God’s Fault?
Consider God’s use of natural disasters in the Bible. Well-remembered occurrences of this include the flood (Genesis 6:9-9:17) and the decimation of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-9:29).
In the story of the flood, we are told that “God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13-14). And again, in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we see that God tells Abraham that “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave” (Genesis 18:20), and Abraham asks God not to destroy the city if even ten righteous people live there, which God agrees to. However, God sees that there are not even ten righteous people living there, and so destroys the city. In both of these stories, we see a direct correlation between God’s judgment of sin and destruction.
However, in juxtaposition to these stories, there is the story in the New Testament where Jesus tells those listening that the eighteen people who died when a building fell on them were no worse than the many others in Jerusalem on whom the building didn’t fall (Luke 13:1-5). He then says “but unless you repent, you likewise all will perish” (Luke 13:5). In this verse, we see Jesus pointing out that the disaster which occurred to these people was not because they were more sinful and therefore more deserving of this kind of death.
It is important to point out that Jesus’ words were not a denial of the Old Testament’s teaching. God does sometimes use something in nature to curb people’s sin, but only God knows the hearts of people and can mete out justice. John Chrysostom, a leader in the early church, spoke strongly against the wickedness of the rulers during his time. After a devastating earthquake in 400 AD, he proclaimed in one of his sermons that “through their own wickedness [the rulers] allowed the city to rot”1 and caused the earthquake. As Jesus explained, he “did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). In saying this, Jesus reaffirms God’s justice for wrongdoing in the Law and Prophets. And he calls all to repent of their sin, because non-repentance will lead to their ultimate death and destruction (Matthew 10:28).
Some Christians responding with accusations that residents experienced the L.A. wildfires as a direct result of their sin is in direct opposition to what Jesus said. They are no more deserving of destruction than the rest of us. We all live in a broken world in which disasters occur every day. We have all inherited the sin passed down to us from the fall which broke all of creation.
The Effect of Disaster
Natural disasters are heartbreakingly brutal. The amount of pain and suffering they cause can be beyond reckoning. This reality should be taken into account when we consider a Christian response to natural disasters.
Neuroscientist Sharon Dirckx explains scientifically and theologically what effects the fall has had on our world, and in turn on us. Dirckx provides first-person accounts of natural disasters such as the catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed between 160,000 and 316,000 people. She recounts stories of people who experienced God walking through their struggles with them, but also stories with messy endings where difficult problems and emotions have never been resolved. One thing is clear: when disaster strikes, the world keeps moving, and the people left in the wake of disaster must try to come to terms as best they can with their experience.
Natural disasters are a complex issue. When Christians respond to the pain and heartbreak of a natural disaster merely by saying people deserved it for their sin, we push people farther from Jesus. We miss the heart of Christ: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). Although God has used and likely still uses natural disasters to enact his judgment, we are not called to pass judgment on what has occurred.2 We should remember that suffering is meant to bring us closer to God. As those in the early church saw it, natural disasters were signs of God’s “divine presence: dangerous, wild, but in the end, merciful. God is with human beings, even in natural disasters… seeking the return of mankind to Himself.”1
Our response should reflect God’s desire. We can begin by showing people affected by disaster the same care and love that Christ showed towards sinners just like us.
A Christian Response to Disaster
How should Christians respond in the face of these kinds of natural disasters? The early church faced disasters as well. During the Constantinople earthquake, Christians knew that their faith had to guide their response. In his sermon, Chrysostom said that “if someone should be asked why the city was made firm, it is agreed that it is because of the singing of psalms, because of the prayers, because of the vigils.” He went on to say, “We have need of nothing but repentance, tears and lamentations, and all things were dissolved. God appeared, and we dissolved his wrath”1
God has appointed us from the very beginning to be caretakers of this world (Genesis 1:26, 2:15). But when we fell, all of creation fell with us. Now it groans to be redeemed (Romans 8:19-23). When we pray for the disasters in the world to cease, we are not only praying that God would give us mercy, but also that he would heal his creation that we have broken. We can follow in the footsteps of the early church, who believed “The responsibility for restoring cosmic harmony rests in the hands of a human utterance: singing psalms and hymns of repentance, and reconciling with one’s neighbor.”1
When we pray for healing in the midst of disaster, God hears us. Sometimes he even allows us to join him in bringing healing to the hurting. In the face of disaster, Christians can play a role in bringing light to darkness.