This may be the single most offensive thing that you guys have ever posted. 10,000+ people dead equals a good opportunity for evangelism?

Oh my God. What have we become?

Even if you think this this is true (which it's not) I can't believe you actually posted this.

Thanks for this tsunami of demonic rhetoric. It's just what my friends who have been driven from faith in Christ need to remind them why they are never coming back.

Spiritual mercenaries, paid in blood. Christ, have mercy on us.

To call a Nuclear Meltdown "A day of opportunity in Japan", with thousands grieving the death of thousands is just sad.

Lets focus on being a compassionate presence, grieve with those who grieve and Christ will be glorified more then any program could ever.

I am ashamed.

disgusting . . . this post is disgusting and the "god" that would "create this opportunity" is disgusting

This was a terribly irresponsible post.

Url...you dropped the ball on this one.

Even myself I have lost all interest in discussing women in ministry, the leadership of the church, even the structure of the church...it all seems to much like arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

I went to Japan to visit my son while he was in college there at Chuo University, and I have never experienced such polite, and curteous people anywhere. Even Canada, and Mexico, whom both are very warm and friendly, cannot compare to the charm that Japan can lay on one.

This is a disaster of epic proportions, Url, prayer and kindness through good works will go much further than evangelism could ever hope to achieve.
Perhaps that is what you meant, and if it is...it didn't come through.

What if we replace words like "opportunity" with words like "challenge" or "work" instead?

Maybe you didn't read the first quote before posting it? Please, please won't you consider just deleting this?

I'm just filled with such horror & embarrassment. What incredible ugliness!

I wonder what took God so long to inflict this kind of suffering on those recalcitrant Japanese? Maybe the Christians in Japan (missionaries or natives) can get victims to pray the sinner's prayer before offering them food or water or rescue or shelter...

"disgusting . . . this post is disgusting and the "god" that would "create this opportunity" is disgusting"

There are horrors that exceeds this disaster throughout the world, most of it man-made, and we have known that this world is unstable.
So...the mechanics of the planet are upsetting, especially when we live in a dynamic world that doesn't take into consideration our desire for continuity of stasis.
Perhaps a reassessment of our expecations are in order. I do not blame G-d for this event...forgive me, but crap happens like this all the time.
History is filled with examples...so...rather than calling G-d disgusting, perhaps we should be asking G-d, "what now? Where do we go from here?"

Life has it's glorious moments like the car accident that no one should have survived in, and yet they did, and the horrors where hundreds of thousands of people gone, their lives scrubbed away by a wave...and yet in the middle of all that chaos...is a human being adrift on a raft of debris staring wonderingly at the havoc around them thinking...what? Luck? Fortune? G-d?

I agree, this is a mess, but I disagree that G-d is disgusting...confusing, yes, at times seemingly capricious, yes, but disgusting...no.

I'm just saddened by it all. It actually makes me cry to think about it.
/sigh
When G-d...when will you finally bring that promised kingdom...two-thousand plus years in the making, even I would think you'd have the finishing touches done by now.

This is as sad as the CNBC economic analyst who said the human toll would be greater than the economic toll and we can be grateful for that.

I was wondering when a Christian would set their evangelical agenda above the suffering and horror of the Japanese people.

Jesus would be proud.

Offensive and disgusting...and horribly horribly sad.

As a Christian I am deeply ashamed when my brothers and sisters in Christ talk of taking advantage of one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of our time. Talk like this is a HUGE reason people don't respect the church or Christianity anymore. I can't even believe you posted it!

Perspectives like this from Evangelicals (good newsicals?) are why books like "They Like Jesus But Not The Church" and "UnChristian" are written. This type of thinking validates much of what the watching world perceives of us.

