Blue Skies

And they shall know we are Christians by our love…

September 8, 2008 on 6:52 pm | In Fighting Poverty |

I’m continuing my reading of “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper, a book that I started reading in Madison on tour. A great quote was brought up by the author, which I thought I’d share with you.

Emperor Julian wrote about Christianity, calling Christians “atheists” for not believing in the Roman gods. About Christianity he complained, (editors notes are Piper’s)

“Atheism [i.e., Christian faith] has been specifically advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them.”

That’s a pretty powerful comment right there as to the importance that Christianity should place on helping the weak and the poor, and how it stands out from the rest of the world.