A Christian Response to the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
Last night as I was surfing the different news channels looking for the best coverage of the tragedy in Japan I came across a CNBC interview with a friend of mine, Malcolm Foster. Malcolm is the AP Bureau Chief in Japan. He's an experienced international reporter/editor. He covered the 2004 Tsunami for AP. He'd just moved to Bangkok at the time. And I got to know him well over the next 5 years because he was part of my congregation here in Bangkok.
As I listened to the interview a few things struck me.
First - Malcolm's reporting was very professional, but also very personal and compassionate.
Second - Malcolm simply presented a mature view of what had occurred and an informed assessment of what was to come and what would be required. (Malcolm grew up in Japan so even though he is American, he really knows the country well.)
Third - Malcolm's commentary was hopeful. It didn't play down what had happened but it didn't sensationalize it either
I think these are a great starting point for a Christian response. Christians will be tempted to do some things that aren't helpful.
* We'll be tempted to interpret this as God's judgment on the Japanese people. I see no evidence for that. It's true that sometimes in Scripture God judges via natural disaster. It's also true that happens rarely and when God does it is AFTER sending prophet after prophet to call people to repentance. God begs and pleads with people NOT to force Him into judgment. As a result Christians should be slow to cast stones.
* We'll be tempted to wonder if the end of the world is near. I've already read more than one Facebook post asking about this. The end is near in the same way it was in year 35 AD, 333 AD, 666 AD (can you imagine the theories about that one!), 1000, 1250, 1750, 2000 and on and on. Jesus' advice is basically quite trying to guess it and just be prepared. Let's not USE a tragedy to try to scare people into faith. It's wrong.
* We'll be tempted to freak out, express how terrible it is, and then move on in the next news cycle. This is called "blowing in the wind" and it's not very helpful.
Instead - let us express our compassion. Do what we can to help. God has blessed many of us with vast resources. (Matthew 25) Pray for Japan and for their recovery. Let's not forget there is suffering in so many other parts of the world too (NZ, Libya, Burma, etc...). Let's not let THIS tragedy divert attention from all the other needs.
Let's ask God to help us see where He is working for good in this tragedy and lend a hand. And let's be known as the people who were still concerned and standing by the Japanese people after everyone else had lost interest and moved on. This is essentially how we should response in any crisis.
As I listened to the interview a few things struck me.
First - Malcolm's reporting was very professional, but also very personal and compassionate.
Second - Malcolm simply presented a mature view of what had occurred and an informed assessment of what was to come and what would be required. (Malcolm grew up in Japan so even though he is American, he really knows the country well.)
Third - Malcolm's commentary was hopeful. It didn't play down what had happened but it didn't sensationalize it either
I think these are a great starting point for a Christian response. Christians will be tempted to do some things that aren't helpful.
* We'll be tempted to interpret this as God's judgment on the Japanese people. I see no evidence for that. It's true that sometimes in Scripture God judges via natural disaster. It's also true that happens rarely and when God does it is AFTER sending prophet after prophet to call people to repentance. God begs and pleads with people NOT to force Him into judgment. As a result Christians should be slow to cast stones.
* We'll be tempted to wonder if the end of the world is near. I've already read more than one Facebook post asking about this. The end is near in the same way it was in year 35 AD, 333 AD, 666 AD (can you imagine the theories about that one!), 1000, 1250, 1750, 2000 and on and on. Jesus' advice is basically quite trying to guess it and just be prepared. Let's not USE a tragedy to try to scare people into faith. It's wrong.
* We'll be tempted to freak out, express how terrible it is, and then move on in the next news cycle. This is called "blowing in the wind" and it's not very helpful.
Instead - let us express our compassion. Do what we can to help. God has blessed many of us with vast resources. (Matthew 25) Pray for Japan and for their recovery. Let's not forget there is suffering in so many other parts of the world too (NZ, Libya, Burma, etc...). Let's not let THIS tragedy divert attention from all the other needs.
Let's ask God to help us see where He is working for good in this tragedy and lend a hand. And let's be known as the people who were still concerned and standing by the Japanese people after everyone else had lost interest and moved on. This is essentially how we should response in any crisis.
