The Eleventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Be Consistent
It disturbs me to hear so much of the Christian world saying, without reservation, that this tsunami was an act of God. And, to hear some Christian groups and the way they speak so nonchalantly, even coldly, about the death of 200,000 living, breathing, and loving people, is equally disturbing. I am not here to question anyone's Christianity but I am here to question their consistency. Is the message that we are giving to the world and the response that we are showing them consistent with the God that we serve?
My primary goal in this paper is not to attempt to deal with every question out there, but rather, to refute the presupposition that the Christian God was both the initator and the impetus of this great earthquake and subsequent tidal wave, and that it was He who brought this destruction as a judgment on the affected nations: Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Burma and others.
What Happened?
Though many answers come to our minds, still, questions prevail in our hearts. Why did this happen? Why did so many people die? And real people too, not just a number or statistic, but thousands and thousands of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews - so many precious lives swept up in a moment's time. Who or what caused this? Was it the Christian God? Was it Allah? Was it the Devil? Or was it merely the unfortunate effect of a dynamic and unstable earth? (Donald L. Hamilton, USANews). What really happened?
Was it the Christian God?
Though this horrible, horrible disaster has left us all with questions, my question is, how can so many followers of Jesus stand up and repeatedly say that Jesus, the Christian God, had a hand in this? Did Jesus of Nazareth really judge those 200,000 people who did not know their right hand from their left? Was it Jesus who killed all of those people that He died for? Isn't He the same today as He was yesterday? (Hebrews 13:8)
Most Christians are pointing to the Asian believers who were miraculously saved from death as evidence of God's (Jesus') judgment on the wicked. But I point to this same Jesus, and what He did on Calvary for the wicked, to be my strongest argument against this claim. All of our doubts about God's disposition towards mankind should have been laid to rest with His Son as He was placed in the tomb, and we should know by now that God is no longer imputing our sins against us, even though we deserve it, because of Jesus' mediation and sacrifice. (Romans 3:25; 4:15; 5:13; 1 Tim. 2:5,6; 1 John 2:1,2)
What About the Shielded Saints?
Those who are looking at the Christian survivors as a divine sign should not at the same time hold a blind eye to the Christians who actually perished in the same waters that took their Muslim, Hindu, and non-religious neighbors. And on top of that, those groups who cite the standing Christian churches as verifiable evidence that God's hand was involved, should not be silent about the Muslim mosques that went equally untouched (not to mention the fact that most of the churches and mosques were made out of iron or steel and cement).
What About Sodom and Gomorrah?
Inevitably, when there is a discussion on the subject of God's judgment in the earth, the dramatic story of Sodom and Gomorrah will be brought to the table. I, however, believe that this story does not weaken my argument, but rather, strengthens it. First of all, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities were entirely given over to evil; so much so that they gained a reputation of wickedness unmatched in all of history; a reputation that was known both on the earth and in the heavens. (Genesis 18:20,21) Secondly, God was willing to spare those cities for the sake of ten righteous people! (Genesis 18:32) And how many righteous people were living in the cities flooded by the tsunami? Lastly, though Abraham was allowed to be the mediator on behalf of the aforementioned places, Abraham is no longer the mediator between God and men, Jesus is. (1 Tim. 2:5) And that's good news!
In this story we don't see a God who is anxious to destroy two whole cities. On the contrary, we see a gracious and extremely patient God who, not only has not consumed them already, but has even sought out someone who will mediate on their behalf. (Genesis 18:17-20)
An Unstable Satellite
It should be evident to all people, regardless of perspective or opinion, that this place we call our home is far from perfect. As the saying goes: "Our world waxeth old." None of us need to be a scientist thoroughly aqcuainted with the laws of thermodynamics to see that things are not as they should be. The earth is like a fragile old woman whose groans, unfortunately, can be heard and felt by all us. (Romans 8:20, 22) Taken from a purely natural standpoint, we see that this tsunami was a result of a tremendous earthquake, which itself was a result of the earth's shifting tectonic plates. (NASA Details Earthquake - earthobservitory.nasa.gov) And while it can easily be argued that God has the ability to manipulate the earth and motivate the elements, I believe we can say just as easily that God is not behind every earthquake and storm that hits the planet. For example, did God raise the storm that Jesus rebuked?
To me, it is much more consistent to say that this tsunami was the result of a fallen world than to say that it was caused by the God whom we proclaim to be loving, kind, and good; the God that has made a new covenant with man--a covenant of peace and grace.
And Where Was God During all of This?
