Regardless of how you feel about Brett Kavanaugh or the whole debacle that is his confirmation hearing, one thing is certain: worldview matters.
I remember sitting at my desk at school as a young teenager, reading the last few pages of Anne Frank’s diary. I wondered how this dear girl, after witnessing so much tragedy and terror, could have possibly maintained her belief that “people are still good at heart.” We all love Anne Frank for her optimism and her honesty. But, the truth is that despite Anne’s heartwarming deduction that deep down we are all good, the Bible paints a painfully and drastically different story.
All over scripture we learn that our hearts are wicked and deceitful, that we are bent toward destruction, and not one of us is righteous. We are all dead in sin and sick at heart and evil in ways we can’t even admit to ourselves. Thus, our need for a Savior is clear.
Yet, the majority of this world wants the story to be different. People don’t want to hear that they need Jesus. They would much rather believe that they can be their own heroes, and throughout history the idea has persisted that people are basically righteous. Human beings keep proving otherwise, yet the sentiment holds in all corners of our society: people are good.
On the heels of the #MeToo Movement, though, we have seen a new shift in this worldview, and we see it clearly on display in reactions to Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against Judge Kavanaugh. In many ways #MeToo has opened our eyes to things that we needed to see. It has granted courage and healing to women who needed to tell their stories, and I don’t think anyone would deny that all of us needed the wakeup call that has come from the movement. It’s important to recognize what many women have endured at the hands of men, simply because we are typically smaller in stature, with less muscle mass, and we are easily victimized by men who intend to do us harm. This is a truth and a widespread problem that needed to come to light and one that can impact our world for the better.
But, a disturbing and dangerous thought pattern that is emerging after #MeToo is the idea that women are good, and men are not. Articles are being written as I type that are urging all people to just believe women, and classifying anyone who doesn’t believe every word a woman says as part of the problem. And Christians are torn as to what they should do in these situations. Should we blindly believe every woman because we don’t want to re-victimize her if she has been a victim of sexual assault? How do we respond with sensitivity to those who come forward without automatically condemning men who have had no opportunity to defend themselves?
I believe the balance can be found in recognizing that we have a different worldview. Men and women are both capable of all kinds of evil, so the Bible tells us. As Christians we must live according to that worldview. When we see ourselves and each other through this lens, we can sympathize with and comfort and support women who come forward while also proceeding with caution, knowing that no one is good, not one, and women are not an exception to that truth. False accusations do happen. And, if there is a man in this world that you love and you aren’t concerned about the emerging women-are-good worldview, then you aren’t paying attention.
Christian men and women must stand up for victims of all kinds (men, women, and children), and we must never lose sight of the truth that we are all bent toward doing exactly the wrong thing at any moment in time. No woman is perfect. No man is perfect. And we all need Jesus desperately.
