The Value of Cooperation in the Survival of the Fittest

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." -- I Cor. 15:17-19

This text can mean different things to different people. It's usually glossed over. What was Paul thinking to have thrown this into the mix!

It's not the safest approach in any situation to "throw all your eggs into one basket." This text may convince some people of the essential truth of the Christianity. Others, though, may find this line of thinking too extreme.

If one loves ones brother or sister because ultimately one is hoping to enjoy the whole package--eternal life, included--then one really is to be pitied above all men.

There is value enough--and very practical value at that--in treating others with the respect that we ourselves would like to be treated. Proper ethical behavior is not copyrighted by Christians. Hindus, Buddhists and, yes, secular humanists, can and do live ethical lives.

As is sometime said, there is some advantage in altruism even in humanity's evolutionary development. Only those primates who banded together, saught out the options that would benefit the social group and put petty squabbles aside if an opposing species or tribe of primates was trying to take over their source of water or food, that were able to pass on their genes to the next generation.

As difficult as it is to swallow, there is enough value and beauty in Christianity even if this life is all that any one of us will ever know. That makes it even more crucial for us to treat each other as best as possible. We all are responsible for the most important of all human endeavors, to make this Earth as Heavenly as possible. We owe it to each other. We owe it to ourselves.

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Humanity's Urgent Cry for Help Needs Resolution

Somebody to Love

Lord what you're doing to me
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody, somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
-- Freddie Mercury

[Truly a cry for help to anybody who is compassionate enough to come to the aid of people with serious needs.
Maybe you or I could be the only one who will ever come to a person's urgent need for help.]

Ellen White Bookstore Opens in a Chic Gay Ghetto

My local church complains vocally about the Rainbow Flags (Gay Pride flags) that the homeowners across the street from the church building display on Saturday mornings, not just on gay pride week. When a guest speaker inquires why there is no evangelistic effort to address the spiritual and health needs of the mostly gay and lesbians who live in this upscale residential area that surrounds the church building, the answers that are given are some of the following:

"It is very hard, almost impossible, to convert gay men and women to Adventist Christianity."

"Our efforts are better spent on groups of people that we have some hope of reaching."

"Brother, what we have surrounding our church is a peacock feather farm, a birdcage full of exotically colored effeminate men and their muscular counterparts. They wouldn't be interested in what our church offers."

"These are mostly English-speaking gay men and women and our church is a Spanish speaking congregation. Where would they fit in if they can't speak the language?"

"We unfortunately, like Lot in the bible, are surrounded by the same type of environment like Sodom and Gomorrah. It doesn't get any more sinful than this city."

Finally, months later, a few church members of conscience opened up a vegetarian food store stocking meat substitutes, natural foods, organic foods, other health books and Ellen G. White books dealing directly with health. The Ministry of Healing was among the books sold at this one-of-a-kind health store.

Next door was an upscale wine store that only stocked wine under $50.00 called Naked Grape. Next door to that was a tea-only cafe where anyone from the community, gay or straight, could sip herbal tea, chai tea, etc., and chat until the next event materialized out of thin air. Several pricey clothing stores filled out the rest of the street. Across the street were expensive Thai restaurants, as well as a piano bar and a fine-dining restaurant. Real estate businesses selling million dollar homes popped in and out of business as the real estate market ebbed and flowed.

When they were approached by some church members who found this odd little food store by chance as they walked their dogs on a cool Sabbath weekend, they wondered why anyone would go to so much trouble and try to witness to men and women that the majority of Adventist society had long ago abandoned?

"If we can save even one soul with the message of Christ our Righteousness through the health message, any loss we've experienced will not have been in vain."

Very few people visited the store as it didn't fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. Some wished they'd stop selling the religious-health books and start selling New Age or Buddhist titles to go with the vegetarian lifestyle that the store was promoting. Others disagreed and said it was a great place to meet other men and women who were exclusively vegetarian. Others even thought of boycotting the store until they removed the religious-health material and only sold health books.

One day the police was called because someone had spray-painted the words "Gay haters" across the glass window. Though it rattled their nerves they cleaned up the window and replaced the odd sentiment with "Love Your neighbor as You Love Yourself."

That ensured for a time, at least, that the community and the strange store could continue to co-exist for another summer or two.

The Ellen G. White Health Boutique did not open its doors in vain. Many souls were eventually won.

He [Christ] passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the healing remedy to every soul. In whatever company He found Himself He presented a lesson appropriate to the time and the circumstances. Every neglect or insult shown by men to their fellow men only made Him more conscious of their need of His divine-human sympathy. The Ministry of Healing, p. 25,26

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Originally posted in the Northern Lord vs. Southern Lord blog blog