Youth Bus Car Crash

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Before even reading this article, I predicted if there were any quotes from victims of this bus crash of a youth trip, they would state how thankful they are to God, because it "could have been worse." Indeed that was the case:


"There were a few injuries, but God showed himself Merciful and Gracious! Everyone on board is now safely home with one 1 broken bone and few stitches, and a concussion or 2. It could have been so much worse...God most definitely was with us. He did not stop us from experiencing the wreck, but He most certainly rode along with us. Great is his faithfulness - His mercies endure forever!”

I gave up belief in a "God of Control" around 15 years ago. When I grab coffee with people and explain my views, they tend to agree with me - my views are not that controversial. However, in Christianity, we're saturated in this view that God controls everything. It's a way of trying to understand and make sense of our world and understanding suffering.

Christians react this way to natural disasters, shootings, illnesses, and any type of suffering. And the reaction tends to be predictable - God is in control...and gets credit for the positive things, and is off the hook for the bad things.

My view is that things happen, as a result of our natural world, and human decisions. In this case, maybe humans failed to maintain the tires of the church van. My family was in a wreck around 15 years, I lost control of the car, and we were saved by the human decision to install a median guard rail, which was specifically designed to prevent deaths and injuries.

I do still believe in God who is active in my life and in the world. But I am uncomfortable with the view of an eternal orchestrator, deciding who gets hurt or not, or where a tornado hits, and getting credit for these random positive circumstances. Unfortunately it's a really common view.




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