“We wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again – but Satan stopped us.”
Many Christians treat Paul’s words literally, but very few talk like Paul anywhere but in church. And those who do – blaming this and that on Satan – embarrass the rest of us. Overt talk of “Satan” is odd. For most secular people devils belong on the same intellectual shelf as leprechauns and fairies.
I lament this. Not because I want to use the word “Satan” or blame things on “devils” more frequently. I don’t actually. But what I do want is to talk about the power and presence of evil in every day life. I want to name the elephant in the room.
People may scoff. They probably argued with Paul: “Satan? Don’t be silly, you just planned poorly or maybe it was simply bad luck. No need to invoke fantasies”. But Paul is convinced that something more is going on in the world. Something that opposes God’s purpose and that works to extinguish love in every life. (Eph. 6:12)
I share Paul’s conviction. I do not believe that injustice is simply bad luck or that violence is poor planning. I reject the notion that better politics, more education and good psychology can make everything right. There is something else going on in the world. I can’t explain it fully (nor does the bible by the way) but it is there. And I want to talk about it.
How do we bring this conviction into everyday conversation? How do we put the reality of evil back into secular vocabulary? Here is my initial list of ideas. I would be pleased to hear your thoughts as well.
Asking provocative questions. “Do you ever think evil has a mind of its own?” “Do you believe evil in the world is more than just choice and chance?” Be prepared for a conversation. It could get interesting.
Risking a confession. “I think I experienced evil once …” “Sometimes I think evil works more like a person than an inert force. What do you think?”
Stating a conviction. “I think evil is working against us here.” You can’t say this if you are buying your third Mercedes and they don’t have the colour you want, but you may be spot on if your disrupted project is transporting food to starving children.
Talking systems. “They are all good people, but there is something evil that takes over when they get together.” “I think that company/regime/group is serving an evil bigger than itself.”
Invoking tradition. “I was brought up to believe in Satan. When I hear/see that (fill in your choice of evil) I realise I still believe it. What do you believe?”
Conversation about evil must lead to redemptive outcomes. There is no point spiritualising the problem if we are not ready to offer spiritual solutions. Talking about evil in this way is a call to pray and to act with God. It rests on the conviction that God is at work against evil.
Christians sometimes fail the wider culture when our talk of “Satan” has more to do with testing each other’s orthodoxy than confronting the world’s deep need together. It does not matter to me if people see it differently. What matters is if people don’t see it at all. When evil hides, we are all in danger.
I suggest we bring “Satan” back into the public conversation. If not by name, at least by our attention to the anti-God forces alive and well on planet earth. There is an elephant in the room. Let’s not allow him to hide among us any longer.
Questions
- How do you talk about evil in secular contexts? What strategies have helped you?
- What kinds of Christian talk about evil make you cringe?
- Please leave a comment.
Tweet |
That was fantastic. I had never thought of that as a topic that's so widely ignored, and I suppose the topic on face value sounds pretty stupid, but how you went into that and explained it really makes sense, that was great. I like the idea of not being ignorant of something we're all aware of, really good job on that!
ReplyDeleteHave you tried this yet Allan? I'd be interested to hear your experience of talking about Satan/Evil/devil goes?
ReplyDeleteWhat were people's reactions?