World Without Compassion

Probably the greatest contribution of Christianity to the world is the focus on love. Prior to Christ, God was perceived as distant - too holy and dangerous to approach. In the Roman world, the gods were capricious, manipulative and self-serving. Humans went to great lengths to gain their attention and favor. Even when one did, there was no guarantee that the strength of his god would prove sufficient over another god's designs. Christ promoted the God who is loving, kind, interested and involved. Christ was the only one who used the intimate term "Abba/Father" and taught others to do the same. Christ was tender to children, compassionate to the grieving, helpful to the sick and a friend to the outcast. Christ called Himself our brother and stated that one of the defining characteristics of a follower was his/her commitment to love. As a religion, Christianity is saturated by love, committed to loving deeds and balanced on the transcendent/imminent God who desires relationship.