So this is God's work? God planned this devastation for his glory? I have a friend who is right now laying in a hospital bed fighting against stage 4 stomach cancer. he has 4 small boys. The prognosis does not look good. God's plan? I had a brother who said he'd be right back 10 years ago and he never made it home cause his car crashed and rolled in a ditch and he died. God's plan?
You and your 'ilk' serve a very interesting God indeed. The fact that you not only think he is capable of doing this things but does them so recklessly amazes me, but what amazes me even more is that you believe this and are STILL willing to serve this so called God and praise his holy name.
The world is broken, it's all jacked up and because of this, all manner of horrible things happen to us here. But they're random they're not thought out or planned out, they just happen, This brokenness is exactly what God sent Jesus to die for. God doesn't plan these things, he has worked diligently so that someday we will no longer have to suffer like we do.
2 years ago I would've have used your article and ignorance as another reason why Christians are ignorant and why their religion is a dangerous idea. Now I know enough to know that you don't represent true Christianity. Yours is a cult of bigotry and hatred and you have had the pulpit long enough my friend spreading your lies about God. Please apologize and recant these statements, they will not do any good for anyone.

Sickening. I just threw up in my mouth. What a completely horrible thing to put out there. Seriously.

Seriously?

When Jesus encountered disaster (a tower collapsing and killing many), he seemed to consider it a tragedy, yes, and also an opportunity.

The disaster in Japan is certainly an opportunity for compassion and providing relief and hope and a contemplation of life's brevity.

Not an opportunity anyone seeks, but it's here, and it is indeed an opportunity.

I just wrote about this last night on my blog and here it is in black and white as proof. So many everyday Christians share this viewpoint that God causes pain and suffering to draw people to Jesus. It's not that uncommon of a belief and actually is the common thread that keeps you in check. After all, you don't want God to have to do something drastic to get your attention.

Sadly I suffered for a long time in guilt as a teen thinking that somehow my Dad died because of my disobedience and sins. Sadly, sadly, sadly... this is the God of most traditional Southern Baptists (of which I was raised).

For me it's actually nice to see you put it into writing. At least I know I'm not crazy to have rejected these ideas.

Wow. Not going to lie, that first quote really doesn't sit well with me. It's one of those things that you keep to yourself. Don't pray to God for a huge tragedy to strike a nation.

Frankly, it is an opportunity for the church. There's no denying the impact of grief can have in these situations.

However, if your goal was to reach the thousands of dead who've washed up on the shores today, maybe your prayers were in the wrong place.

I'm glad I don't come here to read things on a regular basis, or I'd be ashamed to do so again.

This is the exact reason that you are forced to evangelise. Who would want to be a Christian after reading a post like this? This is the most disgusting thing I've ever read, I'm ashamed that you are my "brothers and sisters" in Christ.

I think folks are overreacting. "A day of opportunity" is not a phrase that means anyone is happy about what happened. Just as a doctor is not happy to discover someone at the restaurant is having a heart attack. But such an even is "an opportunity" for the doctor to do what she was trained and called to do.

So it is with the church. No one is celebrating the death and destruction in Japan...least of all the church. But it is for healing and compassion that God has given the world his church. And in Japan they need it more than ever. So, yes, this is an opportunity for the church to be the church in Japan.

"This, perhaps, could be one of the ways the Lord pierces the darkness of Japan with His light."

...having already tried nuclear weapons.

God will be glorified in this crisis. I do not know how, and quite frankly, at times like these it is beyond my imagination. However, that is the hope I have in a situation like this that the LORD will be glorified!

It is good news that even in times like these, God can use it for good; for His glory. That is good news.

Unbelieveable. Unimaginable. You prayed for disaster to bring God to a population: well, good for you.

I now pray that God can forgive your arrogance.

This post is emblematic of a distorted and dangerous view of Christian evangelism. It is reprehensible to view this horror as an "opportunity" or to believe that a God worth worship somehow created this disaster so that your ministry could use it as a way of bribing people ("come get shelter if you listen to our message"). No. Please reconsider your message and your approach. Just go help. Period.

