Give us Faith So We'll Be Safe: A Theological and Pastoral Response to the Tragedy in Haiti

How do we who call ourselves followers of the Lord of life respond to the chilling report that "40,000 bodies have been buried and there could be 200,000 dead in Haiti"? That paralyzing news is what we heard from the report of Shepherd Smith of Fox News on this date.[1] The earthquake in Haiti that has shaken the tiny Caribbean nation to death also is shaking our consciences and our souls with questions.

Many are asking the great existential questions about God even as the church already is deploying people with help and hope in His name. There are some who are wondering about the eternal questions of God and His goodness and children trapped under five stories of concrete. Some very prominent Christians already have made theological assessments of the situation and have ascribed judgment as a result of a pact with the devil. There is -- quite frankly and quite biblically -- no place for theological speculation in the midst of catastrophic human suffering. Any response that does not first and foremost identify with the suffering is convoluted and out of touch with the Spirit of the Christ who walked this earth and ministered to the poor. Indeed, theological speculation about why God allowed the earthquake in Haiti by a well-known preacher is astonishingly distant from the spontaneous response of an anonymous Haitian clergyman that I witnessed on television today.

The scene before me was haunting, the kind of scene that is etched into one's mind forever, even though I was watching it from the safety of my living room. The scene was hundreds of Haitians, cramped together in airline waiting areas of the Miami International Airport weeping and wailing, some beating their breasts and others on the floor crying out as they received reports of their lost loved ones. This is what got me: Suddenly the camera shifted to a man, a Haitian minister, who stood up and began seeking to lead the weeping people in a hymn, singing out in Creole. The minister led the weeping unplanned congregation with a bold voice of hope in God in the mist of the wailing. Without casting any stones on those who would prefer to cry, "Judgment," I must say the anonymous minister looks much more like the Prophet and the Savior in the passages that follow than the more prominent Christian leader who has drawn the attention.

As I watched the broken-hearted people being led in singing, their "doxology in the darkness," I could not help but think, "What an amazing response! Only the Spirit of Jesus Himself could do something like this in the human spirit."

So, what should our response be to such a tragedy? Our immediate response should be one of pure mercy. Indeed, I have no doubt the leader who is now infamous for his description of the historical (or as some claim, mythological) events that led to the judgment is one of the first to send physical aid. That is, of course, our first response to any tragedy; and we all pray for Haiti. We all want to give our money and our very lives to help the people there. Thank God for the first responders who are already there now: our military, the military of Canada and several European nations. Thank God for Doctors without Borders, Samaritan's Purse and the countless mission agencies that specialize in this sort of ministry. Those are the first responders needed most.