Apathy is defined as a ‘lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern.’ It’s from the Greek word apatheia, meaning ‘without feeling.’ The word used to signify a state of being where one was not dominated by feelings; it was considered the height of spirituality, but of course, nowadays, our word ‘apathy’ tends to have wholly negative connotations, not signifying that one’s feelings are under control but that one is lacking in feeling altogether.
Feelings can be very difficult to evaluate. Some people place great value on them; others value reason or logic more highly than emotions. Whatever our view on feelings, they are clearly important motivators and sustainers of action; they are not always reliable guides, but they can’t be dismissed as irrelevant or insignificant. God chooses to describe Himself using words associated with feeling and it is clear that He is passionate about mankind, loving us tenderly and fiercely and longing for our ultimate good. Part of growing in grace is aligning our feelings and actions with what we know of God’s heart, so that we care about the things, issues and people that He cares about. This is not easy, for our own hearts are cold and selfish and we need divine love injected into us on a daily basis if we are to reflect God’s concerns and love.
God is a God of justice who rails against privilege being misused and the poor being exploited. There are so many examples of this in the Bible that it is hard to understand how we can fail to see this. 2 Chron 19:7 says ‘with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.’ The prophets railed against religion without compassion or justice; Isaiah reminded us that the kind of fasting God requires is that which ‘looses the chains of injustice and unties the cord of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke.’ (Is 58:6) Yet our own hearts remain chained at times: chained to familiarity, easy living, selfishness and apathy.
Christian students in Durham have begun a campaign called ‘Just Love, Durham’ which seeks to help the poor and disadvantaged in that city. Josh Smedley has written a series of posts on the topic of apathy (identifying the problem, suggesting ways towards a solution and practical steps to overcoming apathy.) In these, he comments on the problem of wilful ignorance (how we hide our inaction behind a wall of refusing to acknowledge there is a problem), how we need to be free ourselves if we are to loose anyone else’s chains, how we have to be committed to justice in the long haul (rather than expecting ‘quick fix solutions) and how we need to stop believing the enemy’s lies (‘how can I make a difference? What’s the point?) and allow injustice to penetrate our walls, erected to defend ourselves from pain and hurt.
All action for God needs to be rooted in God’s heart and soaked in prayer. Abraham and Moses both wrestled with God in prayer for other people (see Gen 18:16-33, Ex 32:7-14). The prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel in particular) combined prayer for the people with painful calls to see reality as God sees it, cutting through our hypocrisy, apathy and lethargy. Apathy will never be overcome by inertia. But passionate people, fired by God, make enormous differences to a hurting and despairing world and reflect God’s commitment to that world.