A Fresh Perspective - March 27, 2009
Jesus believed that God loves the world and is actively involved in creation. God, says Jesus, knows the number of hairs on our heads; that is to say, God takes special interest in each one of us. Even the minor players of creation, according to Jesus, do not escape God’s attention, for God observes a little sparrow when it falls to the ground. God is “for” God’s creation.
But this does not mean that bad things do not happen that are the opposite of God’s will. God has bestowed upon and built into creation the element of freedom. We live in an open universe. This freedom is essential to the biological, evolutionary processes of life. God does not intervene to stop hurricanes and floods. The same is true of moral life. We are granted the freedom to do good or evil, to harm or help, to destroy or heal.
This freedom is at the core of evolutionary life and moral existence. It is, of course, impacted and limited by many factors: genetics, time, place, and circumstances of birth, education, the entire socialization process, and numerous factors beyond our control. Cancer strikes randomly as do terrorists exercising their God-given freedom.
God does not override this freedom; God does not intervene to stop holocausts, genocides, tragic accidents, and random natural disasters. And there are powerful forces at work against God’s will: egotism, classism, racism, nationalism, militarism, and narcissism. The powers of greed, hate, and selfish ambition run through every human soul.
Does this adequately explain why God does not or cannot intervene to stop horrendous evil in the world? Not completely. The biblical writers offer no solutions, nor do the great thinkers—the theologians and philosophers—of today.
For Christians it is enough to know that God in some unique way became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth in order to share our human plight and condition. In fact, God is in and with each of us, sharing our struggles and pain. Jesus’ death at the hands of the powers that be is evidence of God taking on the immense suffering and injustice of the human condition.
God cannot stop tragedies from happening and people from dying. But God walks with us through it all, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Those who have claimed their identity as God’s children can claim God’s presence in their lives. God’s Spirit is at work in our hearts and in the world, supplying the inner strength to overcome evil, empowering our work for justice and peace, and transforming us into persons who reflect God’s love and goodness.