At one point midway through the book, he looks at an experiment by Princeton University psychologists John Darley and Daniel Baston inspired by the "Good Samaritan" idea. They took a group of seminarians from Princeton Theological Seminary and told them they would have to prepare a sermon and then walk to the building next door and present it. They introduced three variables into the experiment: 1.) Before the experiment started, they asked the students why they were in seminary, whether it was for personal fulfillment or to help others, etc., 2.) Some of them were told to develop a sermon on the relevance of the professional clergy to the religious vocation and the others were told to do it on the parable of the Good Samaritan, 3.) Half of them were told they were a few minutes early and could take their time getting to the building where they were supposed to give their talk. The other half were told they were a few minutes late and should hurry over.
On the path the students would take to deliver their sermons, Darley and Baston planted a man "slumped in an alley, head down, eyes closed, coughing and groaning." The expected result was that those who had responded that they were in seminary to help others, and those who had to prepare their sermon on the Good Samaritan (thereby having just spent time on the command to help those in need) would be the two groups most likely to stop and help the man. But the results shocked both Darley and Baston. Neither of those two variables made any difference. The only thing that mattered was whether the seminarian was told he was late or not. Of those told they had some time to spare, 63% stopped to help the man. Of those told they were late, only 10% stopped to help.
Darley and Baston said of the experiment, "It is hard to think of a context in which norms concerning helping those in distress are more salient than for a person thinking about the Good Samaritan, and yet it did not significantly increase helping behavior. Indeed, on several occasions, a seminary student going to give his talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over the victim as he hurried on his way."
That statement made me stop. And wonder.
Wonder how many times Ive stepped over someone in need because I was late for a ministry meeting, or to get to church, or to do some other "righteous" act for God. And wonder what opportunities Ive missed in serving Christ because I was too busy or too late. How God's heart must break in the times when His servants miss what He has put right in front of their eyes. Or right under their feet.
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Lesson for Today: Tony Stewart endorses Burger King because he loves it. Or so they say.
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