John Piper has connected the Minneapolis tornado to God's judgment on the Evangelical Lutheran Church's very public debate about homosexuality. I have clipped some of his post which you can read at the link at his name in the previous sentence.The issues here involve these questions: How do we know these things? How consistent are we in making such discernments? And this: Have you ever seen a calamity or a disaster and truly believed you knew why that event happened or why God made that event occur? How did you know that sort of thing?
Here is [an excerpt from] Piper's article:
I saw the fast-moving, misshapen, unusually-wide funnel over downtown Minneapolis from Seven Corners. I said to Kevin Dau, "That looks serious."
It was. Serious in more ways than one. A friend who drove down to see the damage wrote,
On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts--most saying they've never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis.
The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it's building for this purpose.
According to the ELCA's printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on
Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin.
The main item of the session: "Consideration: Proposed Social Statement
on Human Sexuality." The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a
behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.
The eyewitness of the damage continues:
The time: 2PM.
6. Conclusion: The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.
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MatthewS, a wise comment and I thank you for your chastened humility about what we can know, what we can't know, and how we can approach disasters.
Adam (#66 and 85),
Thanks. I agree with your perspective. I think Scot asks a great question and has raised a valid point... I'm weary of the springboard effect this has on those who want to misread Piper and bash reformed theology generally (e.g. Dan #48).
Aleta (#81) - You say: "Greg Boyd does not believe in the sovereignty of God, John Piper does." Piper does not hold the only viable view of God's Sovereignty. Greg Boyd certainly has a different view of divine sovereignty. One might even say a "higher" view than Piper's. Consider:
R.C. Sproul: "If there is one single molecule in the universe running around loose,...then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled. Perhaps that one maverick molecule will lay to waste all the grand and glorious plans that God has made and promised to us" (Not a Chance, p. 3).
Boyd's response: "There is, I submit, no conceivably weaker view of divine sovereignty than one that is threatened by a single maverick molecule" (Four Views on Divine Foreknowledge, p. 43).
Something to ponder.
Anthony- You may not have to choose between Greg Boyd and John Piper but I believe that we all must choose what we will believe about God and His sovereignty. I understand that all men are fallible and subject to error which is why I am so thankful that God is totally true, just and holy. I'm no theologian but it is right and good to test all things which is what the Word of God tells us to do. In that case I would like to go back to the original point of this discussion and submit to you Job:37 9-14. I believe it does come whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy. Whichever it is He sends it and He commands it. We should all "Stand still and consider the wonderous works of God."
Jeremy-I do not agree with the quote from RC Sproul although I am not aware of the context of his statement. I think the point of believing in the absolute sovereignty of God is that there cannot be any "maverick" molecule in the universe which is out of God's sovereign power to control, and nothing could ever thwart the sovereign plans of God. Needless to say, I believe behind all of this type of thinking is a very low view of God certainly not a higher one. What we believe about God is foundational to our whole belief system. If we begin with wrong thinking about who God is we will have wrong thinking about everything else. I have heard Greg Boyd say that abortion is right in some situations, such as when a woman's health or life is at stake. I'm not sure what you think about that, but the Word of God says murder is wrong. Again it seems when the foundation of belief about God is off kilter everything else goes awry.
If the tornado was meant to warn members of the ELCA about the dangers of letting homosexual men and women be members of the clergy, why did the tornado continue its path of destruction into south Minneapolis? Are the hundreds of people whose homes were damaged by high winds and downed trees and left without power for days also supporting homosexual clergy? Or did God take advantage of a perfectly good tornado to just warn humanity of his power.
Maybe the tornado just took a random path. We will never know.
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