Recently, a student wrote to Dr Calvin L. Smith (Principal, MBC) concerning Hurricane Katrina. Here is what he wrote: -

I was wondering what your views were on this New Orleans hurricane as a number of evangelicals (including my pastor) are seeing this as a  consequence of Bush pressuring Sharon to give up Gaza. I was curious  whether you went along with this view especially in light of the response you wrote about the boxing day tsunami. Just interested to hear your thoughts.

Regards

(Name Supplied)

Calvin Smith's reply was as follows (with minor revisions): -

I too have come across a number of Evangelicals declaring with all confidence that Hurricane Katrina represents God's judgement against the U.S. for its stancetowards Israel over the recent Gaza pull-out. You ask my views on this, and all I can say is that I believe only God alone knows whether Katrina represents His hand of judgement. I can't help but feel that some Evangelicals are a little too eager to claim each disaster is God's judgement. Of course, while the Bible makes abundantly clear that He is a God  full of love, compassion and mercy (qualities which He demands over and over again in the Bible from His servants), we do also read that, on rare occasions, He does render fearsome and wrathful judgement.

So I certainly cannot speak on God's behalf. But in response to several of the  specific issues you raise I would make the following brief comments (for what they are worth) for you to consider.

Firstly, the Gaza disengagement plan was initiated by Ariel Sharon, not George Bush. See, for example, the Guardian newspaper Guardian newspaper and Jewish Anti-Defamation League - who both confirm this was Sharon's own unilateral plan. In fact, the issue in Israel is this: Did Sharon initiate the pull-out purely for the security of Israel, or did he also do it  to deflect investigations into allegations of corruption? (see poll carried out by Haretz Daily ). Even many Palestinians argue Israel never intended to hold on to Gaza, but rather, to use it as a bargaining chip when a final round of peace negotiations demanded it. So to suggest that George Bush forced those people out of Gaza appears somewhat disingenuous. The U.S. certainly endorsed the plan, but Sharon has proved himself very hardnosed and able to confront, even ignore, Bush when Israeli national interests are at stake. So while the

so-called road map calls for eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, Sharon's decision was quite separate from that of the terms of the road map (see NBC News ). Thus, those who suggest this is God's judgement against Bush appear to have the wrong man.

I also wonder that if Hurricane Katrina is God's judgement against the U.S. and Bush, surely it is indeed strange (even unjust) judgement that destroys the lives of innocents such as children, the infirm, pregnant women, and other vulnerable people, while the very U.S. policy-makers who are alleged to have invoked God's judgement because of their stance towards Israel remain completely unaffected by this storm. Even if one takes the (somewhat controversial) view that innocents are caught up in God's judgement, nonetheless here we see a case where the guilty get away scot-free. I am reminded of some of the quite ludicrous (and  frankly, ill-considered and illogical) arguments by some Christians surrounding the recent tsunami, who suggested this was God's judgement  against people in the region who practised unspeakable wickeness (see my article on the college website ). Now, as then, I ask, if this is God's judgement, why do the  innocents suffer yet the people who the judgement was aimed against go free? I find it very hard to believe that if God is punishing Bush, pro-Israel Evangelical churches in New Orleans which were washed away will forever now be picking up the pieces, while policy-makers also go free. It is a perverse argument, and so I am not convinced this was, in fact, God's judgement after all.

In fact,the U.S. has always been Israel's greatest supporter and sponsor. Without the U.S., Israel would have disappeared long ago. This is, in fact, why extremist (even more moderate) Muslims hate the U.S. so much. Whatever one's views about Bush's politics (which are sometimes highly problematic, to say the least), nonetheless he has continued the longstanding American tradition of support for Israel. Why should God judge America for standing by Israel  in a way that has made her the number 1 enemy for Islamic extremists? According to to this logic, why hasn't the European Union, which is FAR more critical of  Israel and counted by many as more of a friend of the Arabs, been punished like the U.S. is purported to have been? Thus, it appears we should be very careful to claim insider knowledge and go about declaring this and that represents God's judgement.

Finally, as I said in the article I wrote after the tsunami last December, I really consider it dangerous to speak on God's behalf, invoking His name and saying that this is His judgement. Throughout the Bible, whenever God struck, there was no doubt that he was judging. And when He judges at the end of  time, we will know for certain. But to go around saying this was God when maybe it was not strikes me as very dangerous. After all, it is putting in God's mouth words He may not have uttered; remember, false prophets who did this in the Old testament were stoned! I am not, of course, suggesting such an action is what we should do today, I merely wanted to explain the seriousness of speaking on God's behalf and getting it wrong. I believe it is good that so many Evangelicals support Israel, and that makes a nice change from those who hate her. But that does not give us carte blanche to say what we like. We must examine the facts carefully.

It is indeed ironic that while some Evangelicals say Katrina is God's judgement for America's treatment of Israel, Islamic fundamentalists say exactly the same thing, pronouncing it as Allah's judgement against the U.S. for supporting Israel. Moreover, right now in America the environmentalists say it is nature's judgement against Bush for not signing the Kyoto agreement on global warming! These are three strange bedfellows indeed, and offer us, I believe, a warning that we should weigh everything we say carefully and not shoot from the hip as so many of us Evangelical `cowboys' tend to do :)

I trust these thoughts are helpful and give you something to think about as you delve into the Bible for further insight.

Every Blessing

Calvin