When Bad Things Happen

Sometimes it's people's fault when bad things happen. Consider global warming. Other times, bad things happen for what seems like no reasonat all. That's when we blame it on God.The Sichuan Earthquake is on everyone's mind here. Such things are never easy for clergy to preach
about, particularly not in a nation where believers are in the minority, and religion is tolerated at best.
I almost didn't go to church last Sunday. It was rainy, and church is some distance. Glad I went though. Rev. Dr. Mikka Ruokanen, a visiting professor at the Nanjing Theological Seminary, spoke. His discussion of earthquakes and other disasters was interesting. He views creation as still developing and not necessarily perfect. Earthquakes and other disasters are simply natural occurrences in the present reality. Very tenable, I thought. One of his texts was Revelations 21, where it speaks of a new heaven and earth.



















Above: Dr. Ruokanen with his wife.















St. Paul's Church, Nanjing












Scene from the Sichuan Earthquake. Note to my anxious friends back home: I did not take this one. I'm nowhere near there.