November 26, 2012 (Monday)
Does the Bible say the world is getting worse and worse? Actually, no. It says that people who are already bad will grow worse; on the other hand, many things that are good in the world are getting better. [“..evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of..” (2 Timothy 3:13-14 NIV)]. Here’s what Steven Johnson says:
“Over the past two decades, what have the U.S. trends been for the following important measures of social health: high school dropout rates, college enrollment, juvenile crime, drunken driving, traffic deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita gasoline consumption, workplace injuries, air pollution, divorce, male-female wage equality, charitable giving, voter turnout, per capita GDP and teen pregnancy? The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive.”
The entire article is worth reading. Click here to see it.
We often hear about “the real world.” Usually that term is used to describe a scenario that supports the speaker’s argument. If we are objective, however, we will recognize “the real world” is constructed of both “good” and “evil.” It is easy for us to forget to look for the good.
Does the Bible speak to this issue? Indeed it does. Hear the Apostle Paul (writing from prison, no less): “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).