What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in…
Dionne Warwick
“But we urge you brothers, to love one another more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12
1966 was a crazy year, it had it all, and then some: It was the height of the Viet Nam protests, mini-skirts became popular, The Rolling Stones and Beatles were a-rockin’, Simon and Garfunkle were sitting on a Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Miranda finally got his rights, Star Trek began exploring outer space, the Black Panthers organized as the race riots ramped up in high gear, and I, the writer of this post, was born on a hot August morn.
There also was a lot of social experimentation going on and huge philosophical questions were being asked in 1966 as well.
One of the biggest questions was found in the title of a rather obscure 1966 movie titled, “What’s It All About Alfie?” which inspired the popular song by Dionne Warwick (a cousin to Whitney Houston) of the same name. I can remember as a young kid hearing Dionne’s velvety tones singing the main line of the movie “What’s It All About?” asking myself, “What’s what all about?” It took me a while to realize that Alfie’s name is the answer to the puzzle. Just rearrange the letters and you get the phrase “A Life.”
So what is “A Life” about? The lyrics even ask it, “Is it just for the moment we live? What is it all about?” Do you know what it’s all about?
This question is important on every level because the answer gives direction to everything a person does. If life has no purpose than nothing really matters. Even if you want it to, you will soon die and be accountable to nothing but dirt. So if the answer is nothing and nada, why even ask the question?
But what if the answer has something to do with God and eternity? What if your life does matter? What if God has answered this question in his word? Are we responsible for it? Is our life going to be measured by it? Is Jesus serious when he says in John 12:48, “the word that I have spoken will judge everyone on the last day”?
Yes, I believe he is, and I believe his word is very clear if you care to listen. There are three things he wants out of a life:
(1) To Love him through his Son. (Mk. 12:30)
(2) To Love your Neighbor as Yourself. (Mk. 12:31)
And I think the last one is the trickiest…
(3) Work at Your personal Calling hard by minding your own business. (John 21:21-22, 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12, 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13)
The Reformers summed up these three points like this:
Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Now, these answers are very simple, but how you flesh them out is where the difficulty occurs. Sometimes it seems like number 2 and 3 can come into conflict. “How do I love my neighbor while minding my own business?” This is a tough question especially when we live in a world that wants to always tell you what to do. Did you know there are a lot of people who think they can live your life better than you are currently living it? I have never known a period of time when people felt so free to always criticize and tell you where you are falling short in how you live. Often just because you have been born with a specific skin color or gender, or if you have had two parents those who haven’t feel they have the right to tell you how it really is.
No one minds their own business anymore.
One of the biggest issues where number 2 and 3 seem to come into conflict the most is with the idea of “White Privilege.” Yesterday I read a very interesting blog post on Cornerstone University’s “Talking Points” blog that is titled, “I am learning what it means to be white.” The article is very good, written by a kind and compassionate white female student who is full of self-evaluation for the purpose of gaining understanding with the black culture. She truly wants to help mend fences and bridge the gap with our culture’s racial hostility. This is a very commendable aim. Her conclusion is that “Christians should embrace guilt rather than shame (on how they treat the black culture), as it moves us from thinking ‘I am bad’ to ‘I have seen something that is bad.’ The appropriate response when we see something bad is to honestly lament with those who have suffered by listening to them and mourning with them. As Christians, it may seem odd to embrace guilt.”
What is it we need to feel guilty for? And here is her answer…
“Race has affected each of us since our birth, but for many whites in the United States, an understanding of personal cultural identity is lacking because of the normalization of whiteness.” And then she writes, ‘When white culture comes in contact with other cultures, it almost always wins’.”
This got me thinking and evaluating. My first question is this, “What does it mean that white culture wins? And secondarily, what are we trying to win at?” This can only be answered by our purpose: “What’s it all about. Alfie?”
I think if the non-Christian answers it, life is about the accumulation of limited resources. “He who has the most toys wins.” It is about the gaining of power, of things, of being able to consume what you want. This is where the word ‘privilege’ comes into play. If the goal is to be on top, maybe she has a point. Personally, I think that is what politics is all about these days, winning. And that goes for both sides. The Progressive Left is trying to win too, and the way they win is by getting the other side to admit they have been playing unfairly. Shame and guilt works and they wield this tool well.
I think this is where the statement, “white culture wins” comes from. I think the church has bought into this purpose as the unspoken endgame for mankind. Health and Wealth preachers promote this goal, prosperity theology pushes consumption as the sign of blessing. And both capitalism and socialism argues their validity based on winning as the end goal.
But if we were to go back to God’s purpose, winning is not the goal. If I can be honest, the goal should be dying. True Christians should be willing to help those in need, but they also need to stop being jealous of those who are winning. The moment you want what someone has you have forgotten why you are here. We have been arguing from a secular end game.
Do I feel guilty for my “white privilege”? Well, I am white. I guess I have an easier go at getting things that I want than many others do, even though I still feel broke. But honestly, I have tried to work hard and keep to myself and then help those who ask with the extra I have. Should I feel guilty for that? If the social justice warrior wants me to admit that I am winning I am not going to take their bait. I am not playing to win. If the person on the margins feels like they have a harder time getting a job, or they are pulled over by the cops more often than me, I must listen and try to help them the best I can. I must love my brother. I must care.
But am I allowed to tell my brother that the end goal is not to win?
I believe James 2:1-3 to be right, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory…have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” And then he says something crazy in 2:5-6 “Listen my brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? Don’t dishonor the poor man!”
Do you see, the game isn’t about winning; the game is about loving God. Both sides need to understand this. If you are rich, the world thinks you are winning, God says you actually may be losing in love (see 1 Timothy 6:10). But if you are poor, don’t sell your love for the desire to win. The more you desire to win, the more envy and jealousy take over your soul, and you are becoming what you hate.
So Alfie, “What’s it all about?” We haven’t progressed much from 1966, have we? Maybe nothing is new under the sun?
