David Nelson column: Changing human nature

If any of us pauses to look at nature, it will become quite noticeable that crises are an ongoing fact of life. Critical times have always been a part of human existence.

Our current world situation has many issues that could be considered to be critical: Afghan and Iraq wars; economic instability; global warming; racial tensions; political gridlock and complicated social issues. It would seem that they are endless and our list could go on.

Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, is quoted in Time Magazine as saying that the problems behind our present economic crisis are bound to reoccur.

He said,"Unless somebody can find a way to change human nature, we will have more crises." The implication is that they are inevitable. Greenspan is of Jewish heritage and is stating what all religious faiths hold true: God's presence in our lives is the only force to cope with this predicament. Change can only come from a transforming relation-ship with the Almighty God.

From a religious perspective, human nature fights with great gusto to have things go its own way. There is no concern for others, only its own personal gratification. It is self centered and ill serving. It shows itself in acts that are contrary to God's will. Our religious definition of this problem is known as sin. That is the circumstance to which Alan Greenspan must have been referring. It is a systemic condition and not just a passing episode.

Human nature is filled with greed as its primary motivator. The only way that such a situation can be changed is through the transformational power of a loving God. Christians witness that power through a relationship with Jesus, the Christ. This change places its focus on others and not simply oneself. It is that infusion of accepting love that overflows with concern, forgiveness, and service. As St. Paul wrote in I Cor. 13:7-8, "love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things ...love never ends.

Because of sin, we will continue to face a human nature that drives us from one crisis to another. We cannot simply accept its inevitability. We cannot allow human nature to go unchecked. Our religious ethic of love has to leverage the human code of law and justice. Society needs to be guided by a higher sense of justice and love. That will be the only way crises can be minimized, overcome and thwarted. It is not a hopeless task, but one that requires society to be tempered by the ethics of religion.

We cannot require our society or our government to be motivated by a religious ideal. But we can expect that our government adhere to a code of justice and law that is enhanced by such an ideal. Our society needs the prodding of a sensitive conscience that demands good order, mutual concern, and human respect. With such divine help, just maybe crises will not continue simply because they are inevitable. Let us seek God's direction and hope there can be a change in human nature at least in our own lives.

Dr. David P. Nelson is a retired Lutheran pastor.