Think Wink.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had the privilege of watching most of a really good movie, Blood Diamond. It is about the diamond trade in Africa as told through the eyes of an ex-military man played by Leo DiCaprio and an African man whose family has been taken from him by rebels, forced to work the diamond mines, oldest son is recruited by the rebels, and also possesses a rather large diamond, played by Djimon Hounsou (he was the big black guy in Gladiator who was friends with Maximus). Now this film is a hard film to stomach because, like Tears of the Sun, it illustrates the horrors of what is happening in Africa that we in the west are oblivious to every day. When you see what it takes to help supply the diamond market for us westerners, you might think twice about that diamond ring you want. In this film Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is having a conversation with a man who runs an orphanage for the children who are abandoned by their families in one way or another because of the war. In the course of their conversation, they come to an agreement: people are not good or bad, it is what they do that defines them as good or bad. In other words, human nature isn’t good or evil, it is the actions of the people that determine their disposition.

Then this past week, the novel that I have been excited about since the end of February came out, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice. In this series of Star Wars novels, Legacy of the Force, Luke Skywalker’s old enemy Lumiya–an Imperial agent who Luke shot down in a rebel operation and then became a cyborg trained by Darth Vader to become one of the Emperor’s three Force-using assassins with Luke’s wife Mara Jade–has returned. She convinces Jacen Solo, the son of Han and Leia Solo, that he is to be the next Sith Lord. He had started on the path years ago during a previous war and now it was time to take the final step during the current war with Han Solo’s home planet, Corellia. In Sacrifice, Jacen must make the one sacrifice that will hurl him over the edge into being a Sith Lord, “He will immortalize his love.” How it all takes place was awesome. Plus, Boba Fett is in the series taking up his role as leader of the Mandalorians, a race of people who eat and sleep and breath war (every clone in the movies was a Mandalorian genetically enhanced to fight, kinda scary isn’t it?). It is a really good series thus far as Jacen is no longer Jacen Solo, but now Darth Caedus.

In this novel, there is a conversation between Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Ben Skywalker, their fourteen-year-old son. Ben asked if he was a good person. Luke thought about it and based his thoughts on the premise that no one is good or bad, but how they act determines it. It is the same thing as Blood Diamond.

It seems to me that society is beginning to realize that human beings are good beings that just make bad choices. I am very happy that we are starting to wake up to more of the truth. It is truly a work of God that this has occurred. Human beings are not inherently good. Society has said that humans are neutral and make their own choice as to be good or evil. Here society and I part ways as I follow what Scripture says. There are many texts which tell me that humanity is not good or neutral but rather evil. There are texts like Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, Romans 3:9-12, 1 Corinthians 2:14.

But also consider this passage in Mark 10:17-31 about the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he must do to enter the kingdom of heaven. He approaches Jesus as says in Mark 10:17, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ first response in Mark 10:18, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Only God is good, no human being is good but only God. Then listen to Paul quote the Psalmist in Romans 3:11, “no one seeks for God.” No one is seeking for the only Good One, God.

Society has come to a stark realization, or is at least beginning to come to it: human nature is not “good”; human beings are not “good.” Pop culture is defining humans as neutral creatures who determine their own moral disposition of “good” or “evil.” This isn’t what the Bible teaches, but it is a start in the right direction. May be God will see fit to open their eyes to their true nature and see that they have a need for Christ and for grace.

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