Joel Kontinen

What's Wrong with the World? - I Am



Posted: Sunday, December 07, 2008

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http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/

British author Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936) is known for his insightful views on many issues. Once when The Times asked him and several other prominent authors to write essays on the subject "What's Wrong with the World?" Chesterton answered succinctly: Dear Sirs,

I am.

Sincerely yours,

G. K. Chesterton

He was not joking. As a Christian writer, his answer was very biblical. The Bible tells us that sin came into the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God's commandment and since then only one person was able to claim that he was without sin. But this was too much for his contemporaries and they put him to a horrible death when he was just 33 years old.

Due to the influence of Freudian psychology, we tend to blame everyone but ourselves for our misfortunes and for the evil in the world. We point our finger at our parents, our teachers, politicians but almost never at the target that we should.

Yet the habit of blaming others did not begin with Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Already in the Garden of Eden Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent. Since then everyone has blamed everybody else, and there seems to be no end in sight for this blaming mania.

However, Chesterton advices us to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror. Instead of flying in the wind, might not the answer to The Times' question be staring at us?

Joel Kontinen is an author and translator currently living in Finland. His bacground includes an MA in translation studies and a BA in Bible and Theology. He mostly writes about origins issues.
 
Blog:. http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/
 
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Teresa Ortiz
 3 years 64 days ago.
187 fans.
Joel, short, sweet, and to the point. The blame game is nothing new, how crazy it is that Adam actually blamed God for his sin--saying to God, "The woman you gave me..." Good job! I recently told a friend not to expect too much from church because church is full of a bunch of sinners--sinners saved by grace, but sinners nonetheless.
 
Still, its no excuse to not seek to be loving individuals and be conformed into the image of Christ and not follow the ways of the world.
 
Blessings to you! Teresa
» left by Joel Kontinen 3 years 64 days ago.
42 fans.
Thanks Teresa. It seems that there's really nothing new under the sun, but as you say it's no excuse for not reaching out with the news that can change people.
Blessings,
Joel
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