We stayed at a backpacker’s hostel last night, and I had the opportunity to spend sometime with an older man from Holland. At first, he appeared to be a man who knew God, and he appreciated what he overheard as I conversed with a woman from Germany.
Later on, though, he noted that he was glad that the United States was back on track now that the “Evil Emperor” (Bush) had now been replaced by our “Savior” (Obama). Yeah, he really used those terms! In fact, many people in Kenya exonerate Obama almost in a way that idolizes him. Scary, eh?
The conversation continued, and he asked whether I thought that Obama would push the 1.3 children per family law in the United States, and noted he believed that abortion was one of the marvels of the past century. I questioned why he didn’t view abortion as murder. He said, “You are a Christian, aren’t you.” And then proceeded to say that society as a whole agrees that aborting a child is far better than the risk of her or him being neglected. I asked, “So society’s view is always right?” He then noted that society’s view’s the best we got. Scary!
Our time for Eastern Europe will be soon, and I’m realizing that perhaps one of the toughest spiritual climates we will be a part of won’t be China or Africa. It may not be the religion of Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. It could very well be the people of Europe, the United States, and Canada. The Western world has turned its back on God, has become cynical, and accepts Christianity only to the extent that we don’t have to know our God personally and have our world turned upside down by Him transforming our lives. Our churches have been quietly invaded by culture or religion. The idea that a real spiritual world exists that really is intertwined with the physical is resisted. We can trust in God spiritually and emotionally, but not with our entire lives – not our finances, not our jobs, not our safety. Nor can we trust that He really speaks to our hearts anymore, because our hearts can’t be trusted. And scripture is only true into how it fits into what we’re taught or what we think we can see around us.
In my travels around the world, I wonder if it is not we (the United States) that need missionaries from places like China and Africa. People from China where the church doesn’t have the luxury of an free church. And people from Africa, where spiritual warfare is an ever-present and important part of the Christian life! These places do, of course, have their problems too. But I think we can learn much from one another. And I hope we too can recognize the spiritual warfare all around us in our nation.
