In face of human tragedy, what's a pastor to say?
To stem losses in church membership, spiritual leaders search for better ways to explain awful events such as 9/11 and the Virginia Tech massacre.
from the July 25, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Rejection of suffering as beneficial
One factor, observers say, is a culture that no longer accepts suffering as a means to spiritual growth. Long gone are the Middle Ages, when the faithful typically viewed human trials as a divinely given process of perfection and a holy pathway to the next world.
Christians in America today tend to pay a hollow lip service to others' misery – to hold it at arm's length rather than live and minister among those in the midst of it, says Elaine Heath, director of the Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of Evangelism at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
"When we start living what we're saying about God – that God is with you, God loves you – then people will believe it, and a whole lot of people will want to know the God that we serve," says Dr. Heath.
When discussing human suffering and God's relation to it, stakes are high for church leaders and laity alike. They must decide whether to say a tragic event is a) God's doing, b) something God could have stopped but didn't, c) beyond God's realm of power, or d) unknown to God. Any answer is likely to speak volumes about a person's concept of God – and potentially cause a rift with those who see God differently.
Brad Kay of Vero Beach, Fla., knows the stakes well. A retired microbiologist, Mr. Kay protested when his former pastor said in a prayer after the Virginia Tech shootings, "O God, you ordained it."
"That really set a cascade of thoughts and issues flowing in my mind," Kay recalled in a phone interview. "I said to this fella, 'I don't believe that's the attitude God has. I don't believe He ordained that [even though] He allowed it.... I had to determine, 'Can I stay in this church? No, I can't stay in this church.' "
To refine, or perhaps reconsider, their standard responses, pastors here heard heady lectures, ate leisurely meals at long tables, and prayed. It was a time for refreshment, but also for mental wrestling.
For some, it was occasion to be daring. Asked why someone should believe in an almighty and loving God amid evidence of suffering, Magill backed off traditional doctrine. "I give up the 'almighty' part," she answered. "God is as powerful as those who believe in Him or Her and who let God guide them.... But we don't always do that, so God becomes less powerful."
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