It is amazing to me how quickly our thoughts turn against God in times like these and how easily we are persuaded to see Him in the most negative possible light. The Bible clearly shows us that God no longer sees us as His enemy, with the peace offering of Jesus to prove it. The apostle Paul, in simple logic, poses the question that, if God gave us His only Son, then how could we ever doubt His fidelity and goodness to us in other matters? (Romans 8:31) Instead of automatically thinking, "God, why did you do this?" or, "How could you let this happen?" or, "Maybe God isn’t good." or even, "Maybe there really isn’t a God.", shouldn’t we at least give Him the benefit of the doubt? I mean, we do call Him our Friend and our Father. Wouldn't we give as much or even more to our earthly friends and family?
If one should read through the Bible and come across the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Esther, Jonah, etc. one would find a God who is consistently trying to save people from, not destroy people in, disaster. Even when it was His direct judgment on a nation He would always give them plenty of warning and plenty of time so that they might avoid the calamity through repentance.
Let's take the story of Joseph and the Egyptians. Did God know ahead of time that there was a great famine coming on the land? Isn't that one of the reasons why God raised up Joseph and set him over all of Egypt? Yes, and it is not just a reason, but it is one of the main reasons. (Genesis 45:5)
This and all the other stories show us, not an indifferent, absentee landlord, but rather, a caring, involved God who had been working behind the scenes to save both the Hebrews and the Egyptians from total starvation. Isn't it logical then to believe that this same God was doing the same things to help us prepare for and even avoid this catastrophe?
A Consistent, Christian Response
My friends, are we shedding on this dark and lonely world the same light that Jesus shed? Are we telling them that God loves His enemies and "is kind to the unthankful and evil."? (Luke 6:35) So much of the world, regardless of their beliefs, has responded with compassion and generosity to the thousands laid destitute by this nearly unprecedented natural disaster; to those once with homes, now homeless; to those once with children, now childless; to those once with fathers and mothers, now orphaned--to those who were once so rich, even with the little they had, now poor and overcome with many sorrows! Yes, this is the kind of response that's consistent with the nature and character of the God we know through Jesus.
"Ultimately, heartfelt tears shed in earnest and with compassion, with offerings of charity for those who have suffered, are more meaningful than any theological and philosophical treatise on the problem of evil." (Dr. Edward Spence, Philosopher at CSU)
God be with each of the hurting nations; in comfort by any man who has a heart, and in charity by any man who is willing to help.
(written 02/05)
My primary goal in this paper is not to attempt to deal with every question out there, but rather, to refute the presupposition that the Christian God was both the initator and the impetus of this great earthquake and subsequent tidal wave, and that it was He who brought this destruction as a judgment on the affected nations: Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Burma and others.
What Happened?
Though many answers come to our minds, still, questions prevail in our hearts. Why did this happen? Why did so many people die? And real people too, not just a number or statistic, but thousands and thousands of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews - so many precious lives swept up in a moment's time. Who or what caused this? Was it the Christian God? Was it Allah? Was it the Devil? Or was it merely the unfortunate effect of a dynamic and unstable earth? (Donald L. Hamilton, USANews). What really happened?
Was it the Christian God?
Though this horrible, horrible disaster has left us all with questions, my question is, how can so many followers of Jesus stand up and repeatedly say that Jesus, the Christian God, had a hand in this? Did Jesus of Nazareth really judge those 200,000 people who did not know their right hand from their left? Was it Jesus who killed all of those people that He died for? Isn't He the same today as He was yesterday? (Hebrews 13:8)
Most Christians are pointing to the Asian believers who were miraculously saved from death as evidence of God's (Jesus') judgment on the wicked. But I point to this same Jesus, and what He did on Calvary for the wicked, to be my strongest argument against this claim. All of our doubts about God's disposition towards mankind should have been laid to rest with His Son as He was placed in the tomb, and we should know by now that God is no longer imputing our sins against us, even though we deserve it, because of Jesus' mediation and sacrifice. (Romans 3:25; 4:15; 5:13; 1 Tim. 2:5,6; 1 John 2:1,2)
What About the Shielded Saints?
Those who are looking at the Christian survivors as a divine sign should not at the same time hold a blind eye to the Christians who actually perished in the same waters that took their Muslim, Hindu, and non-religious neighbors. And on top of that, those groups who cite the standing Christian churches as verifiable evidence that God's hand was involved, should not be silent about the Muslim mosques that went equally untouched (not to mention the fact that most of the churches and mosques were made out of iron or steel and cement).
