My Dearest Wormwood

In C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, the demon Wormwood is distraught that his assigned human has become a Christian. His senior demon supervisor responds to him by saying:
"The great thing is to prevent his (the new Christian) doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance...let him do anything but act...The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."

Seems to be working, doesn't it? As long as untold millions of Christians do little with their faith, untold millions of others will continue to miss God altogehter. It starts with me...I have to get this. Not to mention the untold millions around the world who are starving, the 30,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases, mostly caused by impure water, and the fact that God has given us the resources to do something about it. According to Lewis, the less we act, the more likely we are to feel. And care. OR, you could have stood in line last night at midnight for the new $400 X-Box 360.

One more thought....
Philosopher Peter Kreeft is interview in the must-read Lee Strobel book The Case For Faith on the issue of suffering. Kreft says "On my door there's a cartoon of two turtles. One says, `Sometimes I'd like to ask why he allows poverty, famine, and injustice when he could do something about it.' The other turtle says, `I'm afraid God might ask me the same question.'

Those who have Jesus' heart toward hurting people need to live out their faith by alleviating suffering where they can, by making a difference, by embodying his love in practical ways."

(PS - I've read some of Kreeft; he's fascinating. Try The Unaborted Socrates or Socrates Meets Jesus. His book on suffering is Making Sense Out Of Suffering)