Back in September, 2005, the South endured Hurricane Katrina's onslaught. It caused the expected round of "Where is God?" questions from various quarters. One of the responses was the well-known Tony Campolo. Dr. Campolo identifies himself as an Evangelical Christian. He is an author and a professor and respected by many. He took on the question, "Why didn't God do something?"
I kind of liked Dr. Campolo's conclusion. "I contend that the best thing for us to do in the aftermath of Katrina is to remain silent, and not try to explain this tragedy. Instead of asking 'Why?' we should be asking, 'What does God want us to do now?'" I agree that answering for God as to why He does what He does without specific revelation is unwise at best. I wish that was all he wrote. But his largest response was remarkably predictable and, at times, horribly wrong. He assured his readers that Katrina was not God's judgment on America. Any preacher who said so would be wrong. "Certainly, God would not create suffering for innocent people, who were -- for the most part -- Katrina's victims." Well, it may or may not be God's judgment, but what Bible was he reading when he 1) labeled most of the victims of Katrina as "innocent" and 2) what Bible was he reading when he suggested that God wouldn't judge people? He went on to inform his readers that suffering is not part of God's great plan. To ascribe that to God is, in his view, to dishonor God. "When the floods swept into the Gulf Coast, God was the first one who wept." When the question of "Where is God when there is suffering?" comes up, there are typically two possible answers offered. Either God is not loving enough to do anything about it or He is not powerful enough to do anything about it. Okay, maybe both. Campolo's answer? "God is not really as powerful as we have claimed." He confidently asserts that "omnipotence is a Greek philosophical concept, but it is not in his Bible."
Sometimes, when Christians speak, I cringe. When Anne Graham Lotz was asked about 9/11 -- "How could God let this happen?" -- she responded, "God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life." What a painful concept! God acquiesces to His creation? When Pat Robertson claimed that the earthquake in Haiti was due to their national "pact with the devil", it hurt to hear. When prominent Christians lined up at the microphones to tell us how Katrina was God's judgment for everything from rampant gambling on the Gulf coast to legalized abortion in America, it was painful to endure. And then there are those who speak for "Christianity" with no connection to Christianity. (The Westboro Baptist Church comes to mind.) Sometimes, when Christians speak, I cringe.
I wonder how often that happens here. I have no doubt that some people don't like what I say. I believe what I write, so I believe I am right, but I am pretty sure that other genuine Christians might cringe when they read what I write. I know that Tony Campolo would label me as one who dishonors God. Of course, I'd have to return the favor, but I can see that he might not like it. When Steve Saint, son of murdered missionary Nate Saint, told an audience that he believed that his father's murder wasn't an accident, but was actually a plan of God, one of his listeners told him, "Don't ever say that again about my God." I would have wanted to tell that listener, "Stop maligning my God." Okay, well, I suppose I'll need to tolerate their foolishness if I expect them to tolerate mine, eh?
7 comments:
Perhaps Anne Graham Lotz was correct, that God has backed away from America because we have absolutely backed away from God.
We could certainly find plenty of Biblical backup for it, beginning in Genesis and ending with Revelation... But, then we also must add in that God will always turn what man means for evil in to something good as He did with Joseph and his brothers (among others).
Truth is as piercing as any two-edged sword dividing the marrow from the bone as Job's friends found out. Perhaps more than anything else, God's purpose is to show Satan that he has no power and his time is limited.
Since He hung the world in place and put the stars in space, I'm not to sure we even have the right to ask, "Why?" We weren't there when He put the belt around earth's middle. Who are we that God is mindful of us?
When it comes to human catastrophes, even an "educated guess" is still a guess.
I agree with you. People who claim to be Christians ought to keep their mouths shut more often, or, when put on the spot and questioned point blank, at least be more willing to say something like, "You know what? I really don't know."
Apparently the urge to try to sway others over to their own way of thinking is just too strong for many. (This could be said for ALL mankind of course, not just us.) I guess if you are some prominent, well-known Christian and suddenly find yourself with a microphone shoved in your face or reporters wanting to sit down with you for an interview, you might feel very compelled to try to come up with some kind of "good" answers. It would, after all, be nice to come across sounding reasonably intelligent and spiritually enlightened. "I don't really know," probably isn't going to sound very good or make the people questioning you very happy. So... better come up with something!
Cringe!
It's wisdom to try always to keep in mind Proverbs 17:28: "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."
There is a biblical sense in which God turns His back on people or nations. It is the biblical term, "curse". The biblical concept of a blessing is the standard Jewish blessing that starts with "The Lord bless you and keep you ..." The biblical concept of "blessing", then, is "The Lord make His face to shine on you" and the biblical concept of "curse" is that He turns away.
That is not the same thing as "backs away". The notion of God backing away is the idea that God just "let things go". "Oh, well, too bad. It's sad for you. I didn't plan it. I have backed away." But, as you rightly point out, that does not happen. Even in catastrophe God has His hands in it with His own good intentions. That, in fact, is the primary difference between "turns away" and "backs away" -- intent. One is intentional and one is not. One has a plan and the other just lets things happen. And this "hands-off-won't-interfere-too-bad" idea was what she had in mind as evidenced by the phrase "God ... is a gentleman."
To me there is no greater comfort than knowing that God doesn't just let things happen.
AMEN!
Some time ago I learned something interesting about God that I didn't know before. When the Bible refers to Him as "holy", it isn't "pure from sin". It is "other". It is "something different". It is "apart". While God touches on our existence in many places, He is still not merely holy, but "holy, holy, holy" (the Hebrew equivalent of exclamation marks, bold print, and italics). So when I come up against questions like "Why does God ...?" or "How could God ...?" or the like, and I don't have any specifics from God in Scripture, I have no problem saying, "I don't know." The finite (me) can never fully grasp the infinite (God).
Gina, you said, "God's purpose is to show Satan that he has no power and his time is limited." But something we must all remember is that God's ONLY purpose is to glorify Himself. Not to increase His glory, but to show it. "Why did God do X?" He did it to manifest His glory. Even evil and disaster glorify Him. It's not an acceptable answer to most of Mankind, but since when is truth widely held as acceptable?
David, you have a valid point. I agree with you.
Job never knew he was playing a huge role in bringing God glory!
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