Tim Cook met with Pope Francis a little over a month ago. Some speculate that the meeting centered around Google and Apple’s digital wars, but I’d like to think that Francis has more important matters in mind. Since his inauguration Pope Francis hasn’t sat still, he’s been everywhere spreading his message of love and solidarity. Could the San Bernardino shooting be an event that helps solidify Francis’s message of LOVE? To make this even clearer Francis’ states the following — “Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind.”

It seems the situation with Apple will soon be a case many true christians will faceTim Cook has made it clear that he will not give the government the kind of access they would like. According to Cook such steps would jeopardize all iPhone users. However with this stance, Apple stands the chance of losing many of its loyal customers. By resisting “Big brother” many believe Apple is in support of terrorists. It’s amazing what we see in our world today — people who stand up for their beliefs are faced with criticism, slander and ridicule.

The security case with Apple will soon be a case many true christians will face. This is not to say that we will be facing a court case on encryption and security but one that deals with our core beliefs. It was Pope Francis that said — “A fundamentalist group, even if it kills no one, even it strikes no one, is violent. The mental structure of fundamentalism is violence in the name of God.” I quote Francis because he is the very man that made the cover of Time magazine more than 4 times since his inauguration. He’s the same man who had a session with congress in 2015 and he’s the same man that presidents & prime ministers bow to — So it’s clear that he has influence.

Apple & Christians

To live radical for Jesus does not mean we use force or disobey authority.Apple and christians though different, are faced with a very similar challenge. The Apostle Paul talks about being unashamed and basically being radical for Christ — at times this can mean going against the norms of society. To live radical for Jesus does not mean we use force or disobey authority —disobedience to authority comes only if that individual or system is in direct defiance to God’s commandments. An example of a system defying God’s commandments can be found in the book of Daniel 3:16-20, which speaks of 3 hebrew boys that were held captive in Babylon (known today as Iraq). When the boys are required to give worship to another, the Babylonian king was directly attacking the First commandment Exodus 20:3. Radical living (for Jesus) can lead us to stand up though the heavens fall, which is often referred to as “fundamentalism” After all who would know whether or not you took a stand? The truth is any decision we make extends beyond us. The Apple — FBI case presents shows clearly where this country is heading in terms of freedom. Whether we choose to give up privacy for safety. Or whether we hold onto what little freedom we have, in hopes that one day we won’t have to let that go as well.

Privacy Still Secure

According to LA Times Apple has won the San Bernardino case against the FBI but as the war on terrorism wages on, we will see more of these security & privacy cases. It’s easy for many of us to relax and feel secure knowing the government doesn’t have easy access to our phones. However as the fight presses on and more lives are being threatened, we may find that many will be willing to give away some if not all their privacy for the sake of safety. I’ll challenge you not to put your safety in any man made system but into a system that’s impervious to any threat (Isaiah 26:3). God promised that he will keep us in peace in the midst of the trouble Psalm 46:1. The trouble will come but he will give us a fortified mind for that time.

Read Isaiah 40:21-23 for more encouragement and to understand that God holds everything in his hands.

Sources

judge Orders Apple to access phone belonging to San Bernadino shooter

Chosen

Keeping Corona at Bay

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