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It didn’t take too long but YouTube and the blogsphere is now alive with talk of Divine action causing the Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Now, normal people realise it’s unthinking plate techtonics, so how do we counter the John Piper’s of this world who although they can’t explain why it happened, they can explain who caused it - God.

Is there a progressive Christian ‘take’ on events such as this? Is there a more reasonable and compassionate repines? If anyone knows cam you enlighten?

Simon

I don’t think there is a counter to such arguments or beliefs. These people are holed up in their own belief bubbles that they are inpenetrable most of the time. It is only through their own journey that they may come to realise why their belief will not and does not work.

I do not know about a progressive take on this but Rev Tom Honey defines as way of thinking very well here after the previous tsunami. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wdkxdiOFJA

I personally do not believe in an interventionist God. I don’t believe in a God that directly affects what happens on Earth. That said, I think if we follow the notioon that we are the body of Christ, then that puts the emphasis on us to act out the Kingdom of God and compassion. That may involve refusing to build nuclear power stations on tectonic plates, giving aid, joining together as a nation to get through a disaster. For instance I understand that there are little or no reports of looting in Japan. If that is not the Kingdom of God acting itself out through part of humanity, I do not know what is.

I think the only counter is to gently live out a faith that is real and mature without the superstition of past religion. Hopefully though that, the deluded may become more aware.

Matt

I’m totally with Matt on his response. There are just some very sad people out there whose understandings and experiences of God are irrelevant in our contemporary world. The kind of God described by such people lacks all compassion and grace. But it is their right to hold such views - it just means that we progressive Christians need to live the compassion of God and to work harder at countering such limited views of God. I think that such irrelevant descriptions not only trivialise God but gets Christianity a very bad press.

Is it a need for assurance - a ‘someone out there is looking after things’ type of thinking? A sort of Pascal’s Wager, where a person throws their lot in with a particular theology, no matter how absurd or offensive it is, because they fear being in the wrong team come Judgement Day. Not that the people who propagate such things are offensive (I realise some are, but there are many kindly and gracious people who hold fast to very Conservative theologies). Might it be a desire that we’re not alone on this earth that sees the ‘bigger plan’ and ‘God knows best’ outlook taking hold?

There is, as Dawkins has mentioned, a practical atheism at play even in the most conservatively religious. Take my wife for example. She was brought up Brethren and is fairly literalistic and conservative. Our child was down for a number of Primary Schools, the last one on our list being the one we were least happy with. The letter arrived yesterday and he’d got that particular school. I texted my wife to ask her how she was feeling about the whole thing. She texted (is it ‘text’ or ‘texted’?!?) back saying “I’m disappointed but trusting in God’s bigger plan”. Nothing strange there…......except the second part of text read “Do we put him on a waiting list?”

God has a plan and God’s in control…......so I’ll see what I can do to swap schools to a better one

God has a plan and God’s in control….......so I’ll lock the door at night

God has a plan and God’s in control….......so I’ll get insurance in case I’m out of pocket should something go wrong

God has a plan and God’s in control….......so I’ll be stressed out when difficult times come along

These generic sort of statements lead you to conclude that some people can say God’s in control, but then act as if there wasn’t a God at all (practical atheism).

There are a few hardy souls who do live as if God was in control, but the vast number of religious people behave as if it was only up to them, while giving lip service to a powerful, forward planning, interventionist God. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating.

Simon, I don’t think there is any fault in what your wife thinks
or feels. She is not being judgemental or condeming so she is a world
away from those suggesting God creates tsunamis. I think what you
are pointing at is a different issue but one which is worth discussing.
Even if we accept there is an interventionist plan, it is impossible to
kmow how far to take that trust. In the week I live in a very
rough part of Birmingham. Imagine I was to state my faith in God and
leave my front door open to prove it. If then I got attacked or someone
in my flat was attacked then I would be left looking for answers. That answer
Would more than likely be “well God gave you a perfectly good front
door and the ability to use it. Why didn’t you trust God enough to
use what He has given you.”
The simple fact is that we create God in the image that we would have Him exist.
When eventually that image fails, it is the most lonely experience on earth.
I don’t know if there is a plan making God but if it did exist I wouldn’t understand
those plans anyway so it is best top go with the gifts that we are given and
be grtateful that we have them. Using what we have to good effect is putting trust in
in the Divine, not jumping off towers on purpose to see if we get caught.

Nice post. I like the way you start and then conclude your thoughts

Thanks Jesse and Matt for the comments in this thread.

japan was attacked by earthquake , so we should make aware for help.

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