Why Loving the World is a Waste of Time

It is not enough to say that we have love. 

Many would-be reformers of society have claimed a great love for humanity, but their lives tell a different story. Take, for example, the great nineteenth century English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley believed that poets were the “unacknowledged legislators of the world” and that poetry could “push forward the moral progress of civilization.” His poetry lived up to his own high expectations of the art, and most of his works were highly moral and political. He wrote of an uprising against oppression, of the freedom and equality of all human beings, and he imagined a mythical being “leading humanity to utopia on earth.” He called his readers “to join him in his righteous utopia.”

Shelley’s personal life, however, was littered with the casualties of the men and women who loved him but whom he eventually destroyed. He was estranged from both parents and his first marriage lasted only three years (producing two children) before he left his wife for another woman. After marrying his mistress, he had other sexual affairs, abandoned an illegitimate child, left his debts unpaid, and fleeced friends and family members for money.

In his sobering work, Intellectuals, Paul Johnson writes that Shelley was “capable of feeling for, in the abstract, the whole of suffering humanity, yet finding it manifestly impossible, not once but scores, hundreds of times, to penetrate imaginatively the minds and hearts of all those people with whom he had daily dealings.” Johnson is a fan of Shelley’s poetry, but he summarizes Shelley’s life in this way:

"Shelley [was] astonishingly single-minded in the pursuit of his ideals but ruthless and even brutal in disposing of anyone who got in his way. Like Rousseau, he loved humanity in general but was often cruel to human beings in particular. He burned with a fierce love but it was an abstract flame and the poor mortals who came near it were often scorched. He put ideas before people and his life is a testament to how heartless ideas can be."

Shelley’s life is not an anomaly. 

Many intellectuals who dreamed of shaping society and revolutionizing the world were famous for “loving humanity” but loving no actual human being. Karl Marx, whose Communist Manifesto was driven by his alleged love for the worker, knew only one member of the working class well: Helen Demuth, known as “Lenchen,” his wife’s servant. Marx had an affair and a child with her (a son, whom he never publicly acknowledged), and despite his concern for the working class, he never paid Lenchen a penny. It’s no wonder that Marx’s theoretical society, when implemented by Lenin, Stalin, and Mao, created horrifying political regimes that resulted in the most catastrophic human casualties of modern history. If we are to create lasting change, we must not be reformers moved chiefly by ideas; we must be moved, as Christ was, by love—not for humanity in general, but for the people we know in particular.

It is impossible for us to love the world. Only God can accomplish this feat—because he is able to be with every person simultaneously. We cannot love “the lost,” or “humanity,” or “our generation.” 

We can only love the specific people who surround us at home, at work, or wherever we find ourselves. The needs of specific people are now within our reach through the wonder of technology. We can save a child in Africa-- a child that has a name and a story. But loving “the world” is a great misunderstanding of Christianity that has deterred many from simple service and ordinary kindness to the people right in front of them. “Universal love” does not inspire meaningful action.

Love must be here and now with the people in front of you.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is yet again another excerpt from my book, Butterfly in Brazil, taken from Chapter 12: Love and War.]

Comments

[Julie Reid]

I have a hard enough time loving my neighbor, so I know I can't love the world. I think this is one reason why when we were called to adopt Gigi it felt so right. God really spoke to us and He said, you can't change the problems in Africa, but you can love this one little girl well, and that will change Africa for her....and it did. It sure changed her life, we are loving her well everyday and she is doing the same with us. And maybe one day God will help us love another little boy or girl from Africa or America into our little family.....who knows stranger things have happenned.
Julie Reid

[Terra Fisk]

This will PREACH! Where's my white hankie? :)

[Andrew Neilson]

I'm always impressed by your insights Glenn. There's enormous truth in that loving is personal and active, not some abstract idea. If I claim to love but don't stand with my brother in pain, what am I? With that said, let me take some time to fine-tune your argument.

To me, turning this into an either you love those around you or you love the world and humanity viewpoint might be counterproductive. Just because you don't know a Ethiopian child does that mean you should do nothing to help? Instead, I might impliment a both/and paradigm, with the former idea at it's base. Henry Nouwen and Mother Theresa come to mind as people who, many would say, were very idealistic in their approach to world issues, yet kept a personal love at their core. I don't think it is good to turn a blind eye to issues of social justice anymore than it is Godly to ignore those in need around us.

I concede that we too often love in the abstract rather being personal and 'local'. In all honesty, I believe that actively loving causes us to understand better how to love the world and become more concerned about social justice; more often than not, our actions affect our beliefs rather than the other way around.

