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You know, one of the most amazing things that I've seen the Devil do is imitate me. Now, I'm not talking about Rich Little, I'm not talking about an impersonator, like a comedian -- I'm talking about actually duplicating my voice, my body, my face, everything about me. And I've had this happen on several occasions when I was dealing with people in the highest echelons of the occult seeking to get out.
-- Bob Larson Live, March 26, 1996
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News: Are Catastrophes God’s judgments?
Posted on Friday, March 02 @ 21:07:27 PST by Virgil |
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by Scot McKnight
Here’s my simple contention: if you believe God is in control of all, then you are driven to think either (1) that catastrophes are divine judgments or (2) that God has surrendered “control” to cosmic or human forces. When 9/11 occurred, many of us watched with horror, pondered, and prayed, but very few of us had the moxie to think we “knew” what God was doing. When the tsunami devasted the Pacific coastlines, when the earthquake jolted Iran, or when Katrina buckled the knees of New Orleans, was God judging or has God surrendered the world to cosmic forces? Steven Keillor, in his new book God’s Judgments, takes on this theme, takes on Christians for their lack of nerve, critiques “worldview thinking” (more later), and proposes a Christian theory. We’ll look at this book for awhile.
I begin with an admission. 9/11 shook me and I gave a response to a small audience at NPU about “God’s presence in his seeming absence” as we sought answers from under the rubble. I stated in my classes that OT prophets would “know” what was going on; I didn’t. I also yearned — and still yearn — for discernment or a method for knowing how to make meaning of historical events like this. I wanted — maybe you did too — a prophet to stand up and tell us what God was doing, to make meaning out of a horrible event.
I joined left, right, and center in being repulsed by the quick responses of Falwell and Robertson.
But, if we believe God is in control, what can we know? That is the question Keillor asks. Are we afraid to press to the conclusion that our theological logic leads? Do our humility that we might be wrong and the politically-insensitive reality or public discourse combine to silence the Church? Do they eviscerate from the Church a conviction that the Christian faith — with its Old Testament and New Testament sense of history — involves a philosophy of history? Are we surrendering our concept God is control?
Click here to read the entire review
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Average Score: 5
Votes: 2
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Re: Are Catastrophes God’s judgments? (Score: 1)
 by Missina on Friday, March 02 @ 23:48:03 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | I don't have time to read through everyone's responses on the other site, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned and discussed.
I don't think the premise of this article should be as simple as making two options of "judgment" or "surrendering control". It seems a little too human focused and centered to think these "catastrophes" even have anything to do with us. While it's good to think about, articles like these seem to create a problem that needs to be solved, when really, maybe there isn't supposed to be a problem at all. The first and quickest example I can think of, is a few articles ago, the point was made about how things like earthquakes and hurricanes aren't necessarily disasters but are to replenish the soil and keep the atmosphere balanced, etc.
I don't have a problem with judgment if that's what it is, but why are we so quick to take a black and white approach about these grand occurences in the world and think they are directly linked and related to everything we do as though it were a blessing or a curse, a pat on the head, or a casting into the flame? If YHWH is someone merely to either give reward or chastise us, we're missing out on many other facets of his nature and character.
Our questions that we seek answers for need to include more than two options as a solution, no? |
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- by Virgil on Saturday, March 03 @ 07:58:45 PST
- by chef on Saturday, March 03 @ 09:22:31 PST
- by Virgil on Saturday, March 03 @ 09:28:15 PST
- by ChefTony on Saturday, March 03 @ 09:39:03 PST
- by Virgil on Saturday, March 03 @ 09:41:35 PST
- by chef on Saturday, March 03 @ 10:15:34 PST
- by Missina on Saturday, March 03 @ 14:30:56 PST
The Ex Dispy's Prayer (Score: 1)
by EWMI on Sunday, March 04 @ 00:20:31 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Dealing with disasters was much easier as a Dispy. The devil did it. The end was near. These things were supposed to happen. Now all of those pat answers are out the window.
It is different now. Rather than have pat answers there are just more questions. It is not quite so hard to understand man made disasters like Dresden, Hiroshima, Rwanda or 911 as it is to get one's head around the likes of earthquakes and floods.
Where ex futurists seem to have landed is a place where we daily commit ourselves to God and constantly ask Him for wisdom and understanding.
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