Though Governor/Pastor Huckabee was skewered by secular and Christian bloggers alike, I appreciated his comments just following the tragedy – and not because I see all tragedies as a judgement of God, or a consequence of our wimpy American faith. But the Governor's original comments (which I post on my blog) were made in response to Neil Cavuto's (Fox News) TV show on the day of the gut-wrenching event. Cavuto specifically said to Huckabee, "I'm going to try to have the preacher in you, the man of God in you... [to] help us with this." He followed up with his second, more pointed question: "You know, invariably people ask, after tragedies like this, 'How could God let this happen?'"

Every pastor (and many Christians) were getting the same kind of question. In his defense, Pastor Huckabee (and it was the Pastor which responded) was not prepared for the question, which is the most difficult question in Christian theology and apologetics. One can fill a library with books on the one question, and it is impossible to give any kind of worthwhile answer in a sound bite or two, and even the most well-prepared answer will fail to make anyone feel better because it is our hearts that are in pain, not our heads.

Mike Huckabee heard the same thing I heard from Neil Cavuto: "Do we place the blame for this horror at God's feet?" to which Huckabee (correctly) said no. Because his answer was unjustifiably oversimplified into "If we had school prayer, these messes would never happen," people did not hear the helpful and heartfelt pastoral words he offered: "there is no human rationale or explanation.... This is a heart issue.... [W]e've made [school] a place where we do not want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability.... But God will be there in the form of a lot people with hugs and with therapy and a whole lot of ways in which I think he will be involved in the aftermath."

A day after the shooting, after he had time to process the events himself, Huckabee said on his own show, "Well maybe it's simply the attempt to express our collective shock when we say, 'We're trying to make sense of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.' But we're not gonna make sense, not from that which is totally disconnected from the cognitive capacity of any rational human being. The Governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, got it right when he said, 'Evil has visited this community.'"

He's right. There is evil, but the presence of evil does not prove the absence of God. After such public and sickening evil, there are so many public needs, but most can be placed into two big columns: emotional and rational. Give an answer that may comfort someone's emotions and someone will (rightly) say, "But that doesn't explain anything." Give an answer that addresses someone's rational need for explanation and someone will (rightly) say, "But that doesn't address our hurts!"

Actually, I think Pastor Huckabee's much maligned response was not so much the wise counsel of a pastor as they were the words of an average Christian, struggling to understand it all, and angry at the miserable situation and our inability to do anything to guarantee that it will never happen again.

I agree! We are NOT a hate group. We as believers are supposed to be all about love. Yet, we don't hear that much about what the "love groups" have done in the media. We only hear about the hate groups. This is satan at his worst. He's doing his best to destroy God's love in the minds of the world.

However, not only does he lose in the end... but as we stand more and more as the Body of Christ and live and show God's love to the world, (which we have a responsibility to do), we're going to hear more of what God is doing in the media. I truly believe that.

Too many people are quick to blame God for all the bad stuff that happens. It's built in us to want someone to blame. However, many simply don't know who REALLY IS behind all of it. If we don't teach them, how will they know? We have a responsibility to stand up stronger and represent God here on this earth! It may not be "politically correct", but it will be Biblicially correct! He is the one we answer to!

I appreciate your piece and think that there is a lot of truth here. I also loved Michael's piece and think that you all are saying similar things. I know that Michael's article started a conversation among my network of pastors in our city and made us really think about how we were being perceived by the lost in our city.

I think that we all need to be more active about speaking our beliefs in the media as you and Michael have done. Thank you for keeping the conversation alive as the other article was a great conversation starter with many unbelievers I'm friends with.

As you have pointed out, many Christians are not hateful. My group of friends are not the hateful group that the media depicts, however perception is reality to a lost world who don't hear anything else, and without more people like you two speaking up our message will be drowned out. Keep standing up to our crazy uncles and speaking for the true Gospel.
-Charlie

I'll note here that people like Fred are instrumental in informing me that there are people in the evangelical community who AREN'T part of that intolerance.

Two different perspectives that give us much to think about. Thanks, Michael and Skye.

