How About Some Good News for a Change?

This week has brought a great deal of human tragedy before us: school shootings in Colorado and Pennsylvania, the debate over legalizing torture, religious violence, images of war from Iraq and elsewhere, more images of refugees and victims of injustice in Africa, and leaders being caught in immoral conduct. While we could argue that it’s "just another week" and shake our heads, turn the newspaper page or switch the TV over to a Seinfeld rerun, as Christians we need to be reminded that evil in this world is real, but need not dominate our thoughts.

I received my bi-weekly issue of The Christian Century this afternoon and a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu caught my attention. In an interview in the Dallas Morning News, Tutu said, "The media tend to inundate us with rather unpleasant news. We have the impression that evil is on the rampage, is about to take over the world. We need to keep being reminded that there is a great deal of good happening in the world. Ultimately, good prevails."

Rather than wringing our hands or shaking our heads at the evil in the world, perhaps we should be focusing more on increasing good wherever we find ourselves–to bring a bit of heaven into the life of earth. We can’t fight evil by simply perpetrating more of it–evil can only be overcome when it is pushed out by good. Jesus proved this on the cross, so maybe its time for his followers to start believing it!

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