I was wondering about his state so I emailed and am happy to disclose that he safely arrived and is settling in. He’ll doubtless be back online soon, spreading his vile Wrightianity and spewing his Pauline bilge. I can’t wait.
When Katrina smacked into the Gulf Coast there were folk who described it as an act of God’s judgment. Many protested such a theological reading of the events. With Gustav hovering, It occured to me that the same sort of reading may soon crop up. Perhaps rightly, perhaps wrongly. My concern just now isn’t the rightness or wrongness of seeing various and sundry events as divine punishment. Instead, I’d like to do a little thought experiment from another direction.
My starting point is the exchange between God and Abraham in Genesis 18:17ff. It’s a well known passage, or should be. If you aren’t familiar with it trot off just now and read it. I’ll get some tea and be right back.
[n.b.- I'm getting tea- 'Plantation Mint' by Bigelow. It's fantastic]
Now that you’re up to speed- here’s my observaton: if natural disasters are the manifestation of divine judgment, the surprising thing isn’t that judgment occurs from time to time; the surprising thing is that it doesn’t occur with astonishing regularity.
If the criterion for the avoidance of judgment is righteousness in a particular locale’s population, it seems reasonable to assert that every hamlet, village, town, and city is hanging even now on the edge of disaster because of a lack of the required righteous amongst their citizenry.
How many towns or cities are there where the word ‘righteous’ really is an honest descriptor of any of its citizens? If ‘righteousness’ is by definition ‘1- a thing examined and found to be in order, just’ or ‘2- persons whose conduct will be checked and found irreproachable, innocent, in the right’ or ‘3- morally in the right, innocent’ or ‘4- social justice’ or ‘5- just, upright, devout’. In any town or village are there as many as 10 persons who can truthfully be described as irreproachable or innocent?
Natural disasters may or may not be God’s judgment. But a lack of utter and complete worldwide destruction is surely a sign of God’s grace.
[n.b. 2- It's just a thought experiment.]
Ah yes- thanks Mr. President.
President Bush says Sunday that Hurricane Gustav is “denagerous” and Gulf Coast residents should evacuate.
That’s the caption of the photo (at least for now- who knows if they will change it) on the CNN site. Beware those ‘denagerous’ storms folks. And dangerous ones too.
Now that’s an extremely bizarre defense of behavior isn’t it? It’s like a 3 year old caught breaking a lamp and saying “I only did it because my invisible friend Bruno dared me to.” Scott’s got the video link of Mike Guglielmucci’s ‘confession‘ ‘attempt at evasion’ ‘selfish desire for absolution‘. Scott astutely notes
I liked the irony of Guglielmucci claiming that he is not that good of an actor right before the reporter tells how he deceived tens of thousands of people.
Yup- Academy Award quality. But then again he was duping the ‘I want to be duped’ crowd, so he only gave them their hearts desire. If he were truly penitent, he would stop making excuses for his wickedness.
To feed 600,000 people in the aftermath of Gustav, should it become necessary. Say what you will about Baptists, it’s we who respond first and in force when natural disasters strike. Indeed, though the Red Cross never fails to take credit for feeding folk after a disaster, it’s Baptist Disaster Relief who prepares the meals. We Baptists can be proud of our immediate intervention.
David’s asked us to mention 5 noteworthy yet not quite well known enough blogs on this Blog Day. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as blog day- but then again, I didn’t get a card. Anywho- here are 5 blogs that are worth your noting.
Brian LePort- he’s interesting because he’s interesting. Need there be another reason to mention him?
James Spinti- I know – he’s already pretty well known among a select core of bibliobloggers- but he deserves wider notice because he combines insightful spiritual commentary and book notes. Who else does that?
Jan Pieter van de Giessen- He writes in Dutch and he is clever.
David Ritsema- David’s a learned lad who doesn’t post as regularly as he should. If he posted more frequently, you’d be thrilled to click on his blog daily. As it is, you have to settle for infrequently.
Last, but by no means least, Roland Boer- You won’t agree with him all the time- but then again, who agrees with anyone all the time? But you will find him to be incisive and Pythonesque.
Those are the 5 blogs you ought to check out. Here are 5 blogs that don’t yet exist but which should and, heaven willing, will by next Blog Day:
Hans Küng: Blogging Theology Contra Rome
Philip Davies: In Search Of Whatever I Find Interesting or Amusing
Keith Whitelam: Meticulous-osity
Amy-Jill Levine: Reading My Mind- It’s A Treasurehouse!
James Crossley: Blogging More Than Once A Quarter
[n.b.- I know James has a blog- but he doesn't post enough]
Don’t miss Roland’s post from today describing his forthcoming book and offering some of the things Calvin wrote that make him the delight to read that he remains 500 years after his birth. How many theologians can say that?
