Massacre in Mumbai.
Kidnap of Karen Matthews.
Murder of Baby P.
IED's in Iraq and Afghanistan (Improvised Explosive Device).
Murder of Vicky Hamilton
Violent riots in Greece
Debates on assisted, now televised, suicide
Cholera in Zimbabwe.
Some of the week's news. It's hard not to develop defence mechanisms. There's only so much information the mind can process, only so much weight of moral evil mind and conscience can evaluate. There's only so much suffering and human anguish the heart can feel with and feel for, before we begin to care less, and if we're not careful, finally couldn't care less.
Eventually then, if we're not careful, we become accustomed to familiar reports of bloody violence, abuse of children, politically driven brutalisation of peoples, the orchestrated moves of deregulated power. The moral danger of saturation news coverage, with detailed and graphic reporting, authoritative comment and skilled techniques of image, word and story, is that it eventually sets the emotional, mental and moral tone of our worldview. If we're not careful. And we will interpet the world politically, economically, ecologically, sociologically, demographically, militarily, – from multi-perspectives, except the theological. If we're not careful.
Advent keeps us careful. Advent is Magnificat, an alternative worldview, theology at loggerheads with power politics. Advent is Jesus, a name not to conjure with, but to speak as God's embodied promise of peace. Advent is Emmanuel, God with us, truth to keep in the heart and ponder. Advent is, to live in the light of the coming of God as Advent people. Advent is a worldview illuminated by hope.
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