Day 39 - Good Samaritans & Video #2

August 19, 2012 (Sam)

      We've posted another video below to show you what church here in Kenya is like for us.

      In the book Wild Goose Chase author Mark Batterson shared a research project that captured my attention. A study was conducted by two Princeton University Psychologists that focused on the story of the Good Samaritan. First, each seminary student chosen to be part of the research was asked why he wanted to go into ministry. The primary response the students gave was that they wanted to help people. Half of the students were then given the assignment to prepare a sermon on the Good Samaritan; the other students were assigned various topics. Once the assignment was completed, the student was then told to go to a certain building on campus to present their sermon.

      But there was a set up that would take the students by surprise. An actor was hired to portray someone who was mugged and left beat up in an alley. Each student would have to pass this alley. And there was one additional variable introduced by the researchers. Some of the seminarians were told to hurry because they were running late and the others were told to take their time because they were early.

      The researchers uncovered a surprising result. Each student was confronted with what seemed to be a real life situation of someone in need. Only 10% of the students who were told that they were late stopped to help. 63% of the students who were told that they had extra time stopped to help.

      The researchers concluded that it didn’t matter if your life goal was to help people or not. What mattered most was if you had the time and were not in a hurry. The words, “You’re late” turned ordinarily compassionate people into people who were indifferent to suffering.

      “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)