Good-doing in a fallen world

With Live8 coming up, this is a must-read article showing how, in a world of fallen Powers, doing the right thing collectively is likely to involve trade-offs. "...what neither the relief world, nor the UN, nor Geldof have ever come to terms with is that the Mengistu regime - ousted in 1991 - also committed mass murder in the resettlement programme in which Live Aid monies were used and in which NGOs using Live Aid funds were active. The Dergue was in control, and it did with the UN and the NGOs what the Nazis did with the ICRC: it made them unwilling collaborators."
In a fallen world where malicious or misguided people react to events, the doing of one good may have some unintended bad consequences. The interesting thing to me is that we arguably see this even around Jesus's ministry. Jesus's presence and what he comes to stand for provoke responses that may not otherwise have come to pass: Judas's betrayal; Peter's denial; deceit by various people; homicidal intents and actions by others. As Christ said; he came to bring a sword. I don't think we are intended to think that betrayal and violence were his aim, rather he simply recognises that they are likely.

In a cause-&-effect cosmos, actions have reactions. If it is a universe that is most fundamentally good, then that cause-effect nexus is basically good. That is to say that just because there is the possibility of ill-doing subverting some of the consequences of a good, is not a necessary cause to do nothing. All good things are subvertable by ill, vigilence and continual readiness to act and to intervene for good are necessary. The only point of rest is in Christ alone.