Apathy

There was a sense of disappointment as we left the mall
All the young people looked the same
Wearing their masks of cool and indifference
Commerce dressed up as rebellion

Because we are so handsome and we are so bored
So entertain us, tell me a joke
Make it long, make it last forever
Make it cruel just make me laugh
We can't be hurt

Drink to forget your blues on the weekend
Think about more things to buy
The TV taught me how to sulk and to love nothing
And how to grow my hair long

These are words from a song by the British band Bloc Party, Uniform. They are eye-catching to me because they poetically express, in the words of a secular band, the product of one of the most invasive ills of our time, APATHY.

The effect and extent of Apathy among young people alarms me. It has a soul-numbing, even destroying power. As I go to preach in Dallas this weekend I want this song to bring home a point that I want to make. In Matthew 22, Christ gives an overarching answer to the question of a lawyer as to what is the greatest commandment in scripture. He states that it is to Love God with all your being, and to love your neighbour as yourself. A primary enemy of that love, particularly in young Christians in the West is Apathy.

It robs us of passion, or even any feeling, and can seriously stunt our ‘experience’ of faith in Jesus Christ.

Simon