Evil Is Not What You Think It Is (Genesis Part 8)

Sunday LivestreamGenesis Series
Written By Will Sopwith

YouTube Video of the Church Service

Time Stamps

  • 00:00 - Welcome with Matt & Dan: Half Term Reflections

  • 03:03 - Evil Is Not What You Think It Is | Will Sopwith

  • 26:00 - Conversation Street: Your Questions About Evil Answered

  • 31:15 - Can Christians Stay Silent? A Powerful Challenge

  • 35:42 - Practical Ways to Fight Evil in Today's World

  • 39:17 - Why Are We Fascinated By Evil? An Honest Discussion

  • 45:08 - Hope for a Broken World: Closing Thoughts

Evil: Not Just Someone Else's Problem

This Sunday, Will Sopwith challenged our comfortable assumptions about evil, helping us see it's neither as distant nor as simple as we often think. From Halloween celebrations to headline-making crimes, we often either trivialise evil or push it into the realm of "other" - something that happens to bad people, far away from our everyday lives.

“Evil is not a counterbalancing force to the goodness of God... It’s portrayed very much as an imposter, as an intruder.”
— Will Sopwith

Beyond Simple Answers

Drawing from Genesis, Will identified three key components of evil that hit closer to home than we might like to admit:

  1. the pursuit of power,

  2. the perversion of God's good order,

  3. and the perpetration of pain.

This isn't just about dramatic acts of violence - it's about the subtle ways these elements show up in our everyday lives and relationships.

Not Passive Victims

But here's the good news: while evil is real, we're not powerless against it. The Bible shows us that God both judges evil and limits its impact. During Conversation Street, our community wrestled with practical questions about how to respond as Christians. The answer? It starts with being real about evil's presence, but doesn't end there.

Instead of just avoiding evil, we're called to actively counter it with surprising acts of grace, forgiveness, and advocacy for those bearing its weight. As one community member pointed out, praying "deliver us from evil" isn't just about protection - it's about partnering with God in His work of restoration.

“Evil isn’t inevitable. God is not powerless in the face of it... If we can choose to embrace evil, it follows that we can also choose to shun it”
— Will Sopwith

When Entertainment Gets Dark

We also tackled that uncomfortable question: why are we so fascinated by evil in our entertainment? From superhero movies to true crime documentaries, our culture seems obsessed. The discussion revealed how these stories often retell the Bible's core narrative of good versus evil, touching something deep in the human soul.

“Through Christ, believers can confidently expect deliverance, not necessarily from all the suffering, but from the ultimate power of evil over their lives.”
— Comment during conversation street

While evil isn't something we can simply wish away, through Christ we have real hope and practical ways to resist its influence. Whether that's choosing forgiveness in broken relationships, standing up for the vulnerable, or building communities that demonstrate God's alternative to the world's power games.

Want to dive deeper into these conversations? Join us this Sunday at 7pm UK time, either online or in person at the Frontline Centre. Because working out what it means to follow Jesus in a broken world is better done together.

 

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