Tsunami

The tsunami in Asia is a tragedy, no question about it. There are going to be a wide variety of Christian responses, some interesting, some appauling, and some right on. The problem of evil is right in our faces again.

There is time for theological reflection, and there is time for Jesus-like action. My thought is that the Jesus-like action should come first, while carrying the theological message with us. Demonstrating the compassion of Jesus in tangible ways is more important than using empty phrases that some don't even believe, like, "God has a reason."

Of course God has a reason. He's the sovereign God of the universe who works all things according to the counsel of His will. But the great lesson of Job is simply that sometimes the reasons are absolutely beyond human comprehension. The task before Christians at this point is to demonstrate the goodness of God, and the goodness of God is shown most clearly and powerfully in Christ. Demonstrating the compassion of Christ towards those in Asia is our first goal. We can talk about the sovereign plans of God once we're already showing His great mercy.

I was terribly disappointed at an email I received today from a ministry I usually respect. The writer of today's column speculated about what all the dispensationalists would say about this earthquake and the "rapture," and then took the opportunity to refute dispensationalism. He took this tragic event, barely two days old, and turned it into a discussion on eschatology based on what he figured pre-tribbers would be saying soon. I like to write against dispensationalism as well, but this tragic occurrence is not the time to do it.

Edit: Just thought it would be a good idea to add a link where you can donate to disaster relief. Another idea might be to head up a donation-gathering effort at your workplace and team up with your local Red Cross or some other organization.