Utopian Schemes
Dr. Joe Boot is a theologian and founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity. He has often pointed out the failure of utopian schemes. He is fond of saying “ Because man is a sinner, utopian schemes must always be dystopian in their outcomes.” In other words, attempts to establish paradises on earth not only result in failure but they often result in oppressive societies.
One could point to many examples. Communism is a system of government and economy that believes a workers’ paradise can be established where everyone is equal. But communism has been an abject failure that has resulted in oppression, misery, poverty and death. Estimates of the number of people killed by communist governments in the 20th century range from 80 million to 148 million. Just by way of contrast, the Spanish Inquisition killed approximately 1250 people in 356 years. Another example is the Peoples Temple, founded by Jim Jones is 1955. In 1978 over 900 people were ordered by Jones to ingest a fruit drink that was laced with cyanide and sedatives.
Dr. Boot is quite right that utopian schemes must fail because of the presence of sin. Man is inherently corrupt and selfish, and because of sin, all the schemes of man that are undertaken apart from the will of God are doomed to fail. Consider the Tower of Babel. An attempt was made to build a tower that would extend to the heavens, so that man could commune with the gods. The true God, the God of Israel, frustrated their plans by confusing their language, so that they could no longer communicate. They were forced to abandon their plans and scatter throughout the world.
Do not seek perfection and utopia in this world. The only paradise we will see is in heaven, where we will dwell with God unfettered by sin and death. We of course can find joy, peace and love in this world, as we are united with Christ through faith. Through faith in Christ we can love our neighbors and serve them, and we can be united by faith with our fellow Christians. But paradise will only be found in heaven. In this life, we will still struggle with sin, and there will always be difficulties. But in heaven, as we dwell with God, we shall be perfectly happy and at peace, for sin and death will cease to exist. For in heaven, God will wipe away every tear.
In Christ,
Rev. David L. Putz, Pastor
Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Good things are happening at Holy Cross! Praise God for that. When we keep Word and Sacrament ministry at the heart of what we do, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. As we share the Word, God gives the growth and we rejoice as humble stewards of the God who changes lives and hearts. Help us always, Lord, to keep Your Word at the center of our life together under your Holy Cross!
Please continue to pray for our congregation and each other. Don’t forget to visit our church website www.holycross-crawfordsville.org to find links for all our services on YouTube.