Zimbabwe update

There was an article in the New York Times today describing the ever-worsening situation in Zimbabwe. Basically, cholera is rampant, children are being orphaned daily, people are fleeing to neighboring South Africa, and are being met with violence, robbery, and rape.

Read the article for yourself to get a better understanding of the current situation:

Desperate Children Flee Zimbabwe, for Lives Just as Bleak

I've been watching events unfold in Zimbabwe for over a year. Every time the nation gets a glimmer of hope, corruption and disease bring despair and hopelessness. Honestly, I feel so defeated. How much prayer, aid, and funds are needed to improve the state these children are in? Christ called us to care for the orphans and widows, and we can see so clearly that these people are the ones being exploited the most right now. It honestly breaks my heart and I hope it breaks yours too. So, what can we do?

I'm not sure, but I do know one organization that is offering the beacon of Christ in this broken nation. ServLife is partnering with an orphanage in Zimbabwe that is caring for children who have been orphaned by AIDS. We have the opportunity to sponsor every child who is staying in this orphanage for only $30 a month. It's not much, but we can have the confidence that we are doing our part to further the Kingdom of God in Zimbabwe. Go to ServLife.org and click on the Sponsor a Child link. In the comments section, type in Zimbabwe. How amazing would it be if we could have every child in this orphanage sponsored?

The state of Zimbabwe may be bleak, but we can offer the hope of a future through the power and grace of Jesus Christ.

Decreasing abortion rates

I read a journal article today that had some very interesting findings. It was posted on Donald Miller's blog a few months ago, but I was doing some research for class and stumbled upon it again. The aim of the study was to determine which socioeconomic factors lead to the decrease in abortion rates. The article is pretty long, so I'll just sum up some of the most interesting statistics.

"During the 1990's the family cap, Medicaid funding for abortions, and state laws restricting access to abortions appear to have no effect on the abortion rate."

In other words, laws passed illegalizing abortion had no effect on the actual rates on abortion. Also, when Medicaid covered the costs of abortion (which many pro-lifers are extremely against) there was no rise or fall in the number of abortions. 

Furthermore, "a $100 increase in AFDC-TANF [Assistance to Families with Dependent Children - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, also known as "welfare"] was correlated with a decrease in the abortion rate of about 20%. A four percent increase in male employment is associated with a 21% decrease in the abortion rate, while that same increase in female employment suggests a 17% increase in the abortion rate." (emphasis mine).

These results should be eye-opening to pro-life Christians. It is a fundamental value of the religious right to want laws that make abortion illegal. However, it is clear that these laws have had no effect on the number of children aborted. Essentially, you can change a law, but if an individual's economic status is not altered, then their behavior will not change. 

It is also a historic value of the religious right to be against social spending to needy families. They say "why should the government give them money when they could work and make money?" However, it is clearly shown in this study that a mere $100 increase in welfare assistance substantially decreased the number of abortions, much more so than any law has. 

Furthermore, if the government increases social spending (this includes more than just welfare checks) and therefore increases the number of available jobs, then more men will be employed which also decreases the number of abortions. 

In essence, this study shows the true social change necessary to end abortion in our country. You may think I'm un-Christian or un-Republican (ok, maybe I am un-Republican), but these facts cannot be ignored. I am just as much against abortion as people picketing to have Roe v. Wade overturned. I just hope that we can be intelligent Christians who make opinions based on facts and not traditions. 

Mark Driscoll

One of the top 10 most viewed articles on the New York Times website today was titled Who Would Jesus Smack Down? You should definitely go read it. Basically, the article is about Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle (not to be confused with Rob Bell's Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan). I was pretty disturbed by the article and decided to go watch some of Mark Driscoll's sermons. I think the Times represented Mark Driscoll pretty well. Pretty much, his church is a reaction against the feel-good, self-help gospel promoted by people like Joel Osteen. Mars Hill has embraced Calvinism to an extreme degree. They believe whole-heartedly in predestination, specific gender roles, and are against the image of a "limp-wristed Jesus." I strongly encourage you to read the article to get a better understanding of the teachings of Mars Hill. The church also is intentionally hip and seeker unfriendly.

I consider myself to be a pretty forward thinking Christian, as I tend to be critical of the modern megachurch. This is why I was so surprised by my disgust of Mark Driscoll's teachings. That sounds a little harsh, but I was mostly offended by Mark Driscoll's presumption to have the answer to every theological question. I think there are some theological truths that we as humans simply cannot understand and never will. Driscoll does not feel the same way; he even expels members who dare to disagree with him, considering it dissent. I do recognize that the actual circumstances of these explusions may be different than the Times portrays them.

After watching some of Driscoll's sermons on YouTube, I think my disgust has waned a little. I still do not agree with most of the practices at Mars Hill, but I do appreciate Driscoll's honesty. They had an entire series titled "Ask Anything" where members were allowed to text message questions to Mark during the sermon. He candidly answers questions about masturbation and different types of sex within a marriage. This content would typically be too inappropriate for a church service, but Driscoll chooses not to separate the church and real life. Watching these clips, I was shocked, embaressed, and even a little offended, but that doesn't make it wrong. I also appreciate the lack of legalism at Mars Hill. Don't get me wrong, they absolutely believe that there are sins which you should avoid, but they see them as secondary to following Christ.

Overall, I still have pretty mixed emotions about Mark Driscoll and this New Calvinism. I'd appreciate some feedback, so maybe together we can form a valid opinion.