2020 has brought so much unrest and raised the temperature among so many people who were already restless for one reason or another. Frightened by the pandemic, worried about financial collapse, divided over politics, rioting in the streets and turmoil in the markets–all of these have raised stress levels and sharpened already anxious lives.
It is not surprising, therefore, to find the unrest in society mirrored in the Church. We Christians are humans too. We also have anxieties, fears, resentment and bitterness in our hearts. In my book Immortal Combat I analyzed the “Sin of the World” — showing how the roots of pride well up into an instinct to blame others, lapse into rivalry and competition which engenders resentment and rage, and how this roils and boils in our lives and our society and our church too–and eventually erupts in virulent, snarling anger and violence.
One of the symptoms of this terror is that the rage is irrational and values are reversed. Those who are caught up in the cycle of resentment, rivalry and revenge call good evil and evil good. Rioters burn down buildings, loot and pillage and go home believing they’ve done a good night’s work. Learned people “cancel” brilliant writers, artists and noteworthy people and pull down the statues of noble, good and courageous men and women for some fault in their culture long ago claiming that these good people were bad. Religious people say a good and pious man’s work is bad while they praise others who are cynical, unscrupulous, greedy and proud. Good Christians acclaim politicians who are clearly bad men and women–overlooking their wickedness to confirm their own bias.