Beating Swords Into Plows, and Spears Into Pruning Hooks

God will judge between the nations, and settle disputes of mighty nations. Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war.

-Isaiah 2:4 (CEB)

I'm a huge fan of the Worst Case Scenario Survival series--the combination of quirky humor and learning interesting trivia has proven irresistible to me over the years, and I now own quite a few of the books.

In one of my favorites, their History Almanac, is the story of when Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1752.

Now, back then, the tallest point of many towns was the church--especially if the church had a steeple.  But many church leaders "believed that lightning was sent by God as a punishment for sins--and Franklin's redirection of this tool of God's wrath was seen as an affront to God's will."

We know who won that particular debate--lightning rods became an important part of architecture, and many churches, in fact, serve as emergency shelters for severe weather precisely because they could withstand, among other things, lightning strikes.

But what I find interesting about that anecdote is the reluctance some churches had to challenging what they believed to be God's judgment (expressed via the destructiveness of lightning).

I've already talked about, in my entry from Tuesday, the idea that God was somehow executing or allowing judgment upon America during the Sandy Hooks tragedy last Friday.  In a sentence, I'm not too keen on it.

I'm similarly not too keen on how folks have suggested we react as a result of this massacre.  On a tree next to the elementary school which neighbors my church, somebody nailed this message: "One child shot is too much, allow teachers to defend them.  Make it a requirement for schoolteachers to have guns."

As one of my congregants succinctly observed, "I don't think that's the answer."

Neither do I.

But there's some odd theology at play here.

Clearly, some folks (however many) are seeing the loss of life in Newtown as a result of us turning away from God in some fashion or another (marriage equality, prayer in schools, take your pick).

But we're also saying that we should actively--and, in the case of this anonymous sign, violently--prevent this expression of God's judgment.

Which begs the question...if we believe in God and in His judgment, why are we--like Ben Franklin--trying to manipulate it?

The likely answer is, of course, that it is not God's judgment we are thwarting by asking ourselves how we can prevent another Sandy Hooks from happening.

We're working on thwarting our own evil instead.  As we should.  But my vote tends to be, as Isaiah puts it, for us beating our swords into plows and our spears into pruning hooks.

In an NPR story about the tragedy, and about how or why a good God allows such evil, Rabbi Steven Folberg talked about a bumper sticker he saw once.  It said: "God is good.  Evil is real.  God is all-powerful.  Pick two."

And that's about the size of the dilemma.

What if God is not all-powerful?

Would that be okay?

Would your faith be changed?

Or...maybe, would your faith be strengthened by the idea that a God who was NOT all-powerful, who did not have infinite stores of ability to draw upon, instead used some of His love and energy to create you?

It's just a thought.

But it's one that keeps returning to me after Sandy Hook.

Yours in Christ,
Eric