There’s a concept in the vaccination world called herd immunity. It’s a pretty simple concept. Vaccinations are never 100% effective, but if you get a certain percentage of the population vaccinated it’s as if everyone is. An illness won’t have sufficient vulnerable hosts to pass from one to another.
Regardless of what you think of vaccinations, that’s the concept used by the bulk of the health professionals.
The same concept could be used with Christianity.
When a certain percentage of a population professes an active belief in Jesus as their Savior, the remaining people curb their language and behavior. It’s not difficult to see this in action.
Go to any church, and the most foul-mouthed jerk will do his (or her) best to refrain from swearing. Even the unbeliever will act better when surrounded by people who believe in God, Jesus as their only hope of Salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Herd immunity.
In recent decades society has been pulling away from Christianity. There are organizations with the stated goal of removing all concept of God from the public discourse. Now look what happens.
Swearing and crudity is much more prevalent today than it was in the 1950s. In the vast majority of work spaces people can tell jokes that would have made most people blush before the 1960s. The result is a coarsening of society, and it’s already reached the point that it’s in a feedback loop.
I’ve noticed a lot of people use the “F Bomb” in casual conversation, simply for the shock value - or for no reason at all. In social media it’s used to make whatever they’re posting about seem funny.
But it’s not. “Vulgarity is no substitute for wit,” as the Dowager Countess of Grantham said. (That’s from Downton Abbey, for those who don’t know.)
I recently watched a sermon by Tim Keller about the impact of churches on inner cities, and how the percentage of churchgoing people has dropped to an all time low. Look what that’s doing to our inner cities.
From vulgarity we get more physical. Violence is on the rise where church membership drops. Sexual assault and human trafficking are listed as top crimes in America. Cheating on a spouse is “normal.” Divorce is not even frowned upon.
So do we need to make more laws to get people to act the way God intended? No. We need to do a better job of making church a place that helps people instead of pounding them for all their faults.
Pharisee much, anyone?
The American church has drifted toward pointing out people’s faults to the point where the general population doesn’t want to go there. We have politicians who browbeat those who don’t agree with their “better-than-you” Christian ethics.
If church members nationwide would return to the servant mentality Jesus exemplified, congregations would seem more attractive. Our Lord washed the feet of His followers, even (this blows my mind) Judas Iscariot. Yeah. Jesus washed the feet of the guy who betrayed him. Remember, Jesus knew what Judas was going to do.
So how does it look like to focus on service? It means attempting to gain any kind of political power is over. Dedicating your life to advancing in a career to accumulate piles of money won’t draw people into a relationship with Christ. It means being honest instead of carefully worded statements to make you seem more charismatic than you are.
For me, it means putting my faith in my writing projects. If that means I die a pauper, then so be it. If it means God blesses my career with fame and fortune, it’s not because I’m a fabulous writer. It’s all about Him, and not about me.
There was a time I dreamed of having a fortune so I could form the Meier Foundation to do . . . . some kind of good work around the world. At this point it doesn’t look like that’s my calling. What IS my calling is a huge project that would take the rest of my life. I doubt I’m up to the challenge.
As I write this, it was just yesterday I saw a Facebook friend’s post which read, “If God has called you to a mission, He’s already taken into account your stupidity.” So if I’m called to this massive undertaking, it’s going to be Him - not me.
Would I like to earn piles of cash? Who wouldn’t? But I want His plan for me even more, and He’s proven time and again His plan (and the timing of it) is far better than mine.
Certain events in my life are putting me in situations I never foresaw. It’s kind of scary. By the time this post is scheduled, I might be in the middle of things that will stretch me beyond what I thought possible.
Nobody said following Him would be easy.
It’s time to inoculate more people, so the rest of them will fear discovery by His people.
I’m taking my hypodermic into the field.
Join me.
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