Sunday, February 21, 2016

A "Hamilton" Weekend--Anger at God turns to Hope

A dear friend turned me on to Hamilton a couple of months ago.  "Ellis, my entire family is listening to and loving this play--it's so beautiful."

After I finally succumbed to paying monthly for iTunes Music, I began listening.  Each time I listen, I learn more about the Founding Fathers (not just Hamilton), how our country was established, am amazed by the genius of the author, and finally I became mad at God.

I became mad at God, because Hamilton cheats on his wife, loses his eldest son (who seems to be a "spitting image of him") to a duel, and finally loses his own life in a duel.  If you believe in "free will," you can be mad at Hamilton.  As one who believes like Luther (as confirmed by social scientist Jonathan Haidt) that we all have deep down libidinal urges that frame our actions, I lay all of this at the feet of God.

God made us the way that we are.  You can't get around this fact.  Sure, some folks try to lay the blame with we humans--the "fall in the Garden"--but it's difficult to be an observer of humanity and not question whether we actually have "free will."

How many times have you vowed to make changes in your life?  to lose weight, to love your wife better, to spend more time with your children, to spend more time with your elderly parents, to love the sibling that you has hurt you, to banish anger from your life, to do more for your neighbors.  Well, how's it going?

And for men, how's it coming with porn?  Enough said.

So, then God is responsible for the sad state of affairs of this world.  For what it's worth, if God is not in control, then that means we are (and the Devil) and that's even more scary.

As I was brushing my teeth yesterday, and contemplating my being mad at God, two things hit me:

1.  If God allows (or causes) the world to be in such a mess (and it always has been), and if God is just, then God must be eternally loving to everyone that ever lived.  Given how difficult life is on earth, the only way for God to make it right is to save everyone for all of eternity.  That is--if God is just.  If God isn't just, well, we're all screwed.

2.  God raised Jesus from the dead.  This seems to actually have happened.  First, there were over 500 witnesses, many of whom were still alive when the Gospels were written.  Second, this miracle is the only way to explain the tremendous growth of Christianity.  Third, the Apostles all died martyr's deaths.  Sure, we might give our lives for a good person, for a good reason--but for all of these men to give their lives based upon a lie (that is, if the resurrection didn't happen)--so, I take it that the resurrection happened.

If God actually raised Jesus from the dead, and if God is a just god (a god whose love trumps our sin and the Devil), then God will also raise us.  God will bring us to be with Him eternally!!!

This is the hope that I have in the God who created a fallen world inhabited by fallen humans.  This is the God who had an answer all along for death, sin, and the Devil.

This is a message that I can share with a friend who is dying.  This is a message that allows me to persevere in this world.