Earlier this month my wife and I sat transfixed, watching the news with mounting horror.
Los Angeles was engulfed by several raging infernos as whole communities were
brought to the ground. The two largest fires were the Palisades Fire, which covered
23,713 acres, and the Eaton Fire which covered 14,021 acres. Although the causes
have yet to be confirmed, there appears no doubt that hot conditions, drought and a
strong wind to fan the flames were, at least partially, responsible.[1]
Across LA, More than 82,000 people were evacuated from their homes in a desperate
bid for safety and, at the time of writing, it is reported that 27 people have lost their lives.
News reports showed the devastation done to thousands of homes, with cameras
panning across street after street of flattened houses. Once places filled with people
and community spirit; now ghost-towns.
Tragedies such as the Los Angeles wildfires evoke emotional responses within us. On a
theological level they raise all kinds of questions in people’s minds about God - where
was he and why did he allow this to happen? In this article I want to consider some
possible responses people might have, and then to suggest a Christian response.
Response 1: God Is Not There
This is a common response to suffering and tragedy. God is supposed to be all-
powerful, all-knowing and perfectly loving. In which case, how can he allow tragedies
such as the wildfires to occur? In 2004 another serious disaster occurred: the
Indonesian tsunami. On that occasion, nearly 230,000 people died. In the aftermath of
that tragedy, I overheard someone say, “All those people dead - there’s no God”.
In a frequently-quoted passage, the atheist Richard Dawkins writes:[2]
In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic
replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.
The atheist response seems easy to make and appeals to many people. Rather than
trying to understand how or why God might allow things to happen, we can just say,
“God’s not there”. Given a little thought, however, this answer is not very satisfying. For
one thing, the reality of suffering and evil fails to do away with all the positive evidence
for God. If all we saw in the world was suffering and evil, it would indeed seem unlikely
for there to be a God. But that is far from the case. From philosophy to science, history
to personal experience, the evidence for God is there for us to see. The question of how
we understand that evidence in the face of tragedy is important, but it does not negate
the evidence.
A second reason why atheism is not a helpful answer is that it removes hope. As
Dawkins’ quote implies, according to atheists, things are just as they are and that is
that. Of course, the desire for hope does not prove God’s existence, but it does mean
that belief in God offers something an atheist worldview does not. If God exists there is
light in the darkness, the possibility of joy even in pain, and the promise that evil will be
defeated and once and for all. If God truly exists, our deep longings for justice and hope
are not meaningless.
Response 2: God Is Angry
A second response to tragedies such as the Los Angeles wildfires is that there is a God
and he is judging sinful people. Some people, have pronounced that God is bringing his
judgement through these fires on godless people in the Hollywood film industry who
have not heeded their creator. Now, it is true that the Bible sometimes describes God
enacting his judgement through events in our world. But that does not give anybody
today license to declare that a specific incident of suffering is an act of judgement by
God
In fact, the Bible urges extreme caution about passing judgement on others in such
circumstances. Luke’s Gospel recounts a time when Jesus was confronted with a
tragedy. Some Pharisees approached Jesus and told him, “about the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices”.[3] Presumably these people had provoked
Pilate, so he killed them as they were bringing sacrifices to God. Jesus saw clearly the
self-righteous judgmentalism of these Pharisees and warned them, saying, “Do you
think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they
suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”[4] Jesus
continued by mentioning a second tragedy: a tower in Siloam had toppled and killed 18
people. Then he asks the same question of that situation: “do you think they were more
guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you
too will all perish.”[5]
When bad things happen, it seems instinctive for us to look for some reason behind it. If
this bad thing is in our own lives, we might even ask, “What have I done to deserve
this?” But in the two examples in his exchange with the Pharisees, Jesus says twice
that the victims of the two tragedies were no worse sinners than anybody else. He does,
however, remind the Pharisees of their own sin. Christians who are quick to appeal to
God’s judgement would do well to remember Paul's words to the Romans: “all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.[6]
Beyond this, Jesus offers no attempt in trying to explain the tragedies. In the face of
natural disaster and tragedy, God’s people should not apportion blame. Instead, they
should cry out to him for his mercy and, if possible, do what they can to bring aid to
those who are suffering.
Response 3: God is Calling
This third response, I believe, is the most helpful. We may not know why any one
specific instance of suffering occurs, but perhaps we can take heed to what God might
be saying to us through such suffering. Returning to Jesus’ conversation with the
Pharisees, it is instructive that Jesus did not seek to offer any reason or justification for
why such awful events had occurred. Instead, he uses these as reminders to the
Pharisees of their need to be right with God. “Unless you repent”, Jesus says to them,
“you too will perish”. When we see suffering, we should not pass judgement but reflect
on our own need of God’s mercy.
Tragic events such as we have witnessed in Los Angeles are reminders to us all that
the world in which we live is fallen. God created a perfect world, but human beings
rejected their Creator and chose to go their own way. As sin entered the world, the
whole creation was placed under God’s just judgement. But along with the judgement
came a promise, that God would send a Saviour. Tragedy, suffering and death became
part of our experience. But the Christian faith rests on the certainty that God has not
finished with us and so death and suffering will not have the last word. It tells that God
entered into our suffering in the person of Jesus and took upon himself the punishment
for our own rebellion on the cross. It declares that God’s wrath has been satisfied,that
Jesus’ victory over death was confirmed by his resurrection from the dead, so and that
God offers forgiveness freely to any who will come to him.[7]
When we see suffering in the world, especially when it is unexpected, we are reminded
of our fallen state and that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. But this, in turn,
reminds us that there is a Saviour, who calls us to turn from sin to trust in him.
A Christian response?
How, then, should a Christian respond to tragedies such as we have seen in Los
Angeles? I suggest we should be slow to speak. It is not our place to pronounce
judgement or to confidently assert reasons why such things have occurred. We should,
rather, listen to the concerns and questions people have with compassion.
We may not understand the reasons for each instance of suffering (would we even want
to know?), but Christianity offers an explanation for why such things still happen and
why they seem unfair and make us search for reasons. They are not part of the perfect
world God created, nor will they be part of his perfect recreation. But they are reminders
to us that this world is not as God intended and we can use the suffering we see around
us to point others to God’s answer: Jesus Christ.
Endnotes
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2. Dawkins, R. (1995). River out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life. London: Phoenix.
P. 133
3. Luke 13:1
4. Luke 13:2-3
5. Luke 13:4-5
6. Romans 3:23
7. John 6:37
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