Don’t Be Evil
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Friends,
I started reading a book entitled, “Don’t Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles and All of Us” by Rana Foroohar. She is a business columnist for the Financial Times.
The first part of the title, “Don’t Be Evil” is taken from Google’s original code of conduct. The book is not merely about Google, it is about what she calls the FAANG Companies-Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google. (page xxi)
The basic theme of this book, as I understand, is that these companies have moved from being vehicles of information to creating algorithms that seem to monetize people. The result is that their once innocent motives are not so innocent.
Maybe that is why Google officially removed “Don’t Be Evil” from its code of conduct.
As I continue reading this book, it got me thinking, this seems to be the way it often goes. An individual or a group starts with pure motives and then move into territory that is not so pure.
Even the church in its early days had to struggle with divisions, improper motives and even, dare I say, sin.
Most of us may not be what we call “evil” people, but we are capable of doing evil things to others.
Maybe that’s why Paul says we are saved by grace…not our own doing but the gift of God.
There is a teaching in the Christian church that we are saved “outside” of ourselves.
It means something like this: Each one of us has sin. Sin makes it impossible to save ourselves. Even if we start with pure motives, sin will distort those motives and turn them into something not so pure. Something from outside ourselves needs to rescue us.
This is where Christ comes to our rescue. We are saved because of what Christ did. Not what we did. We are merely recipients of the gift.
There will always be the desire to start something with pure motives.
But there will also be sin to taint those motives.
But thanks be to God who gifts us with his grace.
Peace,
Ricky Adams
Pastor
Peace Lutheran Church
Mill Valley, California