Famine and the F-Word

‎"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. Lastly, you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." - Tony Campolo

I know we watched some pretty intense short films today in class, which I found both deeply stimulating and incredibly disturbing. However, this quote managed to rotate in my head more often today than any of the films. I think, it's because I so greatly agree with the meaning behind what Tony Campolo is trying to say to us as Christians.

I see it too often: Christians trying so hard to live their lives as pure as possible that it eventually evolves into selfishness. We have an idea as to what our God filled lives should look like and we become so obsessed with following it that the obvious horrors pass right over us. As we strain to keep our minds, bodies, and souls pure, we ignore some of the more terrible things that develop around us. Slavery, murder, starvation, disease... these are all still very real aspects of our world. It's so very disturbing to think how desensitized we may have become to these everyday tragedies, yet certain cuss words or vulgar actions send a lot of us into a fit.

The greatest example I can give right now is the controversy regarding adult language and situations in films. If people got as offended and angry at crooked politicians and criminals as they do at production companies for green lighting movies with sex, violence, and language... this world would be a better place.

This is the point I think Campolo is trying to make: The Christian community is getting upset about trivial things that don't matter. Christians are more offended by Monty Python's Life of Bryan mocking religion than they are about millions of people dying from famine. Brokeback Mountain is an abomination to the Church because it features a homosexual relationship, but the thousands of women being forced into sex trafficking every day barely causes a stir. The F-bomb makes any God fearing man uncomfortable, but what about unnecessary war casualties?

I think today's class, particularly the films, were heavy in both content and meaning. However,  it's Campolo's quote that continues to haunt me, even now... 8 hours later. He forces every Christian to really think about the question that none of us ever really asked:

Am I pissed off about the right things?

- R.