I agree with Don that the question--Why does God allows these tragedies to happen?--is the most difficult one to answer as a Christian, and that any answer one gives is bound to be problematic and, ultimately, unsatisfactory. So I'm willing to cut Pastor Huckabee some slack.

I guess I'm wondering why we don't challenge the premise that the question necessarily deserves an answer.

"Give an answer that may comfort someone's emotions and someone will (rightly) say, 'But that doesn't explain anything.' Give an answer that addresses someone's rational need for explanation and someone will (rightly) say, 'But that doesn't address our hurts!'"

So, why give an answer at all?

Hindsight is 20/20, of course. But I think I would have liked to have seen Huckabee or someone else in that position, having been asked that question on TV, simply struggle for a few minutes trying to find the right words, and then confess: "I just don't know."

I think it is significant that in the book of Job, which deals most directly with this question, Job never receives an answer for why he suffered as he did. He never finds out the reason. God gives him now answer. What he does give Job is an overwhelming, unmistakeable sense of his presence.

What if the Christian response to this tragedy that was seen by most of the world was not a man struggling for the right answer under the bright lights of national television, but rather, the silent yet unmistakeable presence of the Christian community right there in Connecticut, grieving with them as they bury their dead?

Deb,

"We are NOT a hate group. We as believers are supposed to be all about love."

Then why do you lie about ObamaCare providing funding for abortions?

It seems to me you're more about lying to force your religious beliefs onto others.

Skye,

"Satan doesn't care which extreme you take, as long as you take one."

And in truth, that is what is happening here in the American Church...either extreme Right, or extreme Left...it's kind of sad actually that we have come to this, and yet...it was easily foreseeable.

As much as I would like to agree with Mr. Cheshire, I found much of what he wrote to be fraught with nebulousness, and appeal to common authority without specificity. And really, he is only doing what others have done in the Church before, appeal to common authority with tangential reference to biblical teachings that are not really tied down or defined but left purposefully vague so that others may draw their own conclusions.

Leave any nebulous statement of faith hanging in the winds of human frailty long enough and the thing will drift with the wind to each point of the compass.

Which is why we need to be more specific in our discussions.

"Where does it say that in the bible?" Should be one of our most common, and dare I say over-used responses to nebulous statements about faith, and our responses to faith.

Skye-

I appreciate the insight and reflection. You are correct in that the media sets the message. It's a very interesting fact that they chose who is there to answer the questions they ask.

Don-

I appreciated your comment as well. Are we guilty of "sound-biting" our leaders? I can't tell you how many times I've been invited into the fray of a heated debate on an issue, but when I spent a few minutes actually watching what was said in it's full context I realized it was much ado about nothing. Sad that as followers of Jesus we often don't even take the time to seek the truth. Far too often it seems we are just looking for another chance to share our own opinions.

Sheer-

Love the end of your quote about "Where does it say that in the bible?" As always it's a blessing to engage, think, and be changed.

May God help us overcome *our* sin...and even ourselves!
(1 John 5:3-4)

Umm...jharp? Where did Deb mention anything about ObamaCare and/or abortions? Don't you think maybe you've proven Skye's point?

Any comprehensive formulation of worldview must take into account Biblical authority as well as opinion, media, etc. But let's stop simply exhorting Biblical analysis... let's do it.
I wonder if John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, and even Jesus would be "crazy uncles' by Micheal's definition.

Oh this is a complicated mess... twisted journalism, over-simplification, lack of discernment on word and statement choices, and of course those terrible mis-representations of God in the public eye.

Can we just say out loud that it is likely that some of those "crazy uncles" are not even a part of the family? Their fruit bears them out.

Can we just say that folks are just too ready to be in front of the camera when they are not prepared to be in front of the camera?

Can we just say, "Let's live out the reality of faith in Christ." and stop wasting time trying to get face time in front of cameras?

Smile, show the love and compassion of Christ to all humanity in every form of kindness possible. This will drive them crazy and you will enjoy life a lot more. Over-simplification maybe, but true nonetheless...