We professional religious types always feel a need to put a spiritual twist on the tragedies of life. And for good reason. When we go through tragedy we need to make sense of it. And sense or meaning is the business, so to speak, of faith and religion. We professional religious types also feel the need to say something about tragedy because eventually someone always asks the question, "Why did God allow this to happen?" or something similar.
I'm writing tonight because of some things I recently read from a fellow professional religious type. It is with some trepidation that I comment on his comments because it seems so downright critical. But his comments troubled me enough that I need to respond.
This pastor, in essence said, the meaning of the collapse of the bridge is this: That we are all sinners and that we need to repent. The "merciful message" of the bridge, as he put it, is that there is still time to repent, turn from unbelief, and escape eternal judgement. Another part of the message of the bridge is this--that God let the bridge fall so that people would fear God.
Now...I do believe that all of us fall short of God's glory (sin) and that God has responded to our sin not with judgement but grace and forgiveness.
But...I don't believe that God let the bridge fall. God had nothing to do with the collapse of that bridge. God is in the business of life, not death. It fell for reasons that will be discovered after the investigation--some kind of weakness in the bridge, for example. It was not God's fault. Nor did God use this incident to pound us on the head, telling us to straighten up and repent in order to escape hell. God is a God who recklessly runs to us in our hurt and pain with arms outstretched to love us, grace us, and heal us. He always uses grace to draw us to him, not condemnation, pain, or judgment.
I think that grace says this about the bridge: We live in a world where tragedies happen. And into that pain and hurt comes a Savior with nail-scarred hands, a loving, gracious Savior who enters into solidarity with us, suffers with us, absorbs the pain, and graciously brings healing and hope when all seems hopeless.
Tragedy is never God's fault. We lock people up for causing tragedies. But God can use tragedy to demonstrate to us his love, his grace, and his mercy. The bridge collapse certainly reminds us of the temporariness of life. God's grace reminds us that he makes that temporary life worth living, and that we are not alone when tragedy and even death comes our way.
I don't believe the message of the bridge is: you are a sinner. Repent. I believe it is this: You are deeply hurting. I love you. Let me help.
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5 comments:
Right ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The article that Pastor Tim is responding to was written by Pastor John Piper and can be found here.
Thanks for putting the link here. A few comments, however,
I am always very hesitant, when commenting on comments from other pastors, to include their names. I don't want this to be a personal thing or become pastor bashing. I'm more interested in wrestling with the comments/theology rather than the person. So normally, when I write stuff like this post, I don't include the person.
Having said that, I recognize the need to make sure I haven't taken things out of context. Years ago I was the target of an article in which many of my comments were misquoted and taken out of context, saying something I clearly didn't say. I was glad for the chance, since I had been identified, to point to my original writings in context and defend myself (to which the author wrote, "It doesn't matter what you say. I know what you meant to say!)
I've wrestled with whether or not I should leave the link to the article here or delete it. It troubles me when Christians publicly bash each other and this is not my intent.
For now I'll leave it (though that may change) in the hope that readers will understand my intent is not to bash my fellow pastor but to offer a different theological perspective on the collapse of the bridge.
Please leave the link here. I was very happy to have the opportunity to read it for myself. I commend you for focusing your remarks directly to his remarks, but w/o the link itself, it all sounds like some mysterious guessing game (I'm talking about someone, but I can't tell you who or what...). Please respect us enough to let us read it for ourselves. It also gives us the opportunity to respond w/ knowledge to anyone who might bring Piper's comments to our attention.
thanks for L E A V I N G the link in place
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