(Another) Christian Response to Robertson
Katrina, 9/11, Haiti.... What do these and other events have in common besides loss of life and massive destructive? Pat Robertson made a highly publicized comment describing the catastrophe as God's judgment. Shortly after images from the earthquake came across our TV screens, Robertson claimed that Haiti was being punished for a pact with the devil made during the slave revolt over a century ago. Naturally, there are numerous alternative Christian responses to Robertson's comments, and though I haven't made use of this blog for some time, I felt moved to briefly add some of my own thoughts to the range of Christian responses.
It is striking to observe how many Christians intuitively share Robertson's sentiment. It is equally compelling to discover how many of Christ's followers passionately take exception with the judgment of Pat Robertson. It is abundantly clear that Robertson doesn't speak for the whole church of God.
To be clear, God is indeed Judge of the living and the dead. He is Lord and King over all the nations. However, Christian thinkers can and do debate if or when or in what way God judges tribes and nations today. If not futile, it may be an interesting theological enterprise. However, Robertson's comments are embarrassing, to many Christians -- myself included -- and entirely troublesome.
Beyond the theological difficulties raised by Robertson's comments, the inconsistencies of his judgment reveal a more troubling observation. Robertson reflects a rush to judgment more rooted in his cultural bias than in Scripture. He is quick to claim that 9/11 was a result of homosexuality in NYC, but the primary victims were workers in international commerce and the working poor of the service sector that supports them. He made the same claim about Katrina hitting New Orleans, but it was the poorest communities that were ravaged by Katrina. Now, Haiti is crushed due, according to Robertson, because of a pact with the devil over a century ago. It seems that whenever a part of the world that lies outside of the cultural boundaries preferred by Robertson undergoes a tragedy it is quickly determined to be Divine judgment.
But why are tornadoes in Kansas not God's judgment? Why are Hurricanes in Florida or the Carolinas not Divine wrath? Why are floods in the Midwest, America's heartland, not judgment from on high? Are death tolls resulting from random shooting sprees in rural Arkansas or Texas or Colorado not the hand of God too? There are other problems with Robertson's comments -- including theological issues deserving of a more extensive discussion -- but the most obvious problem to me is the shear inconsistency. It is that inconsistency that reveals the true source of this rush to judgment -- good old fashioned cultural bias.
It is striking to observe how many Christians intuitively share Robertson's sentiment. It is equally compelling to discover how many of Christ's followers passionately take exception with the judgment of Pat Robertson. It is abundantly clear that Robertson doesn't speak for the whole church of God.
To be clear, God is indeed Judge of the living and the dead. He is Lord and King over all the nations. However, Christian thinkers can and do debate if or when or in what way God judges tribes and nations today. If not futile, it may be an interesting theological enterprise. However, Robertson's comments are embarrassing, to many Christians -- myself included -- and entirely troublesome.
Beyond the theological difficulties raised by Robertson's comments, the inconsistencies of his judgment reveal a more troubling observation. Robertson reflects a rush to judgment more rooted in his cultural bias than in Scripture. He is quick to claim that 9/11 was a result of homosexuality in NYC, but the primary victims were workers in international commerce and the working poor of the service sector that supports them. He made the same claim about Katrina hitting New Orleans, but it was the poorest communities that were ravaged by Katrina. Now, Haiti is crushed due, according to Robertson, because of a pact with the devil over a century ago. It seems that whenever a part of the world that lies outside of the cultural boundaries preferred by Robertson undergoes a tragedy it is quickly determined to be Divine judgment.
But why are tornadoes in Kansas not God's judgment? Why are Hurricanes in Florida or the Carolinas not Divine wrath? Why are floods in the Midwest, America's heartland, not judgment from on high? Are death tolls resulting from random shooting sprees in rural Arkansas or Texas or Colorado not the hand of God too? There are other problems with Robertson's comments -- including theological issues deserving of a more extensive discussion -- but the most obvious problem to me is the shear inconsistency. It is that inconsistency that reveals the true source of this rush to judgment -- good old fashioned cultural bias.
posted by Jared | 7:34 PM
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