Confronting the Complex Giant Goliath

God's covenant community in the olden times, had to confront and live with a series of adversarial circumstances that many times threatened its very survival.  I believe that the majority of the readers of this blog are familiar with the story of the giant Goliath, a Philistine who defied the God and the people of Israel.  The story is told that he uttered blasphemies against the God of Israel (Yahweh) and that through his loud utterances, the Israelites felt intimidated and paralyzed.  However, a young man (probably a chump by the standards of his time) counter-challenged this intimidating figure.  He said to him, "you come to me with your physical strength, and with your arsenal of weapons, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts."  They both moved towards each other, and before you know it, David slew Goliath with a slingshot.

There are many (I suspect the majority) in the Church who take this story literally. Others will take it as a legend or myth that points to the power of God in history.  Regardless of how one takes or reads this story, the fact remains that the covenant community of today (the Church) is also confronted with adversarial circumstances and persons. This complex giant not only can be (at least in some places) be a threat to the survival of the Church, but can also generate confusion within its ranks relative to its reason for being.  Subsequently, the Church will not always be able to speak with one voice regarding how to confront the adversity in the world of today.

Since neutrality is not an option, as a community we have to decide how we will respond to the different crises in the world today.  I say that neutrality is not an option, because neutrality does not exist in the strictest sense of the word.  We are either on the side of right or on the side of wrong. Of course, the biggest challenge for us is trying to determine who is right and who is wrong.

How then, in your opinion, do we confront and respond to the complex situations of today regarding Ferguson, Russia vs. Ukraine, Israel vs. Hamas, the U.S. vs. ISIS in Iraq and Syria, etc. etc.? Can we as a Church speak with one voice on these issues, or are we doomed to be divided amongst ourselves as we fight the giant Goliath?  Please tell us what you think might be a solution for Christians to come together to address all the political and social maladies that exist in the world today.

Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona