Good Christians Can't be Lousy Neighbors

Walt Disney and Thomas Friedman were both right. It's a small world after all. And it's getting smaller. The world is flat. And it's getting flatter. Globalization makes the world smaller and the neighborhood bigger. This paradox has game-changing implications for Christ-followers and here's why: you can't be a good Christian and a lousy neighbor.

Jesus put loving your neighbor as yourself in the short list of the two most important commandments, right behind loving God with your entire being. If you don't love God with your entire being OR your neighbor as yourself, you break the law and reject the prophets, which hang on these two greatest commandments.

But who is my neighbor? This four word question triggered one of Jesus' most famous parables, the story of the Good Samaritan. At the time this question was raised in order to be a "neighbor" to someone you would have to be physically near him in order to know about his need or have any opportunity to help. But physical space is no longer a limiting factor. Globalization has put us one hyperlink away from the needs of millions of people and the opportunity to partner with others to serve "wounded travelers" all over the world is just as ubiquitous.

The answer to a once simple question, "Who is my neighbor?" has never been more complicated.

When does God expect us to take responsibility for the needs of others? Most of us approach this question as minimalists looking for loopholes. We want to do just enough to be good Christians without being lousy neighbors, literally (for the people across the street) or virtually (for the people across the globe).

A common framework for evaluating one's level of responsibility for taking action to serve others is the combination of proximity, how close we are to the problem; urgency, how serious the need; and capacity, how qualified or capable we are to offer assistance.

On December 9, 2009, twenty-five-year-old Eutisha Rennix had a seizure while working at an Au Bon Pain in Brooklyn. The coffee shop was about six hundred feet from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) headquarters. The proximity of the FDNY provided the coffee shop with a regular base of customers. Two such employees, wearing their EMT uniforms, were at the counter when Eutisha's co-worker frantically explained that her pregnant friend was in need of medical attention. The two EMT's said they were on break and coldly suggested someone call 911. They did.

Coincidentally, the Emergency Medical Services dispatch center that handles 911 calls is located in the same building as the Au Bon Pain, several floors above where Eutisha collapsed. She was pronounced dead at 10:17am, almost ninety minutes after the first pleas for assistance to EMTs who were already on the scene. Eutisha's six month old unborn daughter died a few hours later. This combination of proximity, urgency and capacity translates into extremely high levels of responsibility. No wonder Eutisha's death triggered outrage in New York City and across the nation.

But what happens when the needs of others are not only tragic but also chronic and epidemic? How do we assign responsibility for action when problems others face are every bit as tragic as Eutisha's but not limited to the critical minutes associated with first responders and on a scale that exponentially multiplies the need to thousands or millions of people?

When the need is tragic, chronic and epidemic, urgency is sustained, proximity is less relevant, and responsibility for action is much more difficult to assign. This is why life on a shrinking planet produces a growing neighborhood. You probably don't live in physical proximity to Dalit farmers or AIDs orphans and it is unlikely you know Congolese women who have been raped, robbed or exploited. But their needs, along with those of street children in Bucharest or sex slaves in Bangkok are no less urgent. And because globalization has made us virtually proximal to the chronic, epidemic challenges they face, it is much more complicated to sort out how much responsibility we should accept in trying to make a difference, to be a neighbor.

What does it look like to be a good neighbor in a global village?

1. Make a commitment to do for a few what you wish you could do for many. It is all too easy to believe my $15 won't make a difference in the face of a devastating natural disaster. But ten million other people are thinking the same thing. Don't let the many you can't help blind you to the few you can.

2. Leverage your giftedness to get in the game. God has deposited in you the strengths, skills and gifts you will need to make a difference. When you leverage your giftedness in the service of others you will have experiences that heart-link you to causes and issues that fuel God-inspired passions.

3. Follow your passions to find your neighbor. As your passions take shape for clean water or refugees or HIV/AIDs or Bible translation, they will shine a spotlight on the few "neighbors" in this global village God wants you to prioritize for service. Finding your passion will help you find your neighbor.

The curses of globalization can become blessings of increased opportunity to serve others. God is at work in this Google-ized world, and technological advances in the hands of Spirit-empowered Good Samaritans can set the stage for the "even greater things" Jesus said his followers would do.

 

3 Comments »

1. It really is a “dog eat dog” world out there and stories of abuse are far more common than stories of kindness. As ambassadors for Christ, believers are to be the “good Samaritan” to everyone we meet - especially to those in need. When someone commits an act of courage or bravery to help a person in need, the media will print that story referring to the kind person as a “good Samaritan”. If God’s Spirit is in us, it should be in our nature to demonstrate to the world our love for Him and for others by being empathetic to the needs of the people we encounter every day.

   Thank you Steve for writing this - the church has a long way to go but solid encouragement like this helps us to see the need more clearly our mandate to be Jesus to a broken world.

   Comment by Darryl Smith - Dec 03, 2011 @ 07:10 AM

2. Life is busy and it’s easy to get caught up in our own little world and neglect, if not ignore, the needs and concerns of others all around us.  It’s something I need God’s help with every day; to be intentional about identifying who my neighbor is and actually making an effort to show God’s love and compassion.  I’ve read Steve’s book, “Who Is My Neighbor”.  I highly recommend it.  It’ll give you some much needed perspective; maybe even change your life.

   Comment by Larry Moore - Dec 16, 2011 @ 05:48 AM

3. to be a good neighbor in a global village, the three points you summarized are very well. Thanks for the sharing!

   Comment by statinternet - Dec 31, 2011 @ 07:06 AM

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