Jan
15
a theodicy proposed (redux)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 10:55 amFiled Under theology
After the devastating tsunami of 2004 a number of theologs attempted to explain the catastrophe in light of God’s love and justice. Here is my condensed version from a few sources of the conversation in those days, albeit paraphrased:
Reformed Judaism: God had nothing to do with this. There are things beyond His control. A God of love would not allow events like this to occur. If I have to defend God from these kinds of accusations, I will.
Islamic: God is in absolute control over every atom and molecule in the world. If the world quakes, He did it. If the tide rushes in, He caused it. We may not know in this life why tragedies happen, but someday we will. We should be certain we do not do things that cause God’s anger.
Hindu: Man has caused incredible destruction on the planet. We have not cared for the world as we ought, and this is God’s response to our ineptitude. The position of the planets does not help. This is simply the karma, or destiny of those who died. At some point, we all hope to ascend to our creator and escape this cycle of life and death.
Orthodox Judaism: God is angry at the inhabitants of the world for their great sins–immorality and hatred. This is His punishment.
Some Jehovah’s Witnesses and some Evangelical Christians: It is a sign of the end times; it is God’s judgment (on Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, homosexuals, the sex industry, etc).
Greek Orthodox: Let the scientists determine why this happened. Why make God the fall guy and attach some theological significance?
Liberal Christianity: I don’t believe God is in heaven tweaking the geologic plates and splashing around the global bath tub. The question is not why, but how. How will we respond and bring Jesus to those who are suffering?
Buddhist: This is simply the working out of karma in the lives of those who died. We believe the mind is eternal. So after about three days those who died will have the opportunity to be reborn into society and help others.
Atheists: This is certainly a stark reminder that belief in God can’t help us at times like this. We need to respond in a compassionate way to those whose lives have been destroyed, and then we need to build a more effective system to warn us of any future tsunamis.
One Evangelical Baptist: It is God’s call for me, and others, to repent. I am reminded that I could have been in the path of that tsunami. I need to humble myself before God.
I’ll just add one more voice responding to the current event in Haiti:
Danny Glover: “They’re all in peril because of global warming. They’re all in peril because of climate change . . . . When we did what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens.”
I don’t pretend these snippets actually encapsulate everything these religious leaders intend to say about how their worldview informs their response to this event. I only list them to note the variety of opinion, and the rapid divergence of differing (a)theological perspectives. They do all speak to the universal human need to offer some explanation, some reason, some making sense, to an event of this magnitude. We are certainly not the first to wrestle with these questions, and as Christians we are compelled to turn to scripture to find the answers, or perhaps the right questions.
The oldest book in the Bible may very well be Job. If it is not the oldest, it at least records events that appears to predate most others (1-2; 42: 10-17), though the poetical sections may have been written long after the events occurred. The book of Job is a theodicy–an attempt to justify the ways of God to man–to demonstrate that evil in the world does not conflict with the goodness of God.
Job is a righteous man who suffers incredible loss in a series of manmade and natural disasters. He loses it all–his livestock, his farms, his servants, and all his children. At the end of the day he probably wishes he had lost his wife as well, because when he is sitting on an ash heap scraping boils off his skin, she tells him to curse God and die. You wouldn’t think it could get worse. It does.
Job’s three friends travel to his place to help and offer words of counsel. For seven days they sit with him in silence. They should have kept their mouths shut, but these neophyte theologians are convinced they know why all this has happened. They spend 35 chapters debating retribution theology–the belief that God is punishing Job for some sin in his life. Eliphaz says to Job, “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Job’s three friends might have us convinced of their neat little theological system except for one thing, God doesn’t agree.
After listening to the friend’s empty accusations, and Job’s growing prideful protestations, Yahweh reveals himself to Job (beginning in ch. 38). He asks Job a long series of rhetorical questions: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you send forth lighting? Do you give the horse his might? Is it by your understanding the hawk soars?” And the list goes on and on, piling up like a mountain of waves against Job’s frail and utterly powerless humanity. By the time Yahweh is finished, all Job can say is, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” He repents in dust and ashes before God’s sovereignty.
Now we get to the meat. God rebukes Job’s friends for their presumptive theology. How dare they claim to know the counsel of God! And what is especially fascinating, God never tells Job why he has experienced such calamity. Job is left with his faith to wrestle through God’s omnipotence and God’s goodness. Job is convinced more than ever that Yahweh is in absolute control of all things, but Yahweh does not necessarily explain His ways to man. Faith must rule the day.
As readers we are given a little insight to all this. We know from the early chapters there is a bit of a cosmic bet unfolding in Job’s life. The Satan believes that Job serves God because of material prosperity, but Yahweh is convinced Job’s obedience is born out of a pure heart. Yahweh grants The Satan permission to “touch Job” as a test of his faithfulness.
So as readers, we get a glimpse behind the curtain; however, as pilgrims on the planet, there are no glimpses behind the curtain. We cannot pretend to know why God, in His sovereignty, does this or that. It is the height of arrogance, and following the error of Job’s three friends, to answer questions to which only God knows the answer. We do not eavesdrop on the counsels of heaven! We simply bow before the awesome sovereignty of the King of Glory.
The lesson of Job is let God be God, and every man a liar. We cannot know why this or that happens. We simply humble ourselves before God with the quiet assurance that “the Judge of all the earth shall do right.” All creation groans and travails waiting the day of redemption. We long for the day when He shall make all things new. In the interim, thank God for the next breath, the gift of life, the cross of Christ, and Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb that assures us death has no final victory!