Acting, not talking, in disaster

Haiti's earthquake shook more than that island. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and television's Rev. Pat Robertson added their own worldviews. Highlands Today's Jan. 17 editorial suggested a public response, especially by the Christian church.

Let's start with a relevant quote from Albert Camus, 20th century French writer: "All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, as far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences." And that is what both Limbaugh and Robertson did; they became part of the problem.

Limbaugh, self-professed "talent on loan from God," uses tongue-in-cheek humor to play partisan politics. Sometimes entertaining, sometimes making valid points, on this occasion he hurt America and Haiti by mixing his open distrust of President Obama with advice to not contribute to Haitian relief efforts. Limbaugh's attempt to control does not exempt us from deciding for ourselves whether and how to give.

Robertson, often described as representing the Christian right, delivered prophetic doom, speaking of a demonic curse as a cause for Haiti's suffering. Like Limbaugh, whether intentionally or not, he added to the pain.

No one person or group speaks for Christendom. In general, the church sees Jesus Christ as God, Creator and Savior of the world, and the Bible as God's Word. In theory, that should unite; in practice, Christians are marked by disunity plain to all.

Christians disagree on major and minor points of doctrine. They first split from Judaism, then divided into Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant. Protestants produced a myriad of denominations, enough to confuse even religious scholars. In 2010 believers struggle with racial and gender bias, decisions on abortion, and degree of involvement in many current issues, like global warming.

Human disagreements and biblical perspective are two different things. Both Old and New Testaments call for individual accountability. Families, groups and nations, the innocent and the guilty, suffer when individuals decide wrongly. Some "Christian" shenanigans evoke laughter, even dealing with the serious, such as, two priests' stories in the news Dec. 23, 2009: one preaching it's OKto shoplift under dire circumstances; the other, gambling in a poker contest to win money to build a new facility.

Nothing about Haiti's situation is lightweight. The nation has a dark history and disheveled government. If Christian ministry there and elsewhere follows the biblical pattern, the gospel is preached and demonstrated. Prophetic warnings against sin, though unpopular, are delivered. But once disaster occurs, the Christian cries out to God and pitches in to help, understanding that all of us fall short. Timing is everything.

In Jesus' day a tower fell and killed some people. He was asked if it happened because they were greater sinners than elsewhere. "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5 NAS). That message, for Limbaugh, Robertson, and us, means to turn and go God's way instead of our own, preferably, before disaster.

Finding truth requires the right starting point. That is the quest of this column. If you are a seeker of simple truth, we can find it together - side-by-side.