ACT OF GOD?

Back in 1999 hurricane Mitch devastated several communities in Central America. At that time I reacted with pain and anger against those who were talking about natural dissasters as "acts of God."

This week a tremendous earthquake killed tens of thousands in Haiti and once again "God" is being invoked as the one who acts through nature, in this case to punish the Haitians for making a "pact with the Devil" according to Pat Robertson. It is incredible that in the 21st. Century anybody would talk about a vengeful God punishing people. On top of that stating that Haitians made a pact with the Devil in order to gain their independence from France borders on insanity and it is definitely a most cruel statement to make in the face of a natural disaster.

When Mitch hit in 1999 I preached a sermon on the radio which I just re-read and found applicable to what is happening now. I urge you to connect to that sermon via the link I will provide. In case you don't go there, let me quote a part of that sermon here:
"A long history of development built on economic inequalities and disregard for local ecosystems had created a landscape on the brink of disaster...In Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, successive generations of squatters have climbed the hills that surround the city, clearing the land to make room for shacks and to gather wood for fuel, and rendering the hillsides extremely unstable. Meanwhile, thousands of peasants have settled on previously uninhabited riverbanks and flood plains at the margins of the city. When Hurricane Mitch hit, this settlement pattern proved deadly." These sociologists do not use the language of religion otherwise they might have said that the acts of unredeemed humankind make nature appear unforgiving. Oscar Jara, a Nicaraguan environmentalist put it succinctly, Mas que la naturaleza, nos matan la pobreza y los malos gobiernos. Poverty and bad government are deadlier than nature. Much earlier a Roman writer had observed the same preying behavior in men as that exhibited by wolves and wrote Homo homini lupus, man is man's wolf.

Closer to home, to my home in California, Mike Davis, has written a book entitled "Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster". Davis argues a line similar to the one mentioned earlier about Hurricane Mitch. But he buttresses his argument by looking at the history and ecology of the region. Long periods of drought and major earthquakes have been ignored by modern urban planners. When the Big Ones Hit, long draught and major earthquake, people will again use the term "act of God" to describe it but it will be more the consequence of human greed, and selfishness. Yes, The "whole creation awaits eagerly for the revelation of the true sons and daughters of God". In the mean time Hurricanes, draught, earthquake and fire will keep on coming destroying in their path those who have taken whatever "left over" means to survive. This places an urgent task in front of those of us who know and understand the connection between personal salvation and ecological redemption. All the sociologists mentioned earlier understand that these disasters are not "inevitable". Sound social and environmental policy can radically reduce the human misery hurricanes cause" write Faber and Goldstein. Mike Davis includes his otherwise apocalyptic vision of Los Angeles future statements about learning to live with nature, learning nature's rhythms and tempos and adjusting to them rather that always attempting to conquer. These suggestions are more congruent with the Biblical vision of Shalom, the image which lies behind the poetic language of the letter to the Roman's. Isaiah's vision of the Messianic age is one where nature is in harmony, where predators and preys live in accordance with a redeemed order, one established not by humanity's techno-fix solutions but by the tenderness of a young child who guides and oversees all.

John B. Cobb, Jr., professor Emeritus at the Claremont School of Theology has recently been using the term "Earthism" to refer to a vision and a way of life that sees the defense of the earth as "ultimate" or almost ultimate concern. This is by no means new, Cobb acknowledges as much, what is new is the theological language Cobb is now using. The Redemption of Creation through the "first born" redeemed ones cannot be achieved if the earth is destroyed, therefore the task now before those of us who claim ultimate allegiance to the God of Jesus Christ is the defense of this fragile space ship. This is the way to demonstrate that we are indeed "redeemed".

If you want to read the whole sermon please click here:
http://day1.org/725-an_act_of_god

The best "act of God" is and continues to be the loving, caring responses by people from all walks of life to the human need before us.

Ignacio Castuera