Is is possible that these quotes are being read out of context? I too was appalled by what both of the missionaries were quoted as saying. But, I think it is also possible I might be reading something into it that is not there. It is my opinion that what both of the people quoted in this post are trying to convey is that God can work even in the midst of tragedy. For me, that is my understanding of the resurrection. God causing the disaster in Japan and God working in the midst of the disaster to change hearts are two entirely different things. I believe God mourns with the nation of Japan and with us as we mourn for the Japanese people and all those affected by the devastation. God, too, is the one who offers us resurrection hope. It is my opinion (and my great hope) that the people quoted in this post are speaking to resuurection hope. Neither person quoted says anything about the tragedy itself being an answer to prayer or that God caused the devastation. Nor do they speak of "evangelism". Rather it is the response of Christians to the devastation that will about transformation. I am not defending this post, but am searching for some understanding.

Apparently most of the commenters here think that hundreds of millions of people living out their lives in spiritual darkness is no big deal.

This post is rich with heart-wrenching and yet Bible-based sympathy. Keep it up, pray for Japan, and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ, broken on the cross and risen to life again.

It seems to me that the opportunity here for the Church is to simply get in the trenches and be present to the physical needs of those hurt and hurting. As another commenter wrote, "Just go help".

It's deeply disappointing that these comments in the article went beyond that simple truth.

The time to talk about how tragedy can make people rethink their wholes lives IS NOT during the tragedy itself. It's best left for the theoretical discussions of a classroom.

Bad timing, URL, for passing this along...unless you were needing to throw a bone to a certain segment of Christianity that's already taking a bit of a deserved spanking over the Rob Bell kerfuffle?

@Rhology:

Yes, because a call for sensitivity and a sense of timing means people don't care about spiritual darkness.

Sometimes people can speak a truth in such a way that it makes the Truth a LIE in the ears of those listening.

The deserved rebuke/critique in the comments of URL underscore this concern for the missional effectiveness and credibility of the Church in the world.

I am astounded by all these negative comments. Do you honestly think a person's physical condition is of more value than their soul? I can just imagine the posts if Jesus had blogged, "Blessed are they who mourn..." As Lewis said, "God speaks to us in our pleasures but shouts to us in our pain." Indeed, pray for Japan. Pray for missionaries who will minister not only to the physical needs but also the spiritual ones. And stop all the ranting.

This is very saddening to me. This blog post does not depict the God I have faith in, nor to the "christian" community I want to belong.

@Jeb,

Nobody has claimed a body is worth more than a soul.

Some of you who insist on this false choice between the two are answering an objection/argument that has not been raised by those you are trying to "refute".

It's a patently dishonest rhetorical move.

This sickens me to a degree that I cannot begin to express. God is not an opportunistic used car salesman looking for someone in distress to make his pitch to.

Dear Jesus, forgive them...for they know not what they do.

I honestly don't know what everyone is so mad about and yelling about. I honestly understand what the two authors are saying ...I am deeply saddened by what is going on in Japan today- the reality of what the people and the country has to deal with is killing me but if we're honest - we need to also ask ourselves how is God going to use this for a deeper spiritual awakening for the people of that country.

I think some of the writers on this blog are just so small minded.

@nathan

Do you think there are many Japanese people reading this blog right about now?
What precisely is the problem here? How is it insensitive to praise God in ALL circumstances, and to care about the salvation of the lost and the glory of Christ in ALL circumstances? Right now y'all are acting more like Job's wife - "Curse God and die."

@Tim M
I have little doubt of that. I hope someday you'll come to God on His terms instead of trying to come to Him on yours.

"How is it insensitive to praise God..."

There is a time and a place, and should you find yourself in that time and place of trial, yes, I expect you to praise G-d, just as I would if and when I find myself in that time and place.
But for a person who has no idea who G-d is...all you are offering is meaningless drivel served on a plate of self-indulgence.

"I wept because I had three inches of new, wet snow in my driveway, and then I met a man who had 12 feet of Pacific Ocean in his."
Ms. Nall

Apparently compassion only comes through experience...my hope is that we, as a people, don't have to go through the same horror just to learn a simple lesson of empathy.

