Thread by @liamthatcher

Preachers and Pastors: a few thoughts on apologetics & Coronavirus.

When something like this hits, I usually expect to hear the Qs: "Where is God in this tragedy?" or "How could a God of love allow this?"

Very important Qs... and ones we should all ask and attempt to answer.

With Coronavirus, I've been surprised by how little I've heard those questions. (Maybe I've just not been listening to the right voices?) But what I've heard more often is a variation on:

"Maybe God is putting the brakes on..."

Variations include: 'God' being replaced by 'the planet' or 'nature'. And 'Putting the breaks on' being replaced with:

'sending us a warning'
'giving us a wake up call'
'shaking us out of complacency'
'calling us to action'

Which makes me wonder, what's the apologetic response we need to be offering at the moment? Before we rush to dust off old "God & Suffering" sermon notes we delivered at a Uni C.U. in the early 00's, it's worth us checking we're not offering answers to Qs people aren't asking!

If the general feeling is that God/The Planet is trying to tell us something about how the way we've been living is wrong/unsustainable/unhealthy, then maybe the question we need to be asking and answering is not "How could a God of love allow Coronavirus?" but...

"What is the planet trying to teach us about what it means to be human?"

Or,

"What is a God of love trying to say to us/show us?"

Or,

"If we as humans have messed up this world, what kind of world would a God of love have us build?"

"What would the ethics of such a world look like?"

"How would a God of love have us treat one another?"

"How would a God of love have us treat the planet?"

(Hint: The answers can be found in Creation / Christ / His Kingdom / New Creation!)

I do think this sense that "we humans have messed up this world" has been growing for some time. Think global warming / extinction rebellion / ethics around meat eating, or clothing production.

Old-school 'God and Suffering' talks tend to take a long time establishing the fact that WE'VE messed up the world. I think that's more of a given today than it has been in the past.

Instead we need to spend our time casting a vision for a different world. A better Kingdom.

But in so doing, we need to be careful not to cast a vision that encourages people to SIMPLY do good, live well, treat each other nicely. That would definitely be an improvement... but it's not the gospel! It would be (to quote Mark Sayers) the Kingdom without the King!

So, fellow preachers, be listening, thinking, praying, and don't rush to old answers for new questions... except for THE old answer. That one is still the right one! (Romans 1:16)

Also, I suspect that over time, the Qs people ask will change. I do think the "How could a God of love allow...?" question will come more, as people experience more & more personal loss. And we need to be ready with answers (and tears, and comfort, and support.)

It may be that each new season or wave brings a new question:

1) Initially: How did we mess up the world so badly / become so vulnerable?

2) In Isolation: How do we cope now we can't rely on all that we knew? And what is it that truly matters in life?

3) When suffering really hits home: How could a God of love allow this?

4) As we start to emerge: What new world should we seek to build?

So let's make sure we're answering the right questions in the right seasons. Which requires us to listen, learn, and love properly.

Ok... think I'm done.