Comments on: A Response to Pat Robertson’s Comments about Haiti

By: Karen (SubMommy)

Karen (SubMommy) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:33:20 +0000

Thank you for the words to clarify so thoughtfully what I have been thinking/feeling on this whole matter.

By: george

george — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:19:54 +0000

just wanted to say i agree completely. and kudos on the new book bro!

By: Donald Miller’s Response to Pat Robertson | Greg Atkinson

Donald Miller’s Response to Pat Robertson | Greg Atkinson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:40:52 +0000

[...] what I was feeling. He’s a true writer and expresses his feelings well. I invite you to go HERE and read his blog and [...]

By: Moses Kostamo

Moses Kostamo — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:25:05 +0000

Mike…Yes, the Bible includes Exodus 20:5. and it also includes Ezekiel 18 which states that God does not punish the child for the sin of the father. These passages appear to be in tension, or perhaps the understanding of what God is like is evolving.

By: Clay

Clay — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:59:18 +0000

Donald, thanks for this post. You’ve added some clarity to a myriad of feelings I’ve had bubbling around inside since I got word of Robertson’s comments. Thanks for your refreshing and Christ-centered response. I’ll be posting this on my Facebook and tweeting it.

By: Joey Faulk

Joey Faulk — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:53:41 +0000

Thanks for your words, and the careful thought put into them. This article has also helped me get some proper perspective on this tragedy: http://joeyfaulk.us/2010/01/15/does-god-hate-haiti/

By: HAITI « the ignition twenty ten

HAITI « the ignition twenty ten — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:17:37 +0000

[...] tragedy that is taking place there. I would be lying if I said it did not bother me. Today I found Donald Miller’s response, and I could not have penned more timely words! ▶ No Responses /* 0) { [...]

By: Pamela Peron

Pamela Peron — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:34:35 +0000

Pat Robertson just seems to have a low IQ.

Nothing more.

By: maria

maria — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:24:56 +0000

Don,
For the most part I agree with your piece, except for the where you state “faith is personal”. Faith in Christ while it is personal, should not be kept quiet. You must understand that it is also true that we often speak of that which we love or which we are passionate about. If we don’t speak of Jesus then how much do we really love Him? That said, I had someone tell me, before even Pat Robertson made that comment, that this happened in Haiti because of their “witchcraft”. It upset me, because it was as if a stone was being cast for some sins but not others. One of the things that people forget is that natural disasters happen. The Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust, equally. It is ridiculous to say such things, especially because there are Christians living there, yes even in Haiti there are Christians. So what are people who assert that this happened because of sin implying that God is not faithful to His own and that He pours out wrath on them? We forget how Abraham pleaded with God for Lot, people forget that. Additionally, to single out Haiti would be to ignore the many sins of the rest of us here in the U.S. should then not God send calamities upon us? I think that people lack a way of explaining evil and tragedies and always try to find a response. The best answer is simply to look at the Word. Trials happen to everyone. Evil and pain are explained by simply understanding this is a fallen world and that the sin of Adam and Eve set the world in motion for decay and “the whole earth groans” because of this decay. We grown for the coming of the Messiah. Pat and anyone who would say these things are merely trying to answer the question of those who would say “why does God allow this?” However, the explanation is not by pointing at sin, or at the devil, but merely by looking at Scripture “neither this man nor his parents sin, but this has happened so that God may be glorified.” Even in the midst of chaos, Romans 8:28 remains true. God does not need to be excused or explained. He is righteous and true.

By: Joy O'Toole

Joy O'Toole — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:31:48 +0000

Earthquakes are caused by “…abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating” (Webster’s American College Dictionary), If God reacted to the wrongs of this world by punishing us with natural disasters, we would have been wiped off the face of the earth for good long ago, never to return. We’re still here and I hope it’s to do God’s work, not to pass judgment on innocent people.