:(

I read another post how this earthquake was prophetic for the end times. Some Christians are just so...ignorant and crazy.

Does God really bring destruction on people to give his chosen an opportunity to proclaim good news? Is it good to know that this God had to pour his holy wrath in order that some might believe? Who's to say that only the wicked were destroyed and not Asian believers?

@Rhology:

Just like I said to Jeb, nobody is denying the worthiness of God to be praised in all things, or to care about the salvation of the lost.

It's a false choice you're offering.

This just isn't the time to "relativize" anyone's suffering by playing percentages with the false choice between souls and bodies.

It's time for UrL to post an article telling us where to donate or what organizations are mobilizing and how we can be a part to go help.

We have the luxury of a theoretical discussion about the "doxological" merits/opportunities of this tragedy. It's calloused and inappropriate.

Your charge that people taking issue with this article is the same as blaspheming God is offensive and out of line.

You owe us an apology.

What is worse than this tragedy? This tragedy without the hope of the Gospel.

And Nathan, no one is denying the need to help humanity in this terrible situation. All who are involved in missions understand the need to reach out in love and care for people's physical needs. Thus we have Christians filling all sorts of needs. But the comments here were ridiculously silent in regard to the spiritual need of the people. God does use our painful experiences to speak to us. These missionaries who wrote have lived and worked among the people. They have first hand knowledge and their hearts are burdened for the people. Not one of them would deny the physical needs of anyone. Their comments were heart felt and who are we to stand in judgment over them? We ought not to ridicule and condemn these men and women who like the martyred missionary Jim Elliott say, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." So let's drop the arguing and go find those links ourselves. And spend a bit of time tonight praying for these missionaries rather than debating who is or isn't right.

Jeb, I'm guessing your right. The missionaries quoted are more than likely great loving people. In my opinion, the real quarrel is with Out of Ur for choosing to publish quotes from the missionaries that seem very inappropriate in the context of a huge disaster and unmeasurable suffering.

overreacting? How on earth could anyone think it's acceptable to suggest that a nuclear attack or massive earthquake are answers to prayer?

"...A massive earthquake or a nuclear missile from North Korea topped the list of possible devastating ways the Lord might awaken that nation that I love."

I will concede the the other quotes could be taken either way.

What is so disconcerting to me is that at a time when innocent people whom God loves (possibly even Christians) need practical help, people are actually writing about what a great "opportunity" this is to "pierce the darkness with light". I was an evangelical long enough to know that providing shelter and water is not what is meant by that statement.

@Jeb,

The clear contention is not soul vs. body. It's the idea that these are helpful statements at this time. They are not.

Where are all you disgusted, anti-christians in the fight against aborotion?Doesn't your heart break for the millions of helpless babies being systematically murdered in our civilized nations today?

If only your voice would be heard there even half as vehemently, I would hold out hoping that God may still spare our country from total destruction. But I see clearly now how you, the world, is under the sway of the evil one. "Yours is a cult of bigotry and hatred."

Matt's was the only comment that made any reference to Jesus' attitude toward disaster, and what we should make of it. If you want to gain a divine perspective, you should look up what scripture has to say about these disasters, as to their origin and culmination...

Here are some clues:
"...cursed is the ground because of you"(Genesis.3:17)
"The earth staggers like a drunken man;it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it,and it falls, and will not rise again."(Isaiah 24:20)
"For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,and will no more cover its slain."(Isaiah 26:21)

A few years back a friend of mine committed suicide. It was tragic and we all grieved. Prior to that I have been praying for her kids. I prayed that God would draw them to himself. I did not pray for a disaster so God could work but man o man did god work in that disaster.

I have a friend who was diagnosed with cancer. He did not win a hard fought battle. I prayed for him and his family for years, that God would work in their lives and move them to a place of relationship with himself. I did not pray for cancer, but man o man did God work when cancer came.

These people sis not pray for a disaster, they prayed for God to work. They often thought what would it take for the beautiful people of Japan to know Christ, but nothing said they prayed for a disaster.

