Religion poisons everything.”1 That is what contemporary atheist Christopher Hitchens has stated. Friedrich Nietzsche, a nineteenth-century atheist and author of The Antichrist writes:
I condemn Christianity; I bring against the Christian Church the most terrible of all accusations that an accuser has ever had in his mouth. It is, to me, the greatest of all imaginable corruptions; it seeks to work the ultimate corruption, nothing untouched by its depravity; it had turned every value into worthlessness, and every truth into a lie, and every integrity into baseness of the soul.2
To some, Christianity is the evil emperor imposing its will on the masses and threatening to suppress the free expressions of humanity. Although there are those past and present who, under the banner of Christianity, have waged war, enslaved people, and brought disgrace on the name of Christ, this is only a small, sad corner of the whole picture. It can be demonstrated that it is Jesus’ kingdom worldview that has fostered more good and provided more positive contributions to society than any other force in history. If we were to highlight just a few of the positive influences of a biblical worldview they would include:
• the high value for human life
• care for the sick in creating hospitals
• literacy and education for the masses
• abolition of slavery in the Western world
• the elevation of women
• high standards of justice and civil liberties
• benevolence and charity work
• development of art and music
• the motivation and basis for modern science
Atheists and other detractors of Christianity fail to point out that it is the human propensity to be self-centered that has brought such misery and suffering upon the masses. Christianity is actually the antidote to this propensity, for it is the message and power of Christ that addresses the core problem of self-centeredness.
Greed, corruption, abuse of power, and a basic disregard for others all spring from self-centeredness. Left unchecked, human nature will always revert to self-serving ways that seek to gain at another’s expense. On the opposite side of the equation, making the interest and care of others as important as your own creates goodwill and harmony and meets human need. This is at the center of Jesus’ teaching—it represents the very heart of God. Jesus said, “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Jesus had a heart of love that moved him to put others first, and it is that Christlike heart that has empowered his followers to change the world for good.
Looking out for the interests of others, especially those in need, is the primary core value of Jesus’ worldview. The expression used most often to describe Jesus’ heart of love was that he was “moved with compassion.” When he saw the two blind men he was “moved with compassion.” When he saw the leper he was “moved with compassion.” When he saw the sick and the hungry he was “moved with compassion.” (See Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; 8:2.) Jesus had a heart of love that moved him to put others first, and it is that Christlike heart that has empowered his followers to change the world for good.
At its core this biblical worldview represents a focus on caring for the interest of others. “In humility,” Paul said, “consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV). This compassion toward others is a radical message now and it was certainly so during the time of Christ. Within the Roman Empire during the first century, enslaving others was commonplace. Abortion was rampant. Parents abandoned virtually all babies that were deformed. Women had few rights and were considered the property of their husbands.
Yet during this time James, a disciple of Jesus, made a radical statement: “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us” (James 2:27). These early Christians rejected the cultural practice of allowing abandoned babies and orphaned children to die on the streets. Instead, they would literally pick them up and adopt them into their own homes. What caused them to do this? It was the “moved with compassion” heart of their Lord being lived out in their lives. Early Christians believed that everyone—including the poor, the homeless, the handicapped, the sick—was made in the image of God and had infinite value, dignity, and worth. By the third and fourth century this influence of Jesus’ worldview was widespread. Sherwood Wirt, author of The Social Conscience of the Evangelical, documents what took place under the influence of Christianity by AD 500:
Many permanent legal reforms were set in motion by Emperors Constantine (280-337) and Justinian (483-565) that can be laid to the influence of Christianity. Licentious and cruel sports were checked; new legislation was ordered to protect the slave, the prisoner, the mutilated man, the outcast woman. Children were granted important legal rights. Infant exposure was abolished. Women were raised from a status of degradation to that of legal protection. Hospitals and orphanages were created to take care of foundlings. Personal feuds and private wars were put under restraint…Branding of slaves was halted.3
It was Christians with the compassionate heart of Jesus who cared for people that society had largely forgotten. It was Christians who reached out to the blind, the lame, the elderly, the mentally handicapped, and those less fortunate when no one else would. And those efforts have continued until this day.
Often great works of compassion and charity are birthed by the dedication and sacrifice of a single follower of Jesus.
