Forged Faith Cheques
Evangelical Evangelist Franklin Graham recently posted on social media his observations about the recent attempt on President Donald Trump’s life. In his post, he asks, “What do you think?” If given the opportunity to reply, this is what I would say.
Dear Mr. Graham,
You’ve asked a question. This is how I’d like to respond.
People tend to say, “Oh God,” in two ways. Sometimes we say this in awe, admiration, and gratitude, and other times, in grief, terror, or anger. Who is wise enough to know when the statement is completely appropriate? Someone’s relief could be someone else’s defeat. A forest fire that miraculously moves away from one neighborhood, only to destroy another, will likely have both communities saying the same two words- but with very different emotions.
Which one does God love more?
The Bible has a rule to govern the temptation to claim acts of God as proof of his favor or disapproval. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
This commandment directs us not to project our own interpretations onto divine will to justify or elevate ourselves. Another way to say it is that we should not be in the business of writing our own checks from God’s account and forging his name to authorize them.
If we fully embrace this commandment, the main argument becomes clear: when faced with a blessing or a tragedy, the most faithful response is humility. Humility means acknowledging the limits of our understanding. That response may look like, “I don’t know why Donald Trump was spared…I have no idea why Adolf Hitler survived over 40 assassination attempts…I have no idea why little children were murdered by a gunman at school. I don’t know why this person recovered from cancer while another lost their battle to the same sickness.”
These are the reasons I don’t do Karma and lean towards mystery and grace. Humility lives in the tension of mystery and grace.
Humility is God's call to all of us in the face of suffering. Mr. Graham, I think you ought not use God’s name and reputation for your own political gain. While we should be happy when lives are not lost, we should remember millions cry out to God every day and are left with tragedy. It’s also worth noting that if we’re honest, there have been times in our lives where we’ve received unexpected blessings and mercies that we know we did not deserve. That is where we wrestle in our faith.