That is what my seminary’s esteemed president, Richard Mouw, wrote yesterday on his blog. He was reflecting on the words of Paul Ramsey, who once said in a presentation he gave that nuclear proliferation was the “second biggest threat” in the world:
In the question and answer period that followed, a bishop who was known for his liberal theological views posed the obvious question to Professor Ramsey: “You kept referring to the arms race as the second biggest threat to the human race, but I don’t think I heard you tell us what the first biggest threat is.” “Oh, yes,” Professor Ramsey replied. “The first biggest threat. Well, it is something that you probably don’t know anything about. It is the problem of unbelief!”I regularly remind myself of the lesson contained in that remark. I follow closely the declarations of mainline Protestant leaders, especially those of my own Presbyterian denomination. There are many of those declarations with which I agree. Indeed, I doubt that anyone can fault me for failing to take at least some of the issues they care about quite seriously. On many occasions I have joined others in speaking out about peace in the Middle East, global warming, torture, the war in Iraq, and racism–to name some of more obvious topics.
These are important issues to address. Working to promote justice and peace is a high priority for followers of Christ. But as urgent as these issues are for the health of the societies in which we live, we need to be clear about the fact that they are symptoms of a deeper problem–the unbelief that is in turn an expression of a rebellious spirit that permeates all of our lives, including the systemic dimensions of human interaction.
My comment in reply:
Hi Dr. Mouw! I appreciate your post, but I do have to make one qualification. The word “unbelief” has, I think, been hijacked by a certain brand of Christianity that has emphasized belief and belief only. That is, it emphasizes a mental and/or emotional state of trust. But my understanding of the New Testament’s conception of belief is more holistic. Biblical “belief” is tied in with discipleship and living a transformed life according to the Spirit.I think this is an important distinction because you state that important problems like violence are “symptoms” of unbelief. Well, there are plenty of folks who supposedly “believe” but are, in fact, the cause of violence (I could point to many in American politics, but I won’t). The root problem, I think, is not necessarily “unbelief” in and of itself, as most people might understand it, but lives that are not transformed by true and holistic belief.
Of course, another important question that Christians must face is the fact that many who do not believe in Jesus are not causing these “symptoms” of violence, poverty, racism, but are instead working hard to transform the world for the better.
To say that “unbelief” is the deeper problem and that these other issues are merely the symptoms implies a direct relationship, so that when one “cures” the “unbelief,” one will rid the world of the secondary symptoms. Since many Christians do not make a positive difference with these symptoms, and many who are not Christians do make a difference, we can see that the equation is perhaps too simple.
