Start the conversation

The Connecting Point:

The shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, _______…, the hate crimes against people of Asian descent, ongoing racial strife, China’s attempt to eradicate the Uighur people, the conditions in Central America resulting in parents abandoning their children with the hope of a better life in the United States, the plight of persecuted people around the world, the tens of millions of trafficked people, war, famine caused by corruption, abuse…current events have a way of leading people to reevaluate their understanding of evil. Many are recognizing that evil is real, and real evil has real consequences for real people.  

The Disconnect:

For those who operate out of a relativistic worldview with no moral absolutes, evil has been portrayed as nothing more than a devilish cartoon character. This understanding falls short when it comes into contact with such intentional acts of inhumanity like mass shootings, chemical attacks, child sex-trafficking and genocide.

The Reconnect:

Evidence of the reality of evil can be found throughout the Bible but there is a difference between moral evil – done by rational beings to one another – and physical or natural evil – when bad things happen as a consequence of the fallen reality of all Creation.  In this conversation we are addressing moral evil and the reality that every person has the capacity to do that which is evil in the sight of God.

Keep the conversation going

Question: How do you know what is right or wrong? Does your understanding of good and evil change depending on circumstance or situation?  

Communicate:

Relativism states that what might be right for me doesn’t have to be right for you. This kind of thinking, when applied to a society of diverse opinions, is frustrating and chaotic. For example, most Americans know and  agree there is “moral decline” in our country, but can’t agree on how to fix it if our standards can only be personal.

God is good and, therefore, defines what is good in all areas of life. That includes what is morally good – or evil. The Bible instructs us to reject every kind of evil and, instead, to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.

Apply

As Christians, we simply do not have the option to look away from these atrocities. Evil seeks to dehumanize what God has imprinted with His very image. The good news is Easter has an answer to evil. And we are the witnesses to the goodness and beauty of the gospel.