As I write these words, there have been four nights of rioting in various parts of the UK. When you read these words, will the situation have escalated ”“ or died down?
It has been fascinating to hear the different solutions that have been put forward. Perhaps more money needs to be spent in deprived areas, it is suggested. Perhaps police need more powers, or stronger methods of enforcement. Others suggest that families need to take more responsibility. All these things may be true. However, most of the comments on the riots ignore the basic diagnosis that Jesus gives us, because they focus on external solutions. Jesus makes it clear that the basic problem is an internal one ”“ within people: “For from within,” he says, “out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside,” (Mark 7v20-23).
The Christian diagnosis is that our hearts are infected by “sin” ”“ that little word with “I” in the middle.
IIRC: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
GK Chesterton
Fatherlessness – poor parenting: poor modeling, poor teaching, poor monitoring, betrayal, adultery/divorce, abuse, addictions… Enabling bad behaviors. Not modeling and teaching good and godly ones. By birth/guardian family, state AND church.