SELLING FEAR: The Y2K Bug

Y2K. These three characters strike fear into the hearts of many. And if they don't, some good Christians will do their best to make sure they do.

A great number of the loudest, most visible, prophets of doom today are circulating in Christian circles. Are they publicly decrying the sin that has become so common place, preaching a message of God's impending judgement on sin? Sometimes. But for the most part, the message has become one of impending doom and financial misery due to a widespread technology meltdown. A few claim it to be God's impending judgement on our society (perhaps). Still others claim it to be the event that will allow a one world government to be set up (perhaps). Virtually all see it as a potential end of our prosperous way of life, a direct assault on the financial security of the western world (perhaps). Don't believe it? Well they'll parade "experts" supporting their views, sell tons of books guaranteeing a cause for alarm and fill the air-waves with talk shows lamenting the problem. Oh, and they have solutions: stockpile food, water, clothing, generators, even guns. Why technological Armageddon is virtually at hand. A hot Christian web site has been selling large plots of land in a central State, complete with "self sufficient" homes, outhouses, cleared garden areas, and a stable for the animals. (Their disclaimer says it will still make a good getaway camp, in the event that all this hyped problem never materializes... so what's fifty or a hundred thousand dollars for a little peace of mind?)

On the more extreme side, some feel the Y2K problem has to happen after the rapture (of course, this one world government that it brings about has to happen in the tribulation). Those following the news have already heard about one group of this type. The Denver based "Christian cult" that was expelled from Jerusalem was just a symptom of the millennium madness circulating in the name of Christianity. Some of these groups feel that the Muslim temple in Jerusalem has to be destroyed prior to the Lord's return and are quite willing to volunteer to do it. Other's feel that it's their responsibility to start an Armageddon war. (A Time report entitled, "Jerusalem's Millennium Bug: Never mind the software, the Y2K puts the Holy City on Armageddon watch", says it all). The Israeli government has created a special Millennium police force just to deal with these people. One of their concerns is a rash of suicides when such event's don't occur. Reports are already in of hundreds of professed Christian who have moved to Jerusalem to await Jesus' return – which they are sure will happen at Y2K. There will certainly be more.

So what's the hype? As one who spent ten years in the computer industry prior to being in ministry (and who continues to follow it now), I can tell you that there are some Y2K software problems. As a computer programmer I wrote some of them. I've also fixed some of them in the last few months, including this ministry's accounting software. Do I see a technological Armageddon approaching? No. The worse case scenarios of the self professed experts (which just about anyone can be in the computer industry) are exactly that, very worst case. Some are so farfetched as to be impossible. People are actually checking toasters and blenders for Y2K compliancy... think about it. Your toaster's going to stop browning on January first!? Not likely, and as if it would be an earth shattering event if it did. Yet, the stories continue. Elevators falling to the bottom of their shafts, airplanes falling out of the sky, power plants shutting down, banking chaos... it's all in the latest Christian books on the subject (and a multitude of related web sites). Most of these scenarios are highly improbable. Sure there may be a few accounting systems or product distribution systems that fail, but that's not worth all the hype. The majority of corporate, government and integral systems have been already upgraded, or are slated to be in the next few months. Fear of law suits and of loss of revenue have been enough of an incentive for most.

Like the panic that ensues when someone yells fire in a crowded room, the greatest problems related to Y2K may well be the panic itself, if people don't keep a level head about all this. As for Christians, why should we spend so much time promoting fear of the future? There's as much possibility that the banking system could collapse next week or in ten years, from events even in another country (thanks to our global economy), that we could live in fear continually. Hey, my toaster could stop working tomorrow, but life goes on. Sure we should look after the things we are responsible for and make the changes that are within our power to change. But fear of loss of material things, financial holding, and the like, should be the last thing on a Christian's mind. Jesus, speaking of God's provision for His children, told us clearly...

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33-34).

Everyday is to live by faith, trusting God's grace is sufficient to get us through. If the world saw God's church living that way — confident in the One whom we serve rather than living in fear — what a difference our testimony would make. If we love Him we will be focusing on the real problem — reaching a world that needs to hear the message of God's salvation. Fear? No way!...

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

As for all this end-times hype, we dealt with that in another article entitled Prophecy Preoccupation.