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Christianity Today, October, 2008 |

SERIOUSLY DISTURBED

The Only Hope for Monsters

We can't defeat evil in the world without facing the evil in ourselves.

Kay Warren | posted 10/15/2008 03:29PM

I admit it: I am a total wimp when it comes to scary movies. My tolerance for things jumping out at me in the dark is nearly nonexistent. When I was a little girl, nothing terrified me more than the black-and-white ...

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daniEL

Posted: October 22, 2008 4:53 PM


Can anyone share with me from the Bible where it states that WE are supposed to defeat Evil in the world? I thought that only CHRIST does that after his earthly millenial reign.

Jonathan E. Brickman

Posted: October 20, 2008 9:20 AM

When God is at work in an individual, it is very helpful to share the fact with everyone. It is thus that many have learned that God is at work in individuals. It is by such reports that God chose to teach me that He is at work in individuals, and is willing and eager to be at work in myself. I am very pleased that those in whom God is at work do choose to praise Him for His works in them, and I pray that He motivates many more to do so than are now so doing.

Roger

Posted: October 19, 2008 4:33 PM

While I don't believe we should ever stop thinking of ourselves as "sinners saved by grace," Warren's article doesn't seem to acknowledge the the spiritual growth that should mark our years as believers. I don't deny my struggles with certain issues in my life, but my capacity for harming another person has grow less as I have grown in knowledge and understanding. Perhaps under the most bizarre of circumstances, I might be able to lash out in anger with words, but do physical harm, I don't think so. Plan and carry out genocide? Not a chance! I willingly give God the credit for his work in me, but I don't believe, at this stage of my spiritual life, I remain capable of that sort of evil. To think so seems to deny the work and presence of the Holy Spirit.

susan

Posted: October 19, 2008 2:07 PM

I don't think this is a good article nor helpful. When God is at work in an individual (that is Kay Warren) why share this with everyone? Is it helpful? I haven't needed to go to Rwanda (nor could afford to) for God to share with me and teach me in His Word and through the Holy Spirit who I am and what I am capable of. I am really tired of people who become experts. There is just too, too much information out there...too much so called Christian teaching. I am a Christian and I DO practice the faith, as my relationship with Christ has been ever teaching me. I appeal to writers who think they are helping people, to think before you share all your "great discoveries". Let God teach through His word, the local body of Christ and through our exercising our faith by the deeds and works He has given us in this place and time to each member. Just look at all the comments being written showing ignorance of history, some anger, some poor people feeling false guilt and feeling defeated!

Bess	Posted: October 17, 2008 4:51 AM

Absolutely! I felt Kay's words put into clear focus, what had been building in my mind durnig the last few months, as I traveled in Germany. I had always been fascinated with Germany because of its Holocaust past; as a child I wondered, "How could a country of people lose its minds like that?" The same with China during Cultural Revolution, and North Korea today. I certainly have thought "I would NEVER do those things" that I had read about. I don't anymore. After what God has directed to my eyes about my own humanity, and living and talking to people overseas, I realize that all those people, who I had felt to be monsters, must be people just like you and me. In short I absolutely agree with Kay, that "given the right circumstances, we are absolutely capable of doing ANYTHING." Thank God we have God; imagine a life without Him..

caroline

Posted: October 16, 2008 9:06 AM


very thoughtful, i know the evil that lurks in me. it's been a painful journey, i now see GRACE in a completely different way.

Dan	Posted: October 16, 2008 7:23 AM

James James ... I'm afraid that things are even worse than you think. You are part of the naive America that needs to wake up to the evil that lives within. I can tell by your comments that you still believe that it is only Bush who lied is evil and the evil Jews who murder poor peace loving Palestinians. The left, the media, everyone lies when they say Bush lied to them. Most of us walked into it with our eyes wide open. All credible intelligence agencies agreed Iraq had WMDs. They were wrong! War doesn't fix all problems. Also jihadist Palestinians are evil & want all Jews & you as an American dead! As is said in the "Matrix", "take the blue pill & go back to your life to sleep away or take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole (evil) goes."

