So, Pat Robertson said Haiti made a pact with the devil, and that’s why the earthquake hit. People are denouncing him, and making fun of him. Both appropriately.
The larger issue, here, is that he obviously doesn’t know his Bible. Jesus directly addressed the meaning behind people being suddenly killed in Luke 13:
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
The point here is simple and clear: The people Jesus is referring to weren’t killed because they were the biggest sinners around. Their deaths shouldn’t make us think we’re better than they are, but should lead us to repent because we are exactly the same as they are. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
We have all sinned, and sin deserved death. God, by his grace, allows us to live. But he owes us nothing.
So what is the Christian response to the disaster in Haiti? Give money. Pray. Go if you can. And be thankful that it was not you, because it just as easily could have been. Next time it may be.
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