In the Word — September 24, 2017

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A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE

At last week’s Emmys, The Handmaid’s Tale was a big winner. Set in the near future, Christian fundamentalists assassinate the President and most of Congress, suspend the U.S. Constitution, establish a totalitarian theocracy, and systematically enslave women to be breeders to provide children for an oppressive male ruling class.

The series is based on a novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood written in the 1980s. It is meant to be a cautionary tale warning against the growing involvement by Christians in American politics, especially those who want to limit abortion on demand.

A FUTURE BLESSED BY GOD

The Handmaid’s Tale pictures the influence of a Bible-based morality as a threat to freedom. Old Testament history tells another story. Judah’s government had lost its godly direction, had become corrupt and immoral, and had lost its freedom.

Ezekiel paints a different portrait of Judah’s future than what Handmaid portrays for America. The people of Judah will return with pure hearts to their land. It will be a land of plenty which God will bless if Judah responds to the moving of God’s Spirit in their hearts.

1. Have you watched The Handmaid’s Tale? If so, do you believe it depicts a plausible future? Explain.
2. The TV series has recently been cited in political discourse to explain a so-called war on women and the recent defeat of a female presidential candidate. How do we respond to this critique of Christianity and the pro-life movement?
3. In The Handmaid’s Tale, the fictitious Sons of Jacob staged a revolution to create a theocracy that was based on many of the laws of the Old Testament. How does that compare with those who call for a greater influence of Bible morality in America today?
4. Do God’s promises to a repentant Judah also apply to America if our nation repents? Explain. What differences do you see between a theocracy and a nation of people with “new hearts?”

—Charles R. Boatman

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