The world is a cruel place because the effects of sin are virtually everywhere. The consequence is that people become broken, addicted, hardened, depressed, and unstable. Everywhere people go, they experience the coldness of rejection. Social, educational, and political institutions don’t help, but rather make things worse. The church of Jesus Christ could be and should be a place of healing—not by excusing wrongdoing, but by lifting people to a place of forgiveness and help.