Faith and reason: 'It's a miracle nobody was killed'

Search and rescue teams work to secure a building on the corner of Worcester and Manchester Sts...
Search and rescue teams work to secure a building on the corner of Worcester and Manchester Sts in central Christchurch. Photo by The New Zealand Herald.
Locally and globally, last month appeared to be a rough one in terms of "natural" disasters. Earthquakes in Canterbury, snowstorms in Southland, floods in Pakistan - and the impact of these is ongoing.

Today, I want to ask if geology and theology belong together. It appears some of our civic leaders believe they do.

Last month's earthquake in Canterbury has caused disruption and destruction on a scale we have seldom seen in this country. In the days after the quake, journalists were asking, in many different ways, "Who will put this right? Who will fix this mess?"

I must say I was impressed by the way many of our civic leaders carried themselves in this crisis. John Key, Bob Parker and others were engaged, calm and present.

One interview stands out for me, between the Prime Minister and John Campbell. It took place on the Monday, two days after the earthquake, and Campbell had questions about financial support, infrastructure support and so on. "What will you do to fix it?" appeared to be an underlying question.

On the day of the earthquake, I was fascinated to hear the language some of these civic leaders were using, leaders who to my knowledge have not professed publicly a faith in God and yet the result was, in their words, miraculous.

In his statement to Parliament on September 7, Mr Key said "it's a miracle that nobody was killed". Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said "it was an absolute miracle everyone survived the quake". Civil Defence minister John Carter said we were lucky but then changed his language to say "we were blessed, actually".

All three of these civic leaders sensed something bigger than what they could control was happening here. All three, I think, knew their shoulders were not broad enough to put things right.

It is intriguing to me to compare the Haiti and Canterbury earthquakes, so similar in many ways. Both were west of major cities, very similar in size and depth, but the stark difference was, of course, in the loss of life.

Consider the statistics: The Haiti earthquake took place 24km west of a major city, 13km deep and measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. The Canterbury earthquake was 40km west of a major city, 10km deep and measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.

In other words, the Canterbury shake was 30% more powerful, and 3km shallower.

In Haiti, it is estimated that over 220,000 people were killed; in Canterbury, miraculously, no lives were lost. Why did our leaders consider this a miracle?

The society that we live in has been taught to look first for material answers. From the day we start school, we are encouraged to look to what we can see, touch, feel and measure to give answers to our world.

And so when we compare these two earthquakes, we ask the geologists about tectonic plates, we ask engineers about building codes and the strength of Port au Prince buildings, but I'm not sure this answers all our questions.

As a society, we ignore the connection between the unseen and the seen, the material and spiritual, at our peril. Thankfully, we still live under the blessing of a society shaped by God's revealed ways: honesty, integrity, wisdom and faith. God's blessing comes upon a nation in many and varied ways.

Wise civic governance is one, leaders who are men and women of integrity another. A community that cares for and looks out for each other, just as Christchurch did last month: this is a profound blessing from God that many societies do not experience.

Jesus seemed to indicate that the world we live in was under God's sovereign hand and that his treatment is generally neutral. "He [your Father in heaven] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

When God intervenes in this world, he does so for a good reason. When he chooses not to intervene, we can be sure that that too, has a deeper reason. The God I know is "slow to anger, rich in love".

More often than not, I wonder if God's silence is due to us turning our back on his ways. There are forces at work in this world that cause creation to groan (Romans 8:18-25). Sometimes that groaning gives a jolt. This is all part of the physical and spiritual journey of our world. The older I get, the less I believe in luck.

Why did no-one get killed in the Canterbury earthquake? The best explanation I have heard came from the lips of a Saudi Arabian student, evacuated from Christchurch the week after the shake. He confidently said, "God must love your country!"

• The Rev Stu Crosson is Vicar of St Matthew's, Dunedin.

 

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