And because of these two views – that God is love only and
that people are essentially good – it is said that all that is necessary to put
the world right is to show men and women the good way to live and give them a
picture of life as it ideally should be… Set it before the nations that God is
love and that people are essentially good.
They are bound to rise to it.
Appeal to them. Be
reasonable. Do not say, ‘Thou shalt
not’, but say, ‘Isn’t this wonderful?
Surely this appeals to you?’
And the leaders of the nations tried that approach with
Hitler. Afterwards that was called
appeasement. But they believed it
then. ‘Surely,’ said Mr Neville
Chamberlain, ‘if only I meet him and talk to him man to man… I’m a businessman
and I’ve never failed yet when I meet a man across the table. It’s all very well sending diplomatic notes
but I’ll go to him. I’ll sit down with
him and appeal to him. He’s bound to
listen.’ And Chamberlain believed
it! He was quite honest; he was
perfectly sincere. It was his theology
that was wrong.
DM Lloyd-Jones in ‘born
of God’ page 87
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