“There is no God in Heaven, and there is no Hell below”
So says the great professor, of all there is to know
But I’ve had the invitation, that a sinner can’t refuse
And it’s almost like salvation, it’s almost like the blues.
Leonard Cohen
I’m in Georgetown, Guyana and attended a presentation this afternoon at the Museum of Anthropology on the history of education among the Amerindian tribes in the south of this country. The speaker repeatedly referred to the negative effects of “Christianity” on the native people, their language and their culture. This shows a false understanding of the meaning of the term. The values of domination and exploitation of the earth and other people are not Christian values. They were values of the Western European empires, who often used a perverted conception of Christianity to justify their imperial ambitions.
True Christian values, as represented by the persecuted Christians in the first few centuries before Christianity was co-opted by the state, are in many ways very similar to traditional indigenous values. These include caring for all the members of one’s community and about the natural world (God’s creation), honoring one’s elders, self-discipline, servant leadership, sharing what you have and not hoarding wealth.
You cannot understand Christianity by observing so-called Christians. You understand it by reading and understanding the moral truths of the Bible.
During the question and comment period after the presentation, one person in the audience lamented the epidemic of teenage pregnancy and the teaching of abstinence as a solution, instead of teaching about condoms. She argued that we cannot expect teenagers to abstain from sex. But why shouldn’t both be taught? Without belief in God and a true understanding of the biblical teachings about sex and marriage, I doubt that anyone would decide to abstain. We need to teach the Bible to those who will listen, and because there will be some who reject it or fail to live up to it, we should teach about condoms. But we should never teach that sex outside of marriage is morally good, inevitable or without spiritual consequences.
Then tonight near the city market I had to endure an obnoxious street-corner preacher shouting about hell and damnation to a crowd who could hardly care less. Such public displays of professed Christians like this one do more harm than good in changing the hearts and minds of those who are in dire need hearing and understanding the gospel.