1 in Christ

We would all probably agree that knowing and studying history is an important endeavor. Why? Mainly for the help and perspective that it gives us to live in the present. We can learn about people, life-altering events, and societal mistakes and problems that can help us make better decisions in the future.

I hate repeating mistakes and history helps us learn and overcome past failings. For example, what do you know about the author Jack London? He was a writer in the late 19th century who wrote a fairly popular book entitled The Call of the Wild. It was first published in 1903 and it was a story of a dog named Buck who had to learn to survive on his own in the wilderness. It is well-written and very entertaining. However, I bet you didn’t know that London was heavily influenced by Herbert Spencer and his philosophy of “Social” Darwinism.

Who in the world is Herbert Spencer? I am glad you asked. He was a philosopher that believed Darwin’s evolutionary theory of “survival of the fittest” should be applied to humans (as opposed to only plants and animals). Basically, he believed that people were pre-determined by their gene pool and race as to what they could do and become in society. You probably see where this is going.

His philosophy led to terrible forms of racial discrimination based upon false assumptions (he once wrote that the Korean people were "worthless", but they couldn’t do anything to change it), and the oppression and devaluing of women because nature dictated that were simply not as “smart” as men. And London promoted many of these ideas through his writing (see the short story “The Yellow Peril” as an example).

So where am I going with all of this?

• The philosophers and writers of the world influence our thinking and behavior whether we believe it or not. We need to understand the historical source of where we are getting our information and evaluate the bias and wrong thinking that creeps into all of our lives.
• Books were the primary influence of how people thought and lived in Jack London’s day. Now we are taught philosophy and social norms through TV, Movies, streaming video sites, social media, and other information from the Web.
• I am not saying that TV and the Web are inherently evil, I just think we should watch what we put in our brain and learn a little more about how history has the potential to help us grow and change for the better.
• All of this is why I believe it is important to read the Bible more than any other book. It is true, objective, grounded in history, and full of passages that teach us about God and how He wants us to live in this broken world. For example, what does God say about humanity and racial equality? All of life has value, we are all made in God’s image, and we all have access to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. 

In Galatians 3:28 Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Thanks for reading my little soapbox messages. I hope God is speaking to your heart and challenging you to be involved in, “Equipping people to know Jesus and follow Him.”

Be safe and continue to love and care for each other during this time.

God Bless,
Derek