Is God Judging Haiti?

Haiti: a country of 10 million desperate people. Some statistics state that 85% of Haitians live on less than a dollar per day and the country ranks third in the world for hunger. In fact, IMF states over half of Haitians survive on 44¢ a day! On a normal day, we would be surprised to see Haiti top the headlines of the New York Times. But today is not normal because people in Haiti are still at risk of dying from the after effects of a 7.0 earthquake.

Here is the odd thing, though: Haiti has a 50% literacy rate. It has at least 225,000 children in slave labor, owned as servants of wealthy households. At least another 400,000 live in terrible poverty conditions in Cité Soleil, where most residents in the city are children or young adults. Nonetheless, Haiti has had minimal media coverage of massive human rights issues for decades. Haiti’s vicious cycles of hurricanes, military coups and food shortages give clear case studies of what is happening in many of the world’s poorest countries.

Why is this odd? Because even though I am totally excited to see the U.S. and the rest of the world respond (especially the Church), I can’t help but cringe at the fact that Haiti was already in extreme crisis before the earthquake on Jan 12, 2010. Most of us don’t notice injustice issues unless they are set in front of our eyes. I think this is wrong, and it must change. But, instead of moaning over the broader issues of injustice, let’s lock eyes with the one that is directly in our face and ask some pointed theological questions.

I like good theological questions. Theology should draw out something better in us and call us to action. In this article, I’m not going to ask the common questions like, “Why did God allow tens of thousands of Haitians to die?” and “What is the eternal state of the souls of the deceased?” Right now, I am more interested in understanding these questions: How is God’s justice at work in the world, and how can we partner with it in the present tense?

Haiti was a slave colony in the early 1500s and by the 1700s the island was established as one of the most brutal and “effective” slave colonies in the world. In August of 1791, during a voodoo ceremony, a slave revolt broke out that continued into the dawn of 1804, at which point the country was actually named Haiti. Violence has continued till today with numerous wars, over 30 coups, several dictatorships, foreign occupations, genocides, etc. In 1957, voodoo became the official religion of Haiti. From a Christian worldview, we are forced to pause to consider the demonic foundations of voodoo and devastation it invites into a society.

This earthquake’s devastation broke indiscriminately through all echelons of Haiti’s society, whether through government, businesses, gangs or slums. Even family and social structures have been fractured. But, when old foundations are removed, new ones can be built. Similarly, when people are desperate, they are ready for change. And the VERY good news is, if the Church really responds en masse, we could begin to lay some new foundations to rebuild at the heart of this society. Especially so if we were to take all the children orphaned by this disaster and give them real love, care and education. Maybe this moment is judgment, but it is our opportunity in the “now” to use it as mercy[i]. Judgment is never the objective, but is rather the means to the end. Mercy is the end…it is what God intends.

The more God’s people respond with both wisdom and compassion to judgment, the more God’s kingdom can be demonstrated and established. What if the earthquake was allowed because even though there would be devastating consequences, God knew it was a Pearl Harbor event that would motivate us to take on a great evil? Maybe we needed something to make us engage with Haiti instead of our economic problems at home.

But isn’t a 7.0 earthquake terrible evil to begin with? Why would God not stop it? Again, World War II is a good example. The war stopped when men and women engaged at great personal cost. God has chosen not to treat humans like puppets, but rather like agents of free will. And yes, I do believe that God has absolute, unstoppable purposes, but those are based on consequence of good (the primary one being Jesus’ love on a cross). Just as evil has consequences for a short time, good (godliness) has consequences that reach firmly into forever. That godliness has far-reaching outcomes is one of the surest scientific laws in the universe, and we can come to know such principles through God’s divine wisdom.

What if there is so much evil in the world that it is only God’s grace that restrains disaster (which is a consequence of sin) in the first place? What if the fact that we are breathing today is an act of God’s guarding grace? And what if at certain well chosen moments God removes that grace just a small bit to allow us to experience even more grace? Just like the lack of food creates a hunger pang and subsequently a greater enjoyment of a good meal. Similarly, a terrible moment often creates a stronger bond between two friends. Or consider what happens when flowers are crushed: they release even more aromatic fragrance.

Why God has chosen to bend evil or hardship to his will instead of immediately destroying it is material I wrestle with a bit in some of my other blog posts. In this particular post, I’m simply trying to show that God, who is active in our world, acts most clearly through relationship with people who choose to hear his heart (or a piece of it) and align themselves as his friends. When he lifts the guard of his grace which restrains the full fury of evil, our reaction should always be to bring God’s mercy into the situation as swiftly as possible. If we do, a triumph or testimony of Jesus’ goodness can emerge, and his kingdom is established. If we do not respond, then the dividing line that judgment brings will never be bridged by God’s life, and people will be lost in the great divide between wrath and love.

When wrath or judgment comes, it is because sin has effectively blocked the way for grace to penetrate, and God is allowing a path to be opened back to the Father’s love. If there are blockades keeping his life from healing a society, be assured, God would like to remove them. God is never random in his judgments. Evil may be a random tyrant but God is always strategic and focused in pursuing us through very organic, relational ways. He is ultra alert and keenly aware of suffering but he is most acutely concerned about people being in such darkness, there is no access to his love.

So, if what I am saying is true; that God is giving mercy a chance to break into Haiti, a country that has been desperate for help many centuries, then is it not the time to act? Who are God’s heroes of the hour? I’m thinking about ordinary people who cross over into the extraordinary, not just those who make the headlines of CNN or Fox News, but the unknown soldiers. They are the pioneers and builders who are so amazingly free, that they are willing to plow through any hardship and bring hope into the darkest moments. They are people who are so branded by Love, so famous in heaven and so passionate about God’s creation, that they attack injustice head-on with innocence and joy. People who, when severely battered in their conflict with evil, are like a happy child tossed about in Papa’s safe arms.

Even now there are hundreds and probably thousands of incredible stories emerging from God’s people who are arriving from around the world to offer assist on the soil of Haiti. The local church also remains one of the best grassroots infrastructures to work through in any country when a crisis hits. The two combined as the global and local church are a force to reckon with.

So, are you going to be one of God’s warriors that engage with injustice and bring their Father’s amazing kingdom? Now is a good time to say YES!

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[i] For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13