Some of the comments are putting words in the mouths of the above statements from URL.

Wow Guys!

The timing may be awkward but someone is pouring out their heart, and the reason they are in the ministry they are in; and all people can focus on is a statement they have made... Where is your bigger picture? Those moaning about this can just as well themselves be reprimanded for the things that are being said. We cannot judge another person's heart or their actions! That is for God Almighty Himself to do. God is also fully capable of defending Himself and His work will continue whether or not we understand it or even are obedient. At least someone is on the field working where it is needed; and has been preparing for this. Are you out there?

Relationships with others are the most important thing in life - without them we become isolated, and we are more vulnerable to attack and suggestions such as suicide etc. The devil sees this as an opportunity...
So why as Christians (being evangelists; baptists, whatever) are we so against this?

Will we really attack others that are probably just in as much shock as the rest of their nation? At least in the midst of all the fear and grief they may be surrounded with, they are still open to God using them to help others. God has prepared people for such a time as this. You should rather keep quiet if it's not up-building/up-lifting.

To Clarify:
"Over the years I've often described our mission in Japan as praying and preparing toward the day of opportunity in Japan."
= It does NOT state he was praying for a disaster!! Merely an opportunity to reach out to others. This could just as easily been a change in government that enforces Christian values. Or something happening to a neighboring country and Japanese being sent to help/volunteer.

"In the back of my mind I've often thought of the possibility of great suffering being a part of the opening of the heart of the great nation of Japan."
= Honestly, who hasn't thought of disasters at times? And who are we to say it wasn't the Holy Spirit preparing this man's heart - so that at least some have been prepared for this tragedy? His desire here is not for disaster but for Japanese hearts to open to God it seems. Suffering is merely one of the tools that God may use to do that so of course he will have thought of it.

"A massive earthquake or a nuclear missile from North Korea topped the list of possible devastating ways the Lord might awaken that nation that I love."
= Everyone knows Japan and certain Asian countries are not great fans of each other. And even if they were, sometimes mistakes happen that cause suffering. These countries have a long-standing history between them; and also another long-standing history of earthquakes occurring in their region. So obviously these will be top of the list - although obviously NOT necessarily wished for. And are we seriously skipping the part where he says he loves his nation?? He wants their hearts awakened.

"This, perhaps, could be one of the ways the Lord pierces the darkness of Japan with His light. Would you join us in praying toward that end for the largest unreached nation of the world?"
= No one can fully know what is going on in a country except the people that live there! This guy is asking for prayer not boasting about some event he was hoping would come. Who does that... Wishes harm on people?

We cannot question God and the actions/people he uses to reach out to others; nor can we demand to know the timing and deadline he has set on every person's life. If you really love God and want to defend His Honor/Christian values then please... stop judging others and pray for the work that is now to be done.

@nathan

You owe us an apology.

Please, get over yourself. Spend your time praying for Japan instead.

@Leonard (Lee)

What is worse than this tragedy? This tragedy without the hope of the Gospel.

100% right. 1000% right.

@AMG I don't think you know what you are talking about - it was not insensitive for Out of Ur to publish this...what do you want - nice articles about your great Christian life and how you are going to heaven? They are talking about real issues. Get over yourself.

"In the back of my mind I've often thought of the possibility of great suffering being a part of the opening of the heart of the great nation of Japan. A massive earthquake or a nuclear missile from North Korea topped the list of possible devastating ways the Lord might awaken that nation that I love. "

I am sickened.

@James. I think Out of Ur shouldn't have published selected quotes from the missionaries that appear so opportunistic. A massive disaster that is still in process is not something to speak of as an opportunity. That's crass and horribly off-putting for anybody who might wonder what is the Christian response to this tragedy. Much more appropriate to talk about what these missionaries are actually involved in, helping people on the ground, which I'm sure they are doing.