ELEN	Posted: October 16, 2008 3:44 AM


Even my wife of twenty five years knows little of how wicked I am. I only choose to appear good when I want to. I am deeply evil within. I am a preacher for the past 31 years, but the closer I draw to the mighty celestial light, the clearer I see how naked, blind, poor, wretched, hopeless and helpless I am. Thanks to God for the Cross and for the Blood of Jesus Christ that makes whiter than snow.

vpjoshua

Posted: October 16, 2008 2:18 AM


"Before we were born again, we sinned because it was our nature to sin. I we sin nhow, it's because of our flesh, not our nature" What are the differences between "nature" and "flesh"?. If "being born again" transform our "nature", what would transform our "flesh"? What passages of the Bible should we study and meditate upon. vpjoshua@polyu.edu.hk

James

Posted: October 16, 2008 1:59 AM

The terrible and immensely tragic catastrophe of the Iraq war, launched on the basis of the most atrocious lies, was supported by many if not most Christians in the US because of an inadequate understanding of the depths that politicians will stoop to for the sake of pandering to lobby groups and money interests. Americans will wake up to the reality of evil when its consequences strike home, or when the chickens come home to roost. This is indeed starting to happen. The Bible says 'You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and a fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land.. For all who act dishonestly are an abomination to the Lord your God..' Americans must start to treat others, including the Palestinians, as they would prefer to be treated themselves, even if the Zionists have much money.

JohnT

Posted: October 15, 2008 9:08 PM

I disagree with the idea that we are “wounded healers who have reaped the benefits of God’s amazing grace.” The Bible says otherwise: Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17 AMP) This “new self” is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24) and we’ve become “the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21) It’s a mistake to believe that, as Christians, we are “inherently evil.” That was our condition before salvation, but not after. It’s not OUR capacity for wickedness – rather it’s our flesh. The Bible also says: “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Rom. 7:20). Before we were born again, we sinned because it was our nature to sin. If we sin now, it’s because of our flesh, not our nature.

Jeri	Posted: October 15, 2008 7:59 PM

Shelly: More times than I can count, I've heard the stories of the murders and other horrible atrocities committed by Christians during the crusades. The Crusades were a horrific and inexcusable evil. But I rarely hear criticism of Muslims who have killed (and continue to kill) Christians around the world. (Check out "The Voice of Martyrs".) I wonder sometimes how long people will continue to rehearse the evil Christians have done, ignoring the hatred many Muslims direct toward Christians every day. The stated intent of radical Muslims to destroy as many Christians as possible seems somehow to garner little attention or concern. It is my observation that evil is an equal opportunity employer. Only God knows the actual number, nationality or religion of people who have murdered in His name. Evil is evil regardless of who commits it.

David

Posted: October 15, 2008 5:55 PM


Thank you Kay for so eloquently expressing this truth. As a young man I was angry at the evil people who perpetrated wars and injustice. It was only as I was confronted with exactly the same tendencies in myself that I realised that, as you put it, there is "a monster within". Thank God for his forgiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit that allows us to serve Him.

Euro man

Posted: October 15, 2008 3:39 PM


True. But until the world sees "new creations in Christ" in deed and not word the Church will remain a byword if not a dirty word. At least among Europeans.

shelly krahn

Posted: October 15, 2008 3:00 PM

I think that one cannot help but see the political implications of this article. I know so many Christians afraid that our country is about to be taken over by terrorists that they willing to kill Muslims who are not actually posing any threat. Their motivation is fear and that is a very dangerous thing when it usurps the fear of God. Jim Elliot went to the Auca Indians and the men with him agreed that should the confrontation turn to violence, they would not retaliate because if they died (Elliot and his men) they were secured eternal life, the Aucas did not know God and therefore were not eternally secure. They understood that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal......unlike many Christians in the U.S. I agree the evil is within us. It's the same evil that justified the Christians who went on the crusades and killed many, many muslims in the name of Christ.

