In his 1981 book The Way of the Heart, Henri J. M. Nouwen writes about the theology of compassion thus:
“It seems that the darkness is thicker than ever, that the powers of evil are more blatantly visible than ever, and that the children of God are being tested more severely than ever. During the last few years I have been wondering what it means to be a minister in such a situation. What is required of men and women who want to bring light into darkness, ‘to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captive and to the blind new sight, to set the down trodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’ (Luke 4:18-19)? What is required of a man or a woman who is called to enter fully into the turmoil and agony of the times and speak a word of hope?”
Nouwen has expressed my worry as a Christian better than I could. For years I wondered, ‘How can I impact the lives of others about me?’ How can Christians show the love of Jesus Christ to the world—particularly to believers and unbelievers? Do we need to become ascetics and live in the mountains and caves? Can we not live in the world—among the humdrum of society with families, jobs, different economies of scale, and with the latest development in technology and science—and make a difference?
As Christians, we know the Bible says, “we live in the world but not of this world.” A simple fact, yet as a Christian I grappled with this biblical truth and pronouncement. I have been working in the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario where the rights to homosexual marriages, religious pluralism, and faith in materialism are grounded. In the light of the New Atheism, secular humanitarianism, and humanism, how can I show the uniqueness of Christlikeness as a Christian?
After I graduated from Tyndale Seminary, Toronto, with an MDiv in Education in 2001, starting an overseas education ministry was the last thing on my mind. I simply loved to teach and desired to write. A job as a Christian Educator with an emphasis on adult education seems ideal for me. In fact, I was sure that was my calling. I attended seminary with that in mind. But God had other plans for me.
What about you? What is troubling you? What upsets you? What are you passionate about? Because I have been passionate about educating and serving the poor or underprivileged, I have been led in that area. So this is what CREM is all about. It is the results of one’s passion about helping to right a wrong in society or the world. Each of us can do a little. Do you not agree? Let our small individual efforts be added against the world’s wrong and evil; against the world’s injustice and unfairness. What do you think?