coryonomics

Karl Marx wrote that "Religion is the opiate of the Masses". The critique, at least how this quote has been used, is that religion is an escapist drug that keeps people from dealing with reality. Religion is a drug that heightens our emotions but not our intellect or action. Now, I think that there are many arguments that could be made to the point that this is often how religion has been used, but is most assuredly not the intention of Christ to give birth to a movement of the disconnected. But before I get into that, the thing I wonder is if we realize how many other opiates there are in the world.
A friend of mine noted recently that (he being an avid watcher) ESPN was the opiate. I think there is some truth to this, I cannot say I am an EPSN consumer, but I do love entertainment. I, like many of my kind (extroverted, ADD, life lovers) have an inner Robin Williams that needs an occasional release. But how much entertainment do we need. The culture of entertainment (a huge part is people pleasing and a great theme summary is Singing in the Rain's Make'm Laugh segment) has drifted over into media and politics. I don't remember who said it, but some journalist said that our politicians demand to be treated like rock stars and our rock stars pretend to be politicians (as if I really want to get my news from Roving Reporter Sean, Please Take Me Seriously, Penn). All the while substance has drifted and turned into simply policy driven by emotionalism.
See, the world wants hope and purpose and when they can't find it they look for distraction, which soothes our fear. All the while those who seem to think they have the answer can't seem to get their solutions out so they make grand promises of hope with no substance. What they offer instead of hope is more entertainment. We find ourselves with a lack of real hope.
N.T. Wright wrote, "in the absence of real hope, all that is left is feelings. This brings me back to the original opiate. When the church ceases to exist on this plane, we cease to offer real hope. We have real hope in the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, and in his resurrection. This doesn't mean that we sit around and wait for something to happen one day in some promise of a future "pie in the sky", but that we work in cooperation with Jesus Christ today. Too often the church tries to make our work either/or. But without the worship of God; the acknowledgment of his sovereignty, reality, and active presence in our lives today, we are left with social action alone, which can become a kind of idolatry. Likewise, if we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ without actually living the good news, we are living a lie. When life is lived out as Christ taught and with the power of his resurrection and gift of his Holy Spirit is no opiate, but a life of transformation that calls us to action today. When people see this life lived; one of caring for the weak, tending to the sick, blessing those who curse us, laying down our lives for those around us, standing and speaking for those with no voice, then it will be easier for the world around to see that there is real hope in the Kingdom of God. They might then trade in the opium and get on to the business of living.