Friday, October 10, 2014

When evil seems to triumph

Anyone taking an honest glance at the state of the church today will have cause to lose hope at some point. 

Whether in frustration with authoritarian institutions where child abuse is overlooked and victims are expected to just forgive those who both hurt them and failed them, or in discouragement at the prevailing lack of personal or corporate faithfulness to Christ regardless of cost, there is much to disillusion Christians.

Yet the truth that institutions and those ensnared in them forget is that God sees all this. 

Despite the practical atheism of so many in the Church today, our God reigns. He will not be mocked, and He does care about survivors of abuse as well as all the oppressed. He always leaves a remnant, however small, of faithful people. He will build His church regardless of our paltry hopes or plans, and in Him alone is all true hope secure. He is not controlled by us nor thwarted by our nonsense.  He does not need our ministries nor our help to perform justice, although He will call us all to account for how we live and what we allow in our lives and among His people. 

In short, God is God. He has not changed in His character. He is love. 

And that gives me hope.