Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. – Jesus
The recent war going on in south side Chicago has captured headlines across America. And yes, it is a war. So far this year 335 citizens have been killed in Chicago, versus 2 Americans in the war in Afghanistan for the same period. Various civil authorities, social workers and religious leaders have offered solutions, such as increased investment, job training and more social services. But last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel caught the nation’s attention by suggesting the problem has a moral basis.
This may not be politically correct, but I know the power of what faith and family can do. Our kids need that structure. I am asking that we also don’t shy away from a full discussion about the importance of family and faith helping to develop and nurture character, self-respect, a value system and a moral compass that allows kids to know good from bad and right from wrong.
An emphasis on faith and family is a good start. But the problem is deeper than just a need to emphasize “faith and family.” Do we really believe a gang member who has himself murdered others is going to suddenly decide that he needs “faith and family”? What is missing in all of the solutions being offered is fear. A gang member isn’t afraid of the law. He isn’t afraid of the police. He isn’t afraid of other gang members. And he isn’t afraid of dying. At the core of a gang member’s identity is that he is fearless.
The problem of chronic murder in south side Chicago is a manifestation of a far deeper problem in America: the loss of the fear of God. If life ends at death, if we’re just animals and nothing more, if we have no ultimate meaning and purpose, if all morality is just relative, then why should a gang member be afraid of anything? In a sense, the murderers in south side Chicago have a rock solid faith: they are completely convinced that life ends at death and there will be no accounting for their actions after death.
My solution, therefore, is that our culture, and especially our political, cultural and religious leaders, emphasize once again the objective reality of hell and of a Creator/Judge who sends people there. The beauty of hell is that, for it to be effective as a counterforce for good, one doesn’t have to believe in it. One only has to believe that it may be possible. If our cultural leaders hold it up as a reality, then we create a crack of doubt in the machismo armor that deadens the conscience of a gang member. And into that crack we can pour fear of God…and morality. It is only the fear of God that internalizes morality. It is only the fear of hell that produces a fear of God. For without hell after this life, we will produce our own hell in this life.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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