I realize I’m a few days behind the news, but I must comment on Pat Robertson’s recent remarks about Haiti. According to Mr. Robertson, Haiti’s tribulations stem from their own folly. By making a deal with the devil back in 1804, he says, Haiti invited a couple hundred years’ worth of poverty and misfortune to their island nation. Let’s take a look at this logic.
Suppose a country were to make a deal with the devil. Would it make sense that such a deal would be so horribly devoid of enticements? Isn’t it more likely that the selling of a nation’s soul would lead to riches or prosperity or something? Honestly, who makes a deal involving forfeiture of soul only to achieve an increasingly difficult reality? That just doesn’t make sense to me.
There is another problem with the idea that bad things happen as punishment. Tragedies like 9/11, the New Orleans Disaster, and this recent earthquake all impacted both “good” and “bad” people. Believers and heathens alike were hurt by these disasters. Are we to believe that God’s judgment of sinful behaviors applies no matter what we do? Of course, we are all sinners, but I thought Jesus died for our sins. Hmmm…
Joel Osteen and the prosperity gospel aside, there are no promises that life will be easy. “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Lots of Christians suffer and die right alongside their heathen neighbors every day. That is just the way of things. I think it is wrong to assign responsibility to God.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It is right for us to examine our lives, considering God’s perspective. How else can we minimize sinful behaviors and maximize more Christ-like attributes? It is appropriate to ask whether some of the problems in our own lives aren’t a result of our sinful ways, but it is another thing entirely for us to begin assessing our fellow men, assigning blame and judgment, and labeling acts of God as vengeance.
“’Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord.” “ Judge not, lest ye be judged.” “I will not destroy the city for the sake of a single righteous man.” You may have heard these quotes? They are all from the bible.
For the most part, none of us ever makes a deal with the devil or with God. We don’t earn the good things in our lives and we don’t deserve the bad, either. Our reward for faith is not to be expected in this life. Regardless of the depths of our devotion, we will each have ups and downs before we die. Is everything going just peachy for you right now? That doesn’t mean God is happy with you. Or maybe everything is going terribly, instead. Good news! That doesn’t mean God is angry at you, either.
If we were to be punished for our sins, we would all be wiped away. Fortunately, God sent his Son Jesus to sacrifice himself on a cross for our sins. There will be a day of judgment, and on that day, God will call us to account for our sins, but that day has not come, yet. It was not God’s judgment on 9/11, it was not God’s judgment in New Orleans, and God has not judged the people of Haiti.
Bad things can and do happen to good people. Think about the early church founders. There are several martyrs in that mix. John the Baptist was beheaded, and according to Christian tradition, Paul was separated from his head, as well. Would Mr. Robertson characterize their untimely ends as the result of a wrathful God intent on judgment? Or perhaps he thinks they made deals with the devil. Of course, I don’t know what Mr. Robertson thinks, but I think he is just plain wrong on this Haiti thing.
Sincerely,
Mister Hippo
I apologize to readers not affiliated with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as this topic is somewhat obscure if you are not part of this particular denomination. Indeed, it is somewhat obscure even if you are a member of the LCMS. But as they say, ‘when we labor to be brief, obscurity follows,’ so let’s see if we can cheat the adage while briefly covering this issue:
About four years ago, the Synod created a task force to look at Synod structure and governance. This appropriately was dubbed The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance. You may have seen in cited as the BRTFSSG, which is not an acronym since you can’t pronounce it as a word—although I encourage you to try. (I’m trying to be more of an encourager this year).
Anyway, the Task Force has now published its final report and disbanded. The report includes 21 recommendations, and yes, a name change is one of them. All 21 recommendations will be considered at the 2010 Synod convention where they are almost certain to be the focus of lively debate. I wish I could be there to see for myself, but sadly, I am not a delegate.
Here is the name change recommendation to be considered at this summer’s convention in Texas:
Recommendation #20: Adopt a Process Leading to the Renaming of the Synod
For the sake of confessional mission to an unchurched society, the Synod shall be renamed. Previous studies of this matter will continue to provide guidance as we move to reach consensus regarding a name that best serves the Synod’s mission and ministry.
So as you can see, an actual name has not been selected, but there are several historic recommendations in the final report (starting on page 43). For more on this and other task force recommendations, I direct you to the actual report, which can be found on this page:
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=15930
Happy reading!
Sincerely,
Mister Hippo
God sometimes uses the worst of situations for good. I believe that. Like Job of the Old Testament, we must accept a little bad along with all the good that life offers. Despite the fact that Job’s afflictions were not punishment for bad behavior, however, I find it nearly impossible to suffer hard times without searching my own behavior for a cause. Could this be punishment? Fortunately, my theologically unsound belief in cause and effect often leads me to a more energetic search for God’s Will, so maybe there is good to be found in my unhealthy attitudes.
Lately, I’ve been reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which is, of course, an indictment against slavery in America. As I looked back, I searched for good to cull from that horrible institution. I settled on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book as one possible answer. Ms Stowe made a powerful statement about the equality of all mankind, but she also spoke clearly to the problem of professing Christians who bend the Word of God to their own purposes.
Neither Job nor Uncle Tom could have demonstrated his heroic faith in God outside of the context and adversity of his story. But we wonder at the need for such noble people to pay such high costs. Loss of comfort, family, health and even life awaits us all. If times are good right now, as they are for many of us, some day we will face tragedies. We should thank God for the heroes of our faith. Their example can help us to accept life’s difficulties when they come to us.
Through the characters in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, we see what to do and what not to do. We see those with their eyes clearly set on Heaven doing what must be done to resist evil in our world; we see those with eyes set on worldly gain doing just the opposite. Both sides use the bible as their support, but to my reading, only one side’s interpretation rings true.
We are wrong to accept evil because it is convenient or legal to do so. The laws we make must be right or we must change them. In this case, Harriet’s book helped good to come from bad, and we can repeat the pattern. When we see evil, we should examine it, compare it to God’s word, and do something against it. If we can do that, we can help to find good in any tragedy.
As we face a new year in an old world, culling good from bad sounds like a pretty good resolution to me.
Sincerely,
Mister Hippo
