I never really liked the title of the NPR program “All Things Considered.” Maybe it’s because the title somehow just felt shallow. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like “all things considered” really means “all things that Robert Siegel and the producers want to consider.” Like many NPR programs, there seems to be a bent to purposefully stay away from and shun any position which has even an inkling of a serious Christian worldview. That is unless the point is to attack such a paradigm.  Yet I wonder; what would the fabric of any culture actually look like where the vast majority of people held Christ as King and the Bible as authoritative?  What could theoretically happen when an authentic Christian Worldview was actually played out in a society?

Yes, I know that many in our present American and Western cultures would flee from such an idea like an OU fan trying to get out of Memorial Stadium in Austin right after the Longhorns won. Some would even fight such a proposition with a special antagonism. It reminds me of the View episode back in 2006 when Rosie O’Donnell postulated to Elisabeth Hasselbeck that “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as Radical Islam.”  A friend sent me the clip and when saw it for myself my first thought was simply . . . “Really?”  (Not to worry my guy friends, I don’t watch the View.  So don’t threaten to take my man card away) Rosie’s rant though does illustrate either a total confusion about authentic Christianity or of someone who has never truly and humbly read the words of Christ for themself.  More than likely though, the real reason for her inaccurate comparison is that Christians who actually follow the Bible would disagree with Rosie on a couple of highly charged political hot buttons which are personal to her.

But for a moment, if we were truly to consider all things, can we pose the question of what any culture might theoretically look like if there were more radical Christians in its mist? By radical, I mean people who whole heartedly take the words of Christ seriously and put them into practice in their daily lives because their hearts have been changed from the inside out. What would it really be like beyond the political hype and social talking heads sprinkled across the air and cyber waives of the land? By this I’m not talking about specific laws being passed through Congressional debate, but rather the outcrop of a grass roots culture shift. I can’t say for sure, but here’s a potential scenario just for kicks. I mean, why not if we’re honestly about “All Things Considered?”

A. Yes, we would probably see radical changes on the two hot political topics of abortion and gay marriage. But again, the reason behind the shift would not firstly be because of changed laws, but changed culture and changed hearts.

 
B. Now let’s consider a couple of foundations for these changes and a few other transformations that might occur if there were actually more of a “Radical Christian” atmosphere in the land.

 
1. Women would see the God given image and value to ALL life and decide not to abort their children. Even with unplanned pregnancies, there would be family, church, and societal support for the mother.

2. Rape would be down as men would fear the consequences more. Rape would be down because women would be considered more than meat.  In actuality, all sexual crimes and pornography would be less because people would see themselves as more than animals to be used for one’s own pleasure.  People would see themselves rather as spiritual as well as physical and therefore treat everyone with a greater dignity and respect.

3. Men would stop leaving their children and wives. How many societal issues would be solved on just this point alone? How many gangs would fold up because of a lack of young men on the streets trying to find the approval that never came from a father?

4. Husbands and wives would work to keep their marriages strong. How many kids pick up all kinds of dysfunction and baggage because of their parents’ poor decisions?

5. There would be less people in poverty. The church would grow, expand, and actually help the poor in their immediate areas instead of expecting the government to solve the problem.

6. Schools would be better and there would be more education for the poor. Remember that it was the Church who reached out first to the poor children in the slums with food and education. The history of Protestant Christianity in England is a prime example of this.

7. Medical costs would go down because greed would go down.

8. Business would be fairer for the poor because, well . . . greed would go down and honesty would go up. Exorbitant interest would go down. The Lottery would go away which totally feeds off the poor.

9. Alcohol would still be here as the Bible does not actually condemn drinking, but rather getting drunk. The difference though is that there would be fewer cases of alcoholism and alcoholics as people would find peace from within instead of a bottle.

10. More people would have a stronger work ethic and thus less people on the dole of the government, church, or society. (That old “Protestant Work Ethic” – really was a good  thing)

 
This list could actually go on and on. Have there been legalistic problems in the past? Sure.  That has always been the case and in fact some sections of the New Testament were written to address legalists who put their hope in self-righteous works rather than in Christ. Yes, there will always be problems. However, what could be better for any culture than more people pursing Jesus full on? What would be better than more people following what Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends” and “DO to others what you would have them do to you?” Because we live in an INCREDIBLY selfish culture there just might be something to consider here.  What would be better than more and more people actually accepting the “selfless offer of love from Jesus” and then turning around and living out a “selfless” life for others?

John Lennon once “imagined” a world without religion. I don’t have a problem with less religion. But yet, for a moment, just imagine a world where more people were in love with God and each other. Seems like that just might be a good idea, or at least something to be considered.

How are you showing the love of Christ today?