22 September 2010
He will wipe every tear from their eyes...Revelation 21:4
“Dear Dr. Sala, Do you have the courage to deal with the topic of ‘Why evil exists in the world?’ Are storms an ‘act of God?’ Is there such a thing as bad luck? Why do bad things happen to good people?" In striving to answer that question, I may well address an issue which you are facing right now. Let me begin by relating a true story involving a friend of mine.
Ken Grant was on the board at HCJB's local FM radio outlet on that chilly November evening in Quito, Ecuador. Tom Fulghum, then the director of communications at HCJB, walked through the door feeling good because things were progressing nicely on the project he had been working on. "How are things going?" Tom asked, and Ken replied, "Well, I hope it was OK, but I gave permission for an announcement to be made over our FM station in Spanish and in English."
Tom was puzzled because they normally don't make public service announcements over their FM outlet. Ken continued, "Well, there is a husky blond kid over in our emergency room and no one can identify him. He was hit on the Pan-American Highway over two hours ago. We thought that perhaps some parent might be wondering why his child hadn't come home and hear the announcement on the radio."
Tom immediately thought of his own family. His 12-year-old son, Tommy, had been at a school activity. Immediately Tom called Lois, "Honey, are the children home?" he anxiously asked. "Becky and Chuck are here," she said, "But I can't imagine where Tommy is," she continued. A dad who loves his kids just like you do started to choke up; his stomach muscles knotted as he explained what he feared might have happened.
It was Tommy who had been the victim of a hit and run accident, left for dead on the side of a dark road. Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes tragedy transforms some pretty bad people into plaster saints. You know, when we talk about them later we picture them as righteousness personified, when, in reality, they just aren't that saintly; but with the Fulghums that wasn't true. I have known them personally for years. I met them on a visit to HCJB where Guidelines' radio programs have been heard since about 1965. I know them. I know how they live. I know something of their dedication to the Lord and to each other. Tommy was made of the same stuff.
In his book, Tommy, the Comeback Kid, published by Victor Books, Tom describes his 12-year-old. "He was Mr. Obedience in our family. He was happy, positive, and dependable. If we really wanted something done, we gave it to Tommy and he always did his best. He continually offered his help...there was no spirit of rebellion in him." He was a good kid-- friendly, sincere, unaffected--a good kid, yet tragedy struck. Is it any wonder the human heart cries out, "Why? Why did God allow this to happen?”
In answering the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people," you have to face some theological issues--like it or not--because God, especially your concept of God, is the resource or material out of which you fabricate an answer. In thinking about this series, I have come to realize that the issue of why bad things happen to good people is primarily one which confronts believers or Christians rather than unbelievers, because we believe that God is fully in control and when things go wrong, our natural instinct is to blame Him, saying, "He could have kept this from happening," or, "If He could have kept this from happening and didn't, it is still His fault."
We'll continue our discussion on the next edition of Guidelines.
Resource reading: Job 1