Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men?

The Shadow knows! (The Shadow radio program, 1937) God knows, too. We should also know, considering the long list of evil we've witnessed in our lives. Ariel Castro, who was arrested this month after having kidnapped and repeatedly raped three Cleveland women for more than a decade, reminds us that evil is always in our midst. The overwhelming majority of us are not to be feared in this way, but Castro's crimes, as well as those of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and many others serve to keep us alert, because their kind is not "out there" somewhere; they are here, among us.

Evil men have always existed. Some were so terrible that their very name became synonymous with evil, such as Adolph Hitler. But, many were not powerful rulers like Hitler, Saddam Hussein, or Muammar Gaddafi, but became infamous only because of their crimes, such as the "Son of Sam," whose crimes in 1976 and 1977 paralyzed New York City.

But, many, many more are not well known at all. We must understand that evil lurks in every part of the world. It lurks in the narcissistic, sociopathic minds of the unknown killers, rapists, wife beaters, and child molesters in our own cities. In fact, sociopaths represent between one and four percent of the population (Jeremy Sherman in Psychology Today, June 08, 2011). That sounds small, but it equals between 3.15 and 12.6 million people in the United States. That means there could be as many as 10,000 sociopaths in my own city of Fort Wayne. Not all of them are serial killers, but all of them have little or no conscience and are a threat to our families. These are the people God has given over to "their own stubborn heart" (Psalm 81:12b, NKJV). We police officers call them "job security." They are constantly in trouble because they care only about themselves.



"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).