Seven-Day Practical Faith Blog: Respond to Evil with Good

Over the years since I first read "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck, Peck's comment about evil has stuck with me. His words pop into my head from time to time, and they have done so again lately. Peck wrote:

"Evil is strangely ineffective as a social force. . .Evil backfires in the big picture of human evolution. For every soul it destroys - and there are many - it is instrumental in the salvation of others. Unwittingly, evil serves as a beacon to warn others away from its own shoals. . . Our consciousness of it is a signal to purify ourselves."

In other words, evil may look attractive. But when revealed in its purest form, evil is repulsive. And we shy away from it.

I think a lot of people are feeling this now.

When we are first confronted by evil, we are tempted to play evil's game, and repay evil with evil. But the Apostle Paul taught us the opposite in Romans 12:21 (NIV):

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Similarly, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Of course, Jesus already told us the same in Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV):

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

In pondering these difficult quotations, I realize we first have to get beyond a victory mentality. If we focus on overcoming, driving out, and winning, then we won't be able to execute the formula.

Instead, we should focus on the process of goodness and love, trusting the formula will eventually work.

Let's return to the last two words in Peck's quote: Purify ourselves. We control what we can control - and of course, controlling ourselves is a difficult enough task. But we purify our thoughts and our actions, even our prayer life. We consider, "What is the most loving thing I can do in this situation? What goodness can I bring? How can I pray for my enemy yet remain opposed to evil?"

We live in a society where it's common to respond with outrage. Yes, outrage may be an appropriate initial response when we face evil. But we can't continue to just be outraged. Purification. Goodness. Love. As Christians, we should apply those qualities when we see evil's beacon.

The Practical Faith Academy is a podcast about putting faith into practice, where in every episode, I interview intriguing people about their journeys, their insights on practicing faith, and their tips to enhance your faith walk. Please find it by searching podcast platforms for Practical Faith Academy, or visit CecilTaylorMinistries. com/podcast (please type it into your browser, as FB downgrades posts with links).