurgeon preached from 1854 to 1892. The Whitechapel Murders would have been a foul odor in the nostrils of all Londoners, but could you imagine how revolting these crimes must have been in the minds and hearts of those located so near? And what about the pulpit response from Rev. Spurgeon—was he to remain silent? What we know is that (a) it was a seriously terrifying event to citizens everywhere, including parishioners of the Metropolitan Tabernacle and, (b) Spurgeon did not keep his peace.
The day of the third victim’s death (Elizabeth Stride, 9/30/1888), Spurgeon preached prophetically as it were, delivering a message from Ephesians 2:1 titled, “Once Dead, Now Alive,” in which his theme was the spiritual regeneration that ensures the endless life of the believer, including the hope of bodily resurrection secured by Christ in His victory over the grave. Charging the believers in his congregation, Spurgeon exhorted them to:
“Say that He has raised me from the dead, that He can raise others from the dead, and He can make Death yield up all his spoils through the power of His resurrection life!”4
The next day, September 31, Spurgeon delivered a pastoral prayer in response to Stride’s death, and took opportunity to amplify a Christian response and Gospel perspective so desperately needed in light of such senseless acts and events.
“We hear startling news of abounding sin in this great city. Oh! God, put an end to this, and grant that we may hear no more of such deeds. Let Thy Gospel permeate the city and let no monsters in human form escape Thee…[Our duty] it is to persist in loving, even if men persist in enmity. We are to render blessing for cursing, prayers for persecutions. Even in the cases of cruel enemies, we are to ‘do good to them, and pray for them.’ We are no longer enemies to any, but friends to all. We do not merely cease to hate, and then abide in a cold neutrality; but we love where hatred seemed inevitable…The Christian is not allowed to hate anyone…Preach the gospel, the gates of hell shake; preach the gospel, prodigals return; preach the gospel to every creature, it is the Master’s mandate, and it is the Master’s power…The primary mission of the church is not to protect itself from the world, but to protect others from the world to come.”5
Stand in the resurrection promises of Christ. Plead for merciful interventions of justice and rescue from God. Preach and minister the Gospel to everyone. Seek mercy and forgiveness in your own heart. Remember the duty of the Church. These are all qualities of someone who is a Christian, especially facing widespread evil and terror.
The Final Report
How can we actually put into effect a balance and Godly order to the chaos of wickedness and destruction around us? I have a few thoughts.
Replace doom-scrolling with devoted study and prayer. Allow the scriptures through deep prayer to realign your heart to the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. And in that sovereignty, He is also just and iniquity will not go unanswered.
Don’t be shocked by such massive revelations of human indecency—this is par the course. The doctrine of radical depravity doesn’t mean everyone is as evil as they could be all the time, but it does mean that all are definitely evil, especially outside of grace. And with lessened legal restrictions or moral obligations, the beast in man will only grow more vicious.
Fight the norms of obsession and morbid curiosity with godly boundaries. Beyond what you must encounter, be sure to touch grass. Walk in the sunshine. Go see a silly movie. Hug your spouse. Don’t “stare into the abyss” and the abyss won’t stare back at you (to apply a Nietzcheism).
Work in the Spirit for the protection and care of victims. Since we feel such strong emotions when faced with horrors against our fellow man, we should turn that passion into spiritual and moral strength for their good. Instead of worrying or speculating, let us be intentional towards righteous service to the vulnerable.
Guard your heart against an amoral and anxious worldview. The world of humanism and evolutionary philosophy cannot adequately explain the innate human revulsion to violence and cruelty on the scale we see played out. Their worldview can only lead you to boundless mystery or nihilism. To consider the motive for why we feel so strongly about these issues leads a reasonable person to some form of deism, and onward to monotheism and Christianity. Those of us who are Christians must not be conformed by a godless philosophic system, but rather work to inform the world around us with Christ.
Pray for criminals. As much as we may wish to see them destroyed because of their actions, we must take a deep breath and admit that the darkness also resides in us. Our darkness may not be as thick, but it is just as repugnant to a holy God. Like the Israelite maiden, submit yourself to the godly sense of mercy and realize that death for the wicked means eternal punishment—a fate worse than death that we wish for no one.
Remember that exposure is a form of mercy. Yes, the revelations of degeneracy are troubling, but when darkness is exposed, it means light is shining. One day, the Light will eradicate the shadows for good.
The Church’s mission does not change when evil is so obviously present—in fact, the mission takes on a fresh motive when we see a world of people imprisoned to iniquity who desperately need the power of the Gospel.
Blessings
SDG.
The observations made here are due in large part to a conversation I had recently with Pastor Andrew Russell and he is to be credited with the analogy.
synistēmi is translated in various literal Bible versions as “shows” (ESV), “demonstrates” (NASB), and “commendeth” (KJV). “Showcases” is a helpful understanding since it places the love of God before us as a diamond or jewel on display for us to see and in which to glory.
https://www.desiringgod.org/books/brothers-we-are-not-professionals
“Once Dead, Now Alive.” Delivered September 30, 1888. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. C.H. Spurgeon
C. H. Spurgeon, cited in “5 Ways Spurgeon Coped with London’s Terror Attacks.” Staff, The Spurgeon Center for Biblical Preaching at Midwestern Seminary. 6/19/17.
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