Peace,

Andrew

[Glenn Packiam]

to julie: you guys are the PERFECT example of letting a love that is personal lead to an action that is costly and daring. little Gigi is such a beautiful reminder of the world is different for her...and because of your family.

to Terra: come on, somebody! :)

to andrew: you are a wonderful thinker. i love when you post comments, my old friend. i don't think the two are mutually exclusive. however, i wouldn't put causes such as social justice as as the opposite of loving people within your reach. the beauty of technology and the so-called "flat world" is that there are loads of needs that are now within are reach. so, all the more it does no good to be passionate about a cause without acting to save even one within our reach-- which these days includes that Ethiopian child. this is why Holly and i sponsor a few children...not because we are passionate about causes per se...but because we've let our love lead us to a very specific and personal action. the last thing i would want is for someone to take this post as a justification to do nothing about all the needs in our world. rather, this ought to light a fire to not just care about "the lost" or "the needy" as some ambiguous category, but rather as the individuals we can help thanks to great organizations like compassion, world vision, and a host of others that have given faces to what once were just "causes."

[Glenn Packiam]

oh...and, andrew, because of your help in refining this thought, i went back and added a sentence in the last paragraph. good work, my friend.

[Jeff]

Good words Glenn. So true.

Also a thought that came to me while reading about Shelley and Marx was it's interesting even today that while we hear Obama waxing eloquent on how we need to spread the wealth and help the downtrodden, if we look at his own family, a brother living on nothing in Kenya and an aunt living in Boston in dirt poor conditions, it seems he may himself be one of those like you wrote about.

[Jeremy Barker]

Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. The scriptures also teach that we are the body of Christ. If we would all get over ourselves and collectively focus on our neighbors we could love the world. It is possible. But, our selfishness and personal ambitions get in the way.

We are more concerned with our petty problems than the lost one next door...

The Bible says that we were created in the image of God. It also says that God is love. So, if we are letting our God-like qualities shine through, love will be seen by the world. And... if we could all do that as one unified body, the world would see God's love.

It's the goodness of God that leads people to repentance. But, when they do not see the quality of love in us, then they can't turn and follow Christ.... and the world ends up in hell.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all would just simply obey the command of Jesus to love our neighbor? It all comes down to simple obedience.

As the body of Christ, if we could all allow our God-like nature to shine through, the world would truly see His love.

All of this unity in love talk may seem impossible, but nothing is impossible with God.

[Kendal Franks]

Glenn,

This post reinforces the basic truth that all authentic external actions must come from something internally alive inside of us. If I choose to sponsor a child through Compassion or serve at an AIDS orphanage in Africa for a year, it should be based solely on the deep, burning love I have inside of myself -- a love so intense that it can only be controlled by being focused on specific actions like the aforementioned.

I firmly believe this is the basic for authentic Christianity; our love and compassion should simply be a natural, almost automatic reflection of love that we've experienced through our own relationship with Jesus. If I'm running my mouth about how much love and compassion I have for the world, but don't have that love inside of me first, it's going to be superficial, ineffective, and cheap love.

[Andrew Neilson]

Thanks for the kind words Glenn. Your blog is always a welcome distraction from my seminary work. By the way, I still haven't thanked you for your help; I'm thoroughly enjoying Bethel seminary and your willingness to help me out has been a blessing.

So thanks alot. I miss you guys. Seriously.

[Bernie Lutchman]

Great points, Glenn! Also, the insight about why your generation supports Obama. It is still not right, as he does not share Biblical values with us...but it is what it is!

You are a fantastic songwriter. I get to New Life Church as much as I can when we are in town the past three years for the National Day of Prayer annual summit at Focus. Am a huge fan of the Desperation Band and of course, Ross Parsley! He sat and prayed and talked to us back in 2006, when he led worship at our conference.

God bless you brother! Hey, what is your favorite Desperation band song?

In Christ alone,

Bernie Lutchman

[Holly]

How could they have been wrong for trying? If they had not done so the USA would not be a place were we could freely worship God. Does that make them any less important than the Holy Apostles of the Church?

[Pastor Tom]

This is a GREAT post Glenn....it is so true! In ministry I see people that have these kind of idealistic goals, but fail to notice those most important to them. I hear people say that they have a burden for the nations, yet they do nothing to reach their neighbors or co-workers...how can this be from God?! I love your stuff...keep writing and keep listening to the Lord! Your friend in ministry, Tom James (Torries dad)! :)