This semester I’m enrolled in a Biblical Ethics course taught by Lipscomb’s renowned Dr. Camp. I’ve had countless people illustrate how this course will “change my life” and “help me see the world from a completely new perspective.” I have to admit that at first, I was a bit skeptical. Through my traveling and learning over the past few years I’ve become very critical, especially within the subjects of politics and religion. With that being said, I’m finding that this ethics course is opening my mind to new ways of thinking. I’m beginning to question some of my long standing viewpoints as I chew on ideas of what God’s kingdom looks like here on Earth.
This month our class has been reading Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community by Wendell Berry. In this ideological book, he draws attentions to some of the harsh political and economical realities of the early 1990’s. Our last class period covered the 6th Chapter - Peaceableness Towards Enemies - in which Berry shares some notes on the Gulf War.
This chapter genuinely spoke to me, being a Christian American seeking to serve in the political world. Many valid points are brought up in this section, but two statements still echo through my mind.
1. “This society is making life extremely difficult for the unwealthy and unpowerful: children, old people, women (especially wives and mothers), country people, the poor, the unemployed, the homeless. We are failing in marriage and failing our family responsibilities…While we waged war abroad, an undeclared civil war was being fought every day in our streets, our homes, our workplaces, and our classrooms. And none of these problems can be corrected merely by wealth, power, and technology. The world’s most powerful military force cannot help at all. (pgs. 74-75)”
2.”If we want to be at peace, we will have to waste less, spend less, use less, want less, need less. The most alarming sign of the state of our society now is that our leaders have the courage to sacrifice the lives of young people in war but have not the courage to tell us we must be less greedy and less wasteful. (pg. 92)”
This chapter also discusses an ulterior motive in the Gulf War - the pursuit of oil. I sat in disgust as Berry painted a vivid picture in my mind. If we were willing to send our brothers and sisters to die for the control of oil, why have we done so little to reduce our dependency on this resource? It has been almost 19 years since the Gulf War came to a close, and we still rely critically on oil. This has to make me wonder “what would the world do if we ran out of oil tomorrow?” (Not to mention the detriment fossil fuel burning is to the planet)
I could only contemplate these notes in silence as I tried to make sense of it all. Knowing that this was America two decades ago and seeing that things haven’t really changed is just discombobulating. I have to question where we go from here. So many people talk about bringing change, but so little seems to happen. I believe a problem is that people try to change to much in too little time. History has shown that large and sudden changes do not go over well. I’m a big “Planet Earth” fan, so take desert creatures for example. If you were to suddenly transition an animal into the desert, there’s a good chance that it would die (Like a rabbit wandering in Death Valley and getting lost - game over). However, if you were able to gradually transition an animal into the harsh desert climate then there’s a greater chance the creature will adapt and survive. (Like our friend the jack rabbit jack whose towering ears serving as a cooling feature) I believe the same approach needs to be taken to bring about change. I was taught in high school that “if you handle the little things, the big things will handle themselves.” We need to begin fixing the “little things” today if we want to see changes in the future. Anyway, there’s my rant on change.
These are some concepts I will be chewing on in the near future. I know there will be many challenges ahead, few with easy answers. I just have to keep reminding myself to reflect what God’s kingdom looks like here on Earth.
If you’re looking for some interesting perspectives on society, check out Berry’s Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community.
