Certain quarters are bound to use Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti's "pact with the devil" to dismiss and caricature conservatives and traditional Christianity. But Robertson's remarks are decidedly unorthodox. One of the central problems in theology is the matter of theodicy. If God is good and powerful, then why do bad things happen?
There are a number of responses to this question, but the notion that those who suffer misfortune deserve it is inconsistent with mainstream Christian thinking (as is the recently popular Prosperity Gospel.) Over at NRO, Peter Wehner does a good job of explaining why. The Book of Job offers essentially the same critique. Job did nothing to deserve his misfortune.
Rejecting the idea that we get what we deserve - and only what we deserve - is disquieting, but it is orthodoxy.
Robertson is, of course, right that we should pray for the poor people of Haiti. But we should also send airdropped supplies and C-130s.
2 comments:
What? Nothing about what Rush Limbaugh said? Both Limbaugh and Robertson are despicable people.
The existence of Pat Robertson is proof that God isn't in control of everything.
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