One thing I have loved about OutOfUr is it's ability to post from various ministry perspectives. There is so much to grieve over in these difficult days, and now I have one more thing to grieve over: the apparent inability for the majority of this article's readers to look past their own perspectives and give the benefit of a doubt to these missionaries on the field and to UrL for posting them.

Just last night at our Bible study, we all had various perspectives on how directly God creates or allows tragedy such as this. Yet somehow even though from vastly different ends of the spectrum, we were able to look for what we agree on. That this world is broken, that the brokenness breaks God's heart, and that he is now in process of healing that brokenness.

We also agreed that that brokenness is deeper than flesh & blood, and that true healing must begin with the soul and extend from there. And we all agreed that that healing is only found in personal faith in Jesus. It seems to me based on the discussion thread above, that the "personal faith in Jesus" is not a common belief among Out of Ur's readership.

I suppose it's only being realistic to see that not everyone reading (and even few readers) would actually believe this. And though such readers may fault others as being naive or ignorant for holding such archaic beliefs, please also see the heart that falls within that system...

When I read Dr. Oh's comments, I did wonder if people would mishear what he was saying. But see the brokenness of heart when he speaks of the "nation that I love." His heart is for his people, the people he has quite possibly given up a "normal" life to serve. That service, it appears to me, is one that the people of Japan would come to the truest and richest life possible, the life that we were all created for. But he also believes, as I do, that that true life is only possible when it is redeemed from the inside out.

I agree with other readers that he never said he was praying for tragedy, but simply for the "day of opportunity," which I take to mean ANY DAY that hearts would grow more open to hearing the hope of Jesus. You may call this an evangelical ploy or bait-n-switch. Or you may see it for what it is: a man who wants both body AND soul healed by the grace of God.

And one other thing: Please don't accuse Dr. Oh, Mr. Handley, or UrL of denying the need for tangible help. That is a sickening accusation. Every one of us, in the midst of our work and service, have taken time to email and maintain contacts with others. All the missionaries I know in Japan have taken time to update their partners in the rest of the world. And UrL has posted countless other articles promoting the need for service and compassion.

Can't we all just love & serve people--body & soul--together in Jesus' name???

Nathan,
It is rather sweet of you to ask for an apology from Rhology for us, but unfortunately, he is correct in not giving one.
If I don't understand, nor have the ability to comprehend gravimetrical attraction between stellar bodies, and my professor demands of me to formulate an equation that will derive an answer...he's going to get a blank look from me...and quite possibly a puddle of drool.
this is one of the things I have had to do remind myself of constantly...understanding the world we live in, understanding G-d, understanding the multi-dimensions of action/reaction...not everyone is on the same level.
This is why I'm rather...bothered by the missionaries in Japan...I applaud their willingness to share the gospel, while pulling someone out of a pile of rubble, but Christianity is a relationship building over a long time.
People who live in a culture that is partially Christian don't have that same lag time that a person who lives in a Shinto culture does...the former can pick up on the whole G-d/Y'shua/Holy Spirit thing rather quickly...the latter...they need to see it in action first.
I just hope, hope, hope that they keep the whole "spiritual awakening through disaster" to themselves.
I don't lower my expectations, I just govern them so that I don't frustrate myself with unrealistic expectations.

You seem to neglect or very much underestimate the very real power of the Holy Spirit to change hearts and to guide people. Our salvation comes from God from beginning to end. When Paul went from town to town, he states that he did not even come to baptize, but to spread the Gospel, for it is the Gospel that brings salvation. The Gospel is that Jesus is God in the flesh and that He died for our sins on the cross, and those that believe are saved, and those that do not believe are condemned (see John 3:16-18). The liberals would attack Jesus for saying what He did in Matt 10:11-16 "Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting.If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." We were given the Great Commission, God did not add to that the setting up of follow-up groups, etc. Show your faith in God that He will bring the believers together and that they will meet, just as in the times of the Apostles. Show some faith and stop being depressed because you think somehow that man cannot do it. You are right-man cannot do it alone, but God can. God uses people, and God's will be done. Some act afraid to spread the Gospel because they don't have enough Purpose-Driven groups to follow up on the believers. Try trusting God. A lot more people need to put down books by Bell and Warren, etc and pick up the Bible. It has the answers. They might not be the answers you want, but they are from God, and His Word is truth.

