By: Dr. Jimmy Young
I watched an interview this morning that took place between Martin Bashir (MSNBC) and Rob Bell, concerning Bell's now controversial book, Love Wins. My thoughts here have nothing to do with the book, because I haven’t read it, and have no plans to. Others, much smarter than I, have already made plain the issues. (ed. - Click here, here, here, or here if interested in diving into the deep problems with Love Wins.)
I’m writing to address a question that Bashir posed to Bell:
“Which of these is true? Either God is all-powerful, but He doesn’t care about the people of Japan, and therefore their suffering. Or, He does care about the people of Japan, but He is not all-powerful. Which one is it?”
Indeed, “there is nothing new under the sun.” This is a standard question posed by many, made popular by the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner. I realize the weightiness of the question, but there is at least a bit we can say, which certainly was never said in the MSNBC interview.
Christianity has always believed in an omnipotent and omniscient God. If that much is true, and it is, then this much we can say: there is not one maverick molecule in this whole universe. Thus, every geographical plate, and every ocean wave does the bidding of its Creator.
What we cannot say is why. None of us knows why God does some of what He does. To say that God is judging Japan because of their Buddhism is to go way beyond what we know. There is no one in Japan that is more wicked than I am. And if God is going to judge idolatry this way, then look out California (and Florida).
I don’t know what God is up to, but I know that “the Lord rules.” I will never venture to describe His motives, but neither will I ever snatch from Him divine prerogatives. To say that He doesn’t care is to commit the same error, just on the other end of the spectrum.
Who can say what will come of all this suffering in Japan? Not me - I’m not omniscient. But could it one day be viewed differently than we are viewing it today? Would not many of us point to the salubrious effects of our suffering? Was not the cross a chance for someone to say, “God doesn’t care for Him!”? And yet, that event has become the most glorious act of redemption ever.
The safest place to reside, theologically, is in the oft-repeated refrain in the Psalms, “The Lord rules.”