What About Sodom and Gomorrah?
Inevitably, when there is a discussion on the subject of God's judgment in the earth, the dramatic story of Sodom and Gomorrah will be brought to the table. I, however, believe that this story does not weaken my argument, but rather, strengthens it. First of all, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities were entirely given over to evil; so much so that they gained a reputation of wickedness unmatched in all of history; a reputation that was known both on the earth and in the heavens. (Genesis 18:20,21) Secondly, God was willing to spare those cities for the sake of ten righteous people! (Genesis 18:32) And how many righteous people were living in the cities flooded by the tsunami? Lastly, though Abraham was allowed to be the mediator on behalf of the aforementioned places, Abraham is no longer the mediator between God and men, Jesus is. (1 Tim. 2:5) And that's good news!
In this story we don't see a God who is anxious to destroy two whole cities. On the contrary, we see a gracious and extremely patient God who, not only has not consumed them already, but has even sought out someone who will mediate on their behalf. (Genesis 18:17-20)
An Unstable Satellite
It should be evident to all people, regardless of perspective or opinion, that this place we call our home is far from perfect. As the saying goes: "Our world waxeth old." None of us need to be a scientist thoroughly aqcuainted with the laws of thermodynamics to see that things are not as they should be. The earth is like a fragile old woman whose groans, unfortunately, can be heard and felt by all us. (Romans 8:20, 22) Taken from a purely natural standpoint, we see that this tsunami was a result of a tremendous earthquake, which itself was a result of the earth's shifting tectonic plates. (NASA Details Earthquake - earthobservitory.nasa.gov) And while it can easily be argued that God has the ability to manipulate the earth and motivate the elements, I believe we can say just as easily that God is not behind every earthquake and storm that hits the planet. For example, did God raise the storm that Jesus rebuked?
To me, it is much more consistent to say that this tsunami was the result of a fallen world than to say that it was caused by the God whom we proclaim to be loving, kind, and good; the God that has made a new covenant with man--a covenant of peace and grace.
And Where Was God During all of This?
It is amazing to me how quickly our thoughts turn against God in times like these and how easily we are persuaded to see Him in the most negative possible light. The Bible clearly shows us that God no longer sees us as His enemy, with the peace offering of Jesus to prove it. The apostle Paul, in simple logic, poses the question that, if God gave us His only Son, then how could we ever doubt His fidelity and goodness to us in other matters? (Romans 8:31) Instead of automatically thinking, "God, why did you do this?" or, "How could you let this happen?" or, "Maybe God isn’t good." or even, "Maybe there really isn’t a God.", shouldn’t we at least give Him the benefit of the doubt? I mean, we do call Him our Friend and our Father. Wouldn't we give as much or even more to our earthly friends and family?
If one should read through the Bible and come across the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Esther, Jonah, etc. one would find a God who is consistently trying to save people from, not destroy people in, disaster. Even when it was His direct judgment on a nation He would always give them plenty of warning and plenty of time so that they might avoid the calamity through repentance.
Let's take the story of Joseph and the Egyptians. Did God know ahead of time that there was a great famine coming on the land? Isn't that one of the reasons why God raised up Joseph and set him over all of Egypt? Yes, and it is not just a reason, but it is one of the main reasons. (Genesis 45:5)
This and all the other stories show us, not an indifferent, absentee landlord, but rather, a caring, involved God who had been working behind the scenes to save both the Hebrews and the Egyptians from total starvation. Isn't it logical then to believe that this same God was doing the same things to help us prepare for and even avoid this catastrophe?
A Consistent, Christian Response
My friends, are we shedding on this dark and lonely world the same light that Jesus shed? Are we telling them that God loves His enemies and "is kind to the unthankful and evil."? (Luke 6:35) So much of the world, regardless of their beliefs, has responded with compassion and generosity to the thousands laid destitute by this nearly unprecedented natural disaster; to those once with homes, now homeless; to those once with children, now childless; to those once with fathers and mothers, now orphaned--to those who were once so rich, even with the little they had, now poor and overcome with many sorrows! Yes, this is the kind of response that's consistent with the nature and character of the God we know through Jesus.
"Ultimately, heartfelt tears shed in earnest and with compassion, with offerings of charity for those who have suffered, are more meaningful than any theological and philosophical treatise on the problem of evil." (Dr. Edward Spence, Philosopher at CSU)
God be with each of the hurting nations; in comfort by any man who has a heart, and in charity by any man who is willing to help.
(written 02/05)
posted by Prague at 12:57 PM
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