The Irrationality of Christian Action

One of my Google Alerts linked me to a posting from Joe McKeever about the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. First Baptist there has bought abandoned property and cleaned the remnants of Katrina off, so that Habitat for Humanity can come build new housing.

The comment that caught my attention was his "atheist rant."

He wrote, "It amuses me to hear the occasional atheist/humanist rant on television about what dangerous people Christians are. I think to myself, 'It's those dangerous Christian people who have put their lives on hold and came to help rebuild New Orleans. If we were waiting on the atheists to give of themselves, we would be out of luck.' "

Many of the nation's hospitals were founded as ministries of churches. The first (and still best) colleges were to train pastors. Without Christian intervention, prison would still be a fearsome place. Around 90% of the meals the Red Cross gives out in any given major disaster is cooked in a Baptist Disaster Relief kitchen, and most of them are served by Salvation Army personnel.

Which brings us back to Katrina. The people of First Baptist have managed to create a fund that can keep building houses "forever". Why do they do it? Says one parishoner, "It has been a privilege."

What this means for your church is that you need to find a cause or need that you can meet, either as a congregation or in partnership with others. Do it in the name of Christ, that you will have opportunity to share Christ with an unbelieving world.