Basil of Caesarea was a fourth-century bishop in Asia Minor. He wrote, “I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all my youth in vain labors…Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.”4 With a kingdom worldview, Basil championed the cause of the outcasts of society, working with the poor, the sick, and the prostitutes. He eventually built a large complex just outside of Caesarea called the Basiliad, which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital. Basil’s compassionate heart of Christ and work with the needy was regarded at the time as one of the great wonders of the world.
William Booth came to the slums of East London in 1865 as an itinerant evangelist. At that time there were tens of thousands living on the streets, sleeping wherever they could find shelter. Food was scarce and some 80,000 young women were prostituting themselves to survive.5 William and Catherine Booth mobilized an army (the Salvation Army) “to transform the living hell of the homeless into communities of self-helping, self-sustaining families.”6
Today the Salvation Army operates in 118 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. It is the largest nongovernmental provider of social services in the United Kingdom and one of the largest social aid providers in the world, helping more than 32 million people in the U.S. alone. The Christlike compassion of one couple over 140 years ago has been translated into a force of 4.5 million volunteers aiding those in need.7
Jean-Henri Dunant was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1828 and raised by devout Christian parents. As a child he would accompany his mother on her visits to care for the poor and sick in Geneva’s suburbs. It was there that he witnessed the misery of those living in deep poverty. It left a lasting impression on this young Christian man.
In 1859 he traveled to Italy and witnessed the Battle of Solferino. He watched as nearly 40,000 wounded men begged for help on the battlefield. Moved with a Christlike compassion he persuaded the military leaders to release all captive medical personnel so they could tend to the wounded, friend and foe. Churches and private homes were transformed into makeshift hospitals. Dunant set about discussing formal procedures with the military for neutral medical aid during conflict for the alleviation of the suffering of the wounded.
His efforts resulted in the creation of a national Red Cross organization and the establishment of the Geneva Convention, which addressed how fighting armies would treat wounded soldiers. Today the International Federation of Red Cross is the world’s largest humanitarian organization with 186 national societies as members.8 Jesus was “moved with compassion,” and for centuries he has moved his followers with compassion to alleviate the suffering of the wounded and dying.
Agnes Bojaxhiu was born in Macedonia in 1910. When she was 18 she joined the convent because she felt called by God to be a missionary. In 1948 while she was teaching high-schoolers in Calcutta she observed the suffering and poverty of those outside the convent walls. She sought permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.
Known as Mother Teresa, she received permission to start her own order called “The Missionaries of Charity.” Today the work of Mother Teresa continues through the aid and assistance of co-workers, who became an official international association in 1969. Millions are still being reached in the former Soviet Union and eastern European countries, as well as in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.9 The heart of a small lady moved by the great compassion of Christ brought comfort and healing to many.
Beyond any shadow of a doubt Christianity has been a powerful redemptive force for good in our world. It is Jesus’ kingdom worldview that has led his followers to establish protection for infants and the unborn, child labor laws, separation of church and state, liberty and justice, care for those in need, abolition of slavery in the Western world, and modern science. They have built universities and hospitals and brought about musical innovations and the advancement of the written word.10
And while the accomplishments of the Basils, William Booths, Jean-Henri Dunants, and Mother Teresas of the world have been heroic and spectacular, these biblical worldview hall-of-famers represent only a fraction of the world-changing agents that have played a positive role in the world. Currently, ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision International, and Compassion International are reaching out to bring hope and healing to many. I (Sean) have had firsthand knowledge of the compassionate hearts of thousands reaching out to the former Soviet Union through Operation Care-lift. This was an effort founded by my dad (Josh) to offer medical assistance and clothes to those in need. I have traveled on these mission trips and seen the positive impact in the lives of people when the love of Christ is lived out. Today that simple effort to reach the hurting in the former Soviet Union has become an international relief agency called GAIN (Global Aid International). In 2010 it was one of the very first agencies to meet the desperate needs of earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
It is these followers of Jesus, and many more, who have been unpublicized and largely unnoticed by the world who have had such a positive influence in society. It is Christ’s kingdom worldview lived out in your everyday life and ours that is making a difference. As each of us embraces Jesus and lives out his ways, he is able to minister through us powerfully to make his prayer a reality:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be honored.
May your kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth,
just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).