A Message From Pastor

Recently, Hurricane Katrina has become the scapegoat of prophetic utterances of a few people.

Franklin Graham, son of the famed evangelist, has linked the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to the sin that was going on in the Gulf Coast region-specifically in New Orleans and Mississippi-profligacy, gambling, and such. And, then there are others who have made similar "prophetic interpretations" that link the hurricanes to retribution for past sins-the Middle Passage, the Diaspora, the slave trade, and the genocide of millions of Africans who were kidnapped and who died on their way to the most horrible institution known to humanity-slavery in these United States of America. The connection is that these hurricanes, as we know, originate from the African shores and follow the path of the slave trade. Therefore some, without prophetic license, have taken the quantum leap and concluded that the "blood, and voices of our ancestors" are calling out of the ocean, and the wrath of God is being delivered through these hurricanes. My word!

Let's look at what these "prophetic interpretations" would mean. First, most of the victims, evacuees if you will, of these natural disasters were descendants of slaves. What does it mean, then, if God's wrath is directed towards the gaming industry and to ports of historical slave distribution? In these areas were countless individuals, primarily people of color, who were living below poverty level, and who were trapped in cities where money was diverted to a war that is based on lies, where troops were deployed overseas leaving less than adequate National Guard forces available for a "national emergency." What type of God do we serve who directs a hurricane, or storm, towards a people who have already been victimized historically; who were economically strapped; who were virtually immobile because they did not have transportation to escape? And, should we ask the question where were they going to go, or to whom?

Secondly, biblically speaking, God usually sends a prophetic voice to warn God's people of his impending judgment. Where were the words from the indigenous prophets? Surely not all of the pastors, bishops, preachers, teachers in New Orleans have bowed to Baal? There must have been a word from the Lord being preached somewhere in the Gulf Coast. And, what does this tragedy do, as my good friend Dr. Warren Stewart of Phoenix, Arizona noted, to prosperity preaching? Is there a hole in the theology that suggests that some pretty prosperous churches were destroyed?

Finally, how do we address the issues surrounding the other events--the Tsunami, the recent earthquake in Islamabad, the mudslides and fires in California, famine in east Africa, and the endless list of catastrophes that are being tagged as acts of God's judgment? One must be careful about associating any of them with being signs of the "last and evil days." Matthew's Gospel informs us that just when we think it might be the end of time, it's not even the beginning of the end, and no one knows-only God!

So, at the risk of disagreeing with Billy Graham's son, Franklin, and any other prophetic types who offer misguided interpretations, or who think that somehow these tragic events are the result of God's wrath, or God's latter day punishment for the African slave trade, we need to voice our dissent. Hundreds of innocent people who died, (many of whom were people of color and descendants of slaves, and some whose bodies have not yet been found or identified) did not all participate in the gaming industry, and perhaps might not see God moving in such a manner!

Might I suggest that those of us who are called to do the Lord's bidding look for ways to help those who are on the bottom, so that when the flood waters come, and the wind and rains come, they will no longer be on the bottom, caught in a bath tub-shaped city below sea level with insufficient levees to hold back the water. So, instead of looking for a God of vengeance, and the wrath of such a God, perhaps we need to see the God of compassion who sent us one who said: "When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was naked, you gave me clothes. When I was sick you took care of me, and when I was in prison you visited me."

Too many people are locked in the prison of poverty, and we hold the keys to their freedom!

Peace,
Dr. Marvin J. Bentley

.... They've lost everything, including their precious Bibles. Please help us respond to their pleas for God's Word at http://www.katrinabibles.org/