As a Christian I have heard a lot of reactions and responses this week that more or less question the existence of God. The most common, and quite possibly most puzzling question posed is, "If you claim that God is a just, merciful, and loving God, how could he allow tragedy to happen?"
Its a very tough question ... It is a simple answer though ... we do not know.
Listening to the local Christian radio station today, I heard the dj's dialogging over this very question. They, too believe that this question has no answer. No one can possibly know what this tragedy happened.
I can't help but recall the story of Job. Job's wife tells Job that he should renounce God, that God lets all these bad things happen to him, and that it is foolish to still retain his faith. Job replies, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
One of the most recognizable figures of the New Testament, Paul, had no easy life. He was jailed twice, almost stoned to death, faced numerous trials and tragedies, yet he retained his faith and wrote much of the New Testament.
Why do these things happen? We do not know.
Are we called to make a change and an impact when these things do happen? Yes!
I have a passion for the Social Gospel. The Social Gospel focuses on one line in the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven."
The Social Gospel preaches that if someone does things that make an impact on their world, then that person is re-enacting, and literally, building heaven on Earth.
Abraham Heschel, a Jewish Theologian, believed that if Jews were faithful to Sabbath and the Torah, then these Jews would bring about God'd Kingdom here on this Earth.
Christians proclaiming the Social Gospel such as Shane Claiborne and Brain McClaren ask Christians to make a change. Make a change that will impact the world around you. Volunteer, serve, impact your local community, ask the tough questions, love, pick up that piece of trash, love, go to Church, make the Church better, love, treat the environment better, and when all else seems to fail...love.
Expressing the love of Christ Jesus is the calling upon our lives to be the disciples of Christ that will glorify God! When these situations happen, Christians are called to make a difference.
I titled this blog with a question, "A Loving God?" .... Now maybe the question of, "Loving Christians?" should be posed. What are you doing to help?
