Breaking the Cycle

In the Old Testament book of Judges, a cycle is apparent: Sin, Sorrow, Supplication, Salvation. Over and over again, the children of Israel sin and find themselves oppressed and in need of a deliverer. They cry out to the Lord. Jehovah provides a leader, a judge, to save his people. After some years of peace and prosperity, Israel forgets all God has done, dusts off its old idols and begins worshipping them again. As a result, Israel suffers and prays for relief. And so the cycle is perpetuated.

Perhaps this would be easier to understand if we recognized it in current events today. I can’t say why Israel found it so easy to slip back into idolatrous ways, but in animistic societies, there is great pressure from the community to participate in rites to local spirits, deities or ancestors. Many Christians find it hard to resist, especially in times of crisis.

Here is the reasoning. No one denies that a great Creator exists. But tradition puts the High God too far away and too hard to reach for ordinary people.  When it comes to small things, like this year’s harvest or a wife’s ability to bear children, local spirits are thought to be in control. Perhaps with the right sacrifice or by observing the seasonal festival, the local spirits or ancestors, the ones who best know the land and its inhabitants, will respond to common needs. If a community member opts out, a calamity may result.

Or, a jealous person may use magic to cause us harm. While suffering, it is easy to conclude that our enemy employed a witch to curse us. According to tradition, the only way to counter this is to seek help from a witchdoctor who uses the same power of local spirits to offset the power used by the witch. Fear is the primary motivation in using the power of local spirits. I suppose it was the same for those worshipping local Baals in the Old Testament.

Christianity has made great strides in Africa, but just as in the United States, the faith must be passed from one generation to the next without the adulteration of a competing worldview. In our broadcasts to Africa, we will remind listeners that the High God is not far from each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he loves us. He answers our prayers and is still the Great Deliverer. Through his Son, he calls us to a new life, one that is different from old traditional ways and one that is filled with hope. Perfect love casts out fear.