@Barbara. Exactly. God is powerful enough to save. I just think the idea that he needs an earthquake, tsunami, or nuclear meltdown to do so is rather disgusting.

Several of the responders seem to express a belief in a God that is simply not supported in scripture. Both Old and New testament chronical the actions of a God who uses many techniques to make people aware of both his very being, and his justice.

God works in hardship. He used nature in the plagues on Egypt, wars against tribes, nations, and individuals, where every man, woman, child and animal are destroyed. The Flood, the Passover, Joseph's slavery, Jobs trials, Paul's "thorn", blindness, disease, and even the unjust crucifixion of Jesus, and yet all were authored by God. In each case both the "just" and "unjust" were affected, and yet he points out how he was glorified in even these. Bummer here is that not all these stories had what we would call a happy ending.

God allows tension. I taught once on a concept called "Devine Paradox". There are places in the Bible where there is a clear tension between good and evil, it starts in Genisis and continues through Revelation. Paul recognizes his thorn in the flesh is from God and yet he calls it a messanger from Satan. We know that Jesus death on the cross was God's plan and yet the Bible says it was carried out by evil men. Short of the second coming, good and evil are here.

We are still like the Israelites. No one can deny that throughout history peoples relationship to God wanes during times of prosperity and improves during times of great need. There was no promise after Jesus time on earth that God would not continue to use all means to bring people to him. I believe we will continue to struggle to understand why people don't turn to Jesus the day they win the lottery, yet the terms "fox hole" or "death bed" repentance; people turning to God when all hope seems lost, seems to be far more than just cliche'.

Don't buy the bull. If your faith in God can be summed up in : If God, Then I ............, you are not familiar with the God of the Bible.

So, where does that leave us? Wherever opportunity presents itself, we still have a choice in how to respond. In prosperity or hardship we can choose to follow the advise of Job's friends and "curse God and die" or we can reach out to people in compassion, and then when the time presents itself, explain that we are motivated by Gods love for us and to extend that love to others.

Go.

As person who has visited Japan, has close family who were missionaries in Japan for 18 years, and still has close family living in Tokyo, I have mixed feelings to this post and the comments. More than anything, I think the emails by the Japanese missionaries show their deep love, concern and commitment to the people of Japan. We do not have a right, as Americans, to judge their intentions or their love for the country and people of Japan. It seems to me that they would never "pray" or "ask God" for this disaster to happen, but rather they realize that now is a moment for Christians to show the love of God in a wide variety of ways - as the second quote says, "spiritual, physical, social, etc."

I have been emailing with my family in the country. They continually ask for prayers "for the people of Japan." Furthermore, they shared a song, performed by a youth group, and asked that it be distributed as a prayer for the people of Japan. I think that it demonstrates the deep love and care for the people, and that is the same love that the missionaries are trying to express as well.

Here's a link to the song: http://soundcloud.com/chrismccottry/on-this-hope

Once again the Old Testament concept of God is clashing with everything I know about the New Testament God through Jesus.

Is it too much to ask for people who have media influence to just think critically before posting stuff like this? Is the help and healing part when we tell them that God allowed this to make you become like us?

Can anyone honestly feel that the sudden death of 10,000+ people is an opportunity.

I guess so

RG

OK, why aren't there more articles on the Japanese disaster on this site and CT.com than just this one? Is it because Japan is an economically rich nation (as opposed to Haiti)? Is it because the American Evangelical church cares more about missions to latin counties than anywhere else? Just wondering.

dl

As someone who wants to see more evangelicals publicly embrace diplomatic and humanitarian values, I humbly suggest that it has a better chance of happening if they see these values modeled less selectively. Then, maybe the hurting people around the world will find more of the varying kinds of help they need -- and in the right order.