The outpouring of help to the people of Haiti has grown from a trickle to a stream to a flood. Relief is pouring in from all over the world in what is becoming the worst single-nation disaster in human history. Everything from food and water to medical assistance, clothing, rescue teams, temporary housing, and more is coming in to a nation which has nothing, nothing to offer in the way of economic, strategic, or physical capital to the rest of the world.

What's the logic here? It's really quite simple: Human beings are suffering and we can do something. Does anyone stop to ask, Should we do something? No. The response is visceral and automatic. The world expects nothing in return. Moved by sympathy, energized by the urgency of the moment, and giving in sacrificial and self-denying ways, the world is acting out a drama of human compassion and unity. We are human beings. We know what suffering is like, and we care about those who, through no fault of their own, have been subjected to unspeakable horror, deprivation, suffering, and loss.

Why do we do this? We can do no other. Human beings are made in the image of God, Who Himself is full of compassion, abounding in mercy and steadfast love, and Who takes the initiative with those who cannot save themselves, to draw them to Himself and deliver them to newness of life. Materialistic evolutionism cannot explain this. Postmodern relativism cannot explain this. Materialistic naturalism cannot explain this. Utilitarian pragmatism cannot explain this. None of the reigning secular worldviews can account for the behavior of people suffering with people they've never met, never will know, and from whom they can expect nothing in return. And the failure of these pseudo-worldviews to account for such behavior in ways consistent with their most fundamental philosophical tenets demonstrates the utter impoverishment of these viewpoints to command the allegiance of any human being.

It's just that we're a little like God, Who is a lot like this toward the likes of us. Only Christianity can account for this. Why not tell a friend?

T. M. Moore