Questions
Aren’t Christians supposed to fix the world?
Summary: Christians are not charged to fix the world but to faithfully endure within it, navigating its brokenness with humble strength. The problems of the world are not ours to solve but to move through as a distinct people bearing witness to the kingdom of God. We do not faithfully convey God to the world by repairing what is broken, and we will likely leave it broken—perhaps more so—despite faithful effort.
The world is broken beyond our fixing. While we are to practice pure and undefiled religion by looking after “orphans and widows in their distress,” Christians are not charged to fix but to faithfully endure. As I note in Thinking Christian,
“When our disposition is one of humble strength, we recognize that the problems of the world are not ours to solve but to navigate faithfully. Christians will leave the world broken, perhaps more broken, despite our faithful efforts to live out the kingdom of God within it. We do not faithfully convey God to the world by fixing the world. We convey Him to the world by continuing to be faithful as we confront a world so broken only God can fix it.”
The point is not to suggest that Christians should abandon the world. Rather, it reminds Christians that our efforts aren’t primarily geared toward the pragmatic result of changing the world. They are intended to point to Christ.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an MA in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College. He serves as president of the D. L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology, and as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Learn more at thinkingchristian.org.