ABSOLUTELY WRONG

I just got back from a prayer gathering for a family from our church that is in a Muslim country surveying options for long-term missions work. The mom emailed us to say they had attended a play last week where a man was beating his wife. The crowd cheered the man on. She was disturbed by the evil that pervaded this aspect of the culture.

Now I personally believe that we Americans are misinformed about Muslim culture. In our arrogance, we don't take the time to learn more, choosing instead to make presumptions and cast scorn. But clearly there are things that are absolutely wrong. Whether or not the crowd's response was indicative of Muslim values, there was something evil in their cheering.

In my desire to be as culturally sensitive as is appropriate, sometimes I forget that God is in charge everywhere, and His moral law is absolute. As Christians, we have permission -- in fact, it is our mandate -- to enter into someone else's culture and tell them that something they do is absolutely wrong.

To be certain, we must be gracious, for our methods are as much message as our message. And we must address our own hypocrisy, for we too as a culture are flawed. But may I not water down the absolute nature of good and evil, but rather stand firmly on it in my life and in my words.