Phone hacking and all that
Dear Friends,
What are we to make of the phone hacking scandal? If you’ve not heard about it, count yourself fortunate! If you have, you may well be wondering how to assess it from a Christian point of view. Here are some initial, and sketchy, thoughts:
First, we do love to make judgments, and to decide who is right and who is wrong. In part this is a good thing, reflecting the fact that, being made in God’s image, we too have a moral compass. However, we very quickly take God’s place as judge, and need to remember that one day we will be the judged.
Second, who’s to say that what the phone-hackers did was wrong? We all seem to agree that it was wrong. But it raises the questions of how we know, and who decides. Ultimately, unless God tells us what is right and wrong, we’re at the mercy of the majority or the most powerful. And who’s to say they’re right?
Third, isn’t part of the outrage due to the fact that human sinful nature lies exposed? Isn’t there something in each of us that seeks to manipulate others to our own advantage, to twist the truth, to shift the blame, and to cover up our mistakes?