Discussion on the sovereignty of God over natural disasters has erupted numerous times on the blogosphere since the I-35 Bridge collapse at the end of July. Respected scholar Dr. Ben Witherington enters the fray with an argument that Piper’s view makes God the author of sin:
“Who is it that really wants to wreak havoc in human lives? Who is it that really seeks to destroy and devour all that is good, and true and beautiful about human life? Does the Bible really lay these sorts of things at the doorstep of God or not? Why is it that Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it abundantly? Why does it say that God so loved the world (not the elect notice, but the world) that he sent his Son into the world, not to condemn it, but to redeem it? Is God chiefly life giving or death dealing? And while we are at it– how did death come into the human equation in the first place? Was it God’s will? If so, why does Paul call death the last enemy that must be overcome by God in Christ, the last result of human sin and the Fall to be overcome in 1 Cor. 15?”
Dr. Witherington seems to make a caricature of Piper. Earlier in his post, Witherington suggests Piper’s theological reflection, “doesn’t sound much like an attempt to mourn with those who are mourning.” Yet Piper states, “Talitha (11 years old) and Noel and I prayed earnestly for the families affected by the calamity and for the others in our city.”
There is no internal contradiction between mourning with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15b) and attributing natural disasters to God. Whether we say “God allowed it” or “God caused it,” either way we acknowledge that God could have decided to prevent it, and chose not to. And one can believe this in the face of catastrophe, and still weep with those who weep. In fact, this view of God allows us to weep with hope. Hosea 6:1 says “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.”
Yes, Satan is a murder who wants to wreak havoc. But he is on a leash whose length is established by God, as the book of Job teaches. Amos 3:6b reads: “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” Also note Psalm 105: 16-17: “When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.” The text unambiguously says God “sent” the famine.
(HT: Michael Spencer)