The Tragedy In Haiti: A Response

Today in my class a pastor in town for the class shared some personal news about Haiti. He had been on many mission trips to Haiti over the past several years. He and his church had developed a relationship with a network of very small churches there. Among those and other churches that he knows of 25 pastors died in the earthquake. 25! TWENTY-FIVE! 25 churches are without their shepherds in a very spiritually dark country.

So, how does that number fit into Pat Robertson's response the the earthquake? If you haven't heard what he said you can find it here.

Basically he says that this could be a blessing in disguise and that Haiti made a deal with the devil some years ago and now they are being punished by God. If we learned anything from the 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina tragedies and now this, its that Christians have no shortage of representatives of people who are willing to add an "I told you so" to unbelievable catastrophes. Guys like Robertson are the evangelical version of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I could say more like that but I'll refrain. Its not constructive at all.

So, in that vein I will point you in the direction of two responses and one video that could be a response.

First is Donald Miller's response. (Thanks to Andy Darnell for posting this on his blog). I know, I know. Its Donald Miller. I'm not down with everything that he's written or represents either, but I think his response is fair and displays some wisdom and maturity.

However, the other response worth reading is from Dr. Albert Mohler. "Does God Hate Haiti?" I think its an indirect response to Robertson, but more than that its a Gospel-centered response with a properly applied theology. I know you're busy, but if you choose to click a link and read these read this one first. I'm proud that this man leads the school I attend.

Lastly, I've been meaning to post this video for a while. It's a clip from a sermon preached by Matt Chandler (who is currently undergoing chemo for a brain tumor). The title of this clip is "Jesus Wants the Rose." Watch this through the lens of the Haitian tragedy.



Jesus wants Haiti.