Helping Haiti

I almost never read anything found on the Huffington Post, but a rabbit trail led me there this morning. I was not surprised to find a blogger, Rev. Paul Raushenbush, upset that Pat Robertson has made another controversial statement about a natural disaster. Pat Robertson thought it relevant to mention that Haitians had once made a pact with the devil. A press release by Robertson's CBN says, "His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. .... Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath." In response to Robertson's comments, the Rev. Raushenbush invited Mr. Robertson to "go to hell... the sooner the better."

I am generally skeptical of people who wear "Rev." like a badge. (Think "Rev." Jessie Jackson or "Rev." Al Sharpton) Often, there is little to revere in such persons. Raushenbush, an ordained American Baptist minister and associate dean of religious life at Princeton, applauds the work of the Parliament of World Religions, which he says represents "a celebration of religious pluralism." Being associated with Princeton is not necessarily anathema, but praising the work of an organization which pushes the notion that there are many paths to god reduces one's Christian credibility past the limit. Certainly, his public condemnation of Pat Robertson to hell is regrettable at best.

Beyond the fatigue with Robertson's foot-in-mouth tendency, what are we to think of this situation. No Christian who is vaguely aware should be surprised that liberal "christians" find fault with those who would attach spiritual consequences to physical actions. One hopes that Rev. Raushenbush does at least recognize that natural disasters are in fact the result of human sin. But then, perhaps he does not. Sin is seldom spoken of in liberal circles these days. Maybe it wouldn't be ridiculous to think an American Baptist minister no longer holds to the historical, orthodox doctrine of the consequences of the fall. Maybe he doesn't even believe in the fall.

This is why belief in an authoritative, accurate Word of God is so important. We will never understand human evil or natural disaster if we disregard what the fall of man implies. God's perfect creation has been subjected to a curse due to the failure of our first parents. The conditions we now experience are not what the Creator intended. The rebellion of Adam, God's vice-regent on earth, cast the whole creation into disarray, a situation which will continue until the re-creation at the last day. Without this doctrine, one is left to muddle about in whatever platitudes or pessimism which may come to mind.

What about Haiti? Raushenbush is mostly right in saying, "Haiti is suffering, and the only response from Christians and other decent human beings is compassion, love, and all the concrete support we can supply." What he misses here is the call to prayer, especially the most urgent of all prayers, the intercession for all lost souls. What Haiti needs more than food or water or infrastructure is revival. All of the world's people are in a pact with the devil, a pact imposed upon us by Adam, not some rebels in 1791. Pat Robertson's mistake is that he speaks too broadly to a public which has no basis for understanding. Rev. Raushenbush's mistake is his condemnation of a fellow Christian (assumptions admitted.) I wonder how that kind of judgment would play in the Parliament of World Religions if the Rev. condemned a Jew, Muslim or Buddhist.