A series of updates on the situation at the seminary are available at http://www.crossworld.org.

see Donny Miller’s comments on the topic of Pat Robertson’s ill chosen words: http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/13/1513/

Does anyone have any updates about the seminary in Haiti?

As for Pat Robertson, letting idiots like him speak for us makes us all look like idiots. You want to see Satan’s hand? That’s where it is.

CMP
“The point is that unless you are a prophet, don’t even make such an insinuation.” “We simply don’t have a prophet of God who can interpret such events. Therefore, the only thing we should be offering is compassion, not suppositions, or even insinuations of damnation.”

The impression I’m getting from you Michael, is that no matter what happens in this world, we will never know if it’s God’s judgement. Is God allowed to judge nations anymore? Or was that something that was only done in the Old Testament and we know that it was the judgement of God because we have a book that tells us so.

I’m half way between serious and sarcastic here.

I believe that God intervenes in the affairs of man, to demonstrate His justice and judgement and open up avenues of mercy and compassion. God causes all things to happen for a purpose, and the people of God should be able to discern what that purpose is.

Arguing “cause and effect” when it comes to the hidden sovereignty of God is, as noted before with regards to Robertson’s statements, is in its most benign state, foolish and in it’s most dangerous, a corruption of the Church and it’s ability to represent Christ well to the world.

The meaning of Robertson’s words were clear to those who heard them. As they were clear at 9/11, Katrina and and other horrific tragedies.

Doesn’t John 9:1-5 demonstrate that Jesus tried to teach us that the pain and sorrow happen so that God can intervene and work miracles? I’m having a hard time finding a pattern of Jesus picking out suffering people from the crowd to use as object lessons for the consequences of sin. He ministered in mercy and love.

Job suffered tremendously, yet not as judgment for sin. Repeatedly we are told to expect suffering in this world – yet where are we called to make such abstract, unprovable statements that cause nothing but more suffering to those that are hurting and further confusion regarding the issue of God and suffering here on earth?

And while we’re toying recklessly around with the behaviors of a people group and the far-reaching consequences… how ’bout we go back a few hundred more years… Is our prosperity now a sign that God put his stamp of approval on our brutality with countless lives here? Did he cheer for us when we slaughtered people because they refused to convert to our religion?

The pact-with-Satan story smells like an “urban legend” to me. I have heard about it for a few years now.

If you go to

http://www.blackandchristian.com/articles/2005.shtml

and scroll down you can find links to a 3-part article a Christian Haitian minister wrote on the supposed pact. He can find no evidence of this pact with Satan, in fact he finds evidence that the leaders of the revolt actually asked God for help.

Anybody have any other documentation one way or the other?

Hans

Mark,

The point is that unless you are a prophet, don’t even make such an insinuation. Otherwise, be ready to do that we everything and everyone, including parents who lose their children, children who lose their parents, snowstorms that kill people, tornadoes, and everything else that causes destruction.

We simply don’t have a prophet of God who can interpret such events. Therefore, the only thing we should be offering is compassion, not suppositions, or even insinuations of damnation.

I need to add that the video clip is a little bit difficult to get to play. But it does work if you keep at it.

Pat Robertson’s words were to the effect that they have been “cursed with one thing after another” since then including desperate poverty.

CMP and all,

Here is the video clip of Pat Robertson’s comments, he doesn’t say, “It was God’s wrath.” He does however say that the pact with the devil story is true and that the people have been under a curse every since then.

Here is the video link: http://www.breitbart.tv/they-have-been-cursed-pat-robertson-says-haiti-swore-a-pact-to-the-devil/

Apparently he did not say that anyway: http://www.cbn.com/about/pressrelease_patrobertson_haiti.aspx