Joseph

Posted: October 15, 2008 1:57 PM

Excellent article. The capacity for evil is in the DNA of human beings. No matter how lofty or good our aspirations and achievements, we are always one step away from murder, rape, and other acts of hatred. Even nonbelievers like Confucius said, "When we see men of contrary character, we should look inward." Let's also refrain from using articles like this as a vehicle to vent political leanings. Quite frankly, it diverts from the main purpose of the article, cheapens the discussion, and polarizes readers from the get go.

Jay Randall (same as you)

Posted: October 15, 2008 1:37 PM


Good words from a good heart . . . at least a heart that understands where is goodness comes from. Thanks for such true words. May our good God continue to strengthen you in all you do.

Deb	Posted: October 15, 2008 1:05 PM


WOW! This scares me, because I scare myself. It is so hard to see the ugliness inside oneself and still have the faith to believe the gospel is big enough for that darkness. I realize the biggest sin of my adult life has been hiding from myself, and trying so very hard to "be good." I realize this is it's own darkness.

Andrew

Posted: October 15, 2008 1:05 PM

I wonder whether our Evangelical President George Bush reads these columns. A great deal of our present American problem is rooted in a self-righteous judgment by him and his kind of our nation as good and others as evil. He sees us on a white horse saving other peoples from evil powers even as we destroy those peoples. He has used this simplistic, black and white judgment to justify preemptive bombing, invading and occupying the people of Iraq, effecting the greatest shift in our nation's foeign policy in the past 100 years, bankrupting the country both morally and financially and pissing away the sympathy and respect other nations had for us in the wake of 9/11. The monster is, indeed, within us.

Marianne Miller

Posted: October 15, 2008 12:58 PM

I liked the essay for the most part, but her statement that we are not basically good and that we are basically evil is an oversimplification. The scripture that she quoted is a boiled down explanation of what the Bible on the whole teaches and is much more accurate to the fact. We are evil in our sinful nature. There is much more to us than our sinful nature, however. Scriptures itself talks about our inward parts, plural. God did not create us evil, but in His own image, and therefore good. Yes, our wills chose a sinful rebellious path, but that does not mean we are totally bad. I implore anybody who is interested in this topic to read the many great historical writings dealing with this issue and to not base your ideas totally on this one perspective. Many great Christians throughout the ages have spoken about this very topic. Kay's was a Calvinistic view, which has some merit, but some others who know the Bible well hold somewhat differening views.

William

Posted: October 15, 2008 12:50 PM


I agree with what Kay wrote in this essay, while I've always been physically faithful to my wife I know that there is an adulter that resides in me. It is by Gods grace that I've never acted on these impulses that every so often rear their head. This is why we shouldn't be judgemental towards others.We all fall short of His divine glory.

Nance

Posted: October 15, 2008 12:45 PM


This sounds almost exactly like Andy Stanley's book It Came From Within!. He borrows his imagery specifically from the Alien films when describing his own 'monster', but frequently references much older, chessy monster-flicks. Just an observation.

Kim	Posted: October 15, 2008 12:00 PM


Thank you, Kay, for putting this so very well. There but for the grace of God go I. Having been the "other me" without God in my life, I have a taste of that monster still in the memory and have long understood that I don't have a clue what I'd do in any situation left on my own, without God. May we all remember to call on Him, not "ourselves."

Debbie

Posted: October 15, 2008 11:14 AM


Exactly!!!! Exactly!!!! Those evildoers are JUST LIKE ME!!!!! God help us all!

Gerri

Posted: October 15, 2008 11:05 AM


I've been blessed by several of Kay's articles, and this one is no exception. I know first hand that the heart is "decietfully wicked", and that only God can know it, cleanse it, and enable us to do the good he desires. God bless you, Kay, and keep on letting God use you to awaken us to his heart.

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