I had already received my first call from a reporter by 8am this morning. It was at my emergency number, naturally. Of course at 8am on Thursdays I'm with the entire upper school and faculty of Rumsey Hall and not sitting by the phone, so the call went unheeded. In a tried and true fashion, the reporter indicated in his message to me that he was "on deadline". This is an old reporter's trick to coerce someone into returning a call in a timely fashion. I used to use it myself. Thing is, it doesn't exactly work when one isn't interested in returning a reporter's call.
Was it the tragedy in Haiti that he wanted to talk about, given my work for a hospital and school there? Sorta. He really wanted to talk about what Pat Robertson said about the Haitian earthquake the other day. He wasn't interested in what the Episcopal Church teaches in such circumstances, just my explanation of what a televangelist said. Great, suddenly I'm Pat Robertson's apologist.
Here's what Robertson said: Haiti disaster blamed on pact with devil
This is consistent with his theology that God micro-manages every single thing that happens in the mortal plane and, while weird and off-putting to most Christians, I would observe that it is consistent with other statements he has made over the years.
As pixilated as Robertson's comments are, I actually find it more annoying for members of the media to present him as the spokesperson for Christians. There were a great many touching and meaningful [and theologically sane] statements made by Christian leaders of all churches and denominations, since Catholics and Protestants alike have had long-term missions in Haiti. Yet, it was Robertson's that were featured. Remarkable.
As I know there isn't a member of my parish who would view the world through the Robertsonian lens, I'll simply remind us all of Job 5:7. To live in the world is to encounter accident, tragedy, and disaster. Some of it natural, some of it caused by unruly passions. This has been the feature of the human condition for as long as we have lived outside of Eden.
However, those of us who are in the world but not of the world [John 17] understand that, while such events are inescapable, we are also, through the mutuality of prayer and community, able to find support and care not only from divine agency, but from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, in light of the events in Haiti, and similar events that will vex the world community in the future, remember the folks of Haiti in your prayers. If so called, feel free to donate to relief as offered through Episcopal Relief and Development. And at all times, let's give thanks for what we have and what we can give.