I​ ​hate​ ​the​ ​phrase​ ​“act​ ​of​ ​God.”

​In​ ​legal​ ​usage​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​English–speaking​ ​world,​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​God​ ​is​ ​a​ ​natural​ ​disaster outside​ ​human​ ​control,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​an​ ​earthquake,​ ​hurricane,​ ​flood​ ​or​ ​tsunami,​ ​for​ ​which​ ​no​ ​person can​ ​be​ ​held​ ​responsible.

As​ ​a​ ​pastor,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​always​ ​found​ ​it​ ​interesting​ ​that​ ​the​ ​only​ ​time​ ​God​ ​ever​ ​makes​ ​it​ ​into​ ​the parlance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​secular​ ​world​ ​is​ ​when​ ​a​ ​catastrophe​ ​occurs,​ ​and​ ​God​ ​is​ ​the​ ​one​ ​who​ ​is​ ​causing bad​ ​things​ ​to​ ​happen.

I​ ​don’t​ ​believe​ ​God​ ​is​ ​the​ ​one​ ​who​ ​causes​ ​destruction​ ​and​ ​chaos.​ ​I​ ​believe​ ​in​ ​a​ ​God​ ​who​ ​is​ ​the healer​ ​of​ ​all​ ​ills,​ ​not​ ​the​ ​one​ ​originator​ ​of​ ​​ ​them.

Believing​ ​that​ ​these​ ​kinds​ ​of​ ​natural​ ​disasters​ ​are​ ​“acts​ ​of​ ​God”​ ​paints​ ​a​ ​picture​ ​of​ ​a​ ​God​ ​who​ ​is throwing​ ​darts​ ​at​ ​a​ ​dartboard,​ ​randomly​ ​picking​ ​out​ ​certain​ ​people​ ​and​ ​areas​ ​to​ ​“hit”​ ​with tragedy.

The​ ​God​ ​I​ ​serve​ ​is​ ​the​ ​one​ ​who​ ​brought​ ​order​ ​to​ ​the​ ​world​ ​and​ ​who​ ​provides​ ​solid​ ​ground​ ​when the​ ​earth​ ​around​ ​me​ ​shakes,​ ​not​ ​the​ ​one​ ​who​ ​sets​ ​the​ ​earth​ ​shaking.​ ​God​ ​put​ ​the​ ​world​ ​on​ ​its course,​ ​and​ ​allows​ ​for​ ​a​ ​natural​ ​order​ ​of​ ​things.

Bad​ ​things​ ​happen​ ​in​ ​the​ ​natural​ ​world.​ But​ ​not​ ​because​ ​God​ ​is​ ​at​ ​the​ ​helm,​ ​pointing​ ​the​ ​wind to​ ​go​ ​here​ ​and​ ​the​ ​waves​ ​to​ ​crest​ ​there.​ ​Those​ ​just​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​laws​ ​of​ ​nature​ ​that​ ​God​ ​set​ ​in motion.

People​ ​have​ ​a​ ​tendency​ ​to​ ​blame​ ​God​ ​for​ ​anything​ ​bad.​ ​​Whenever​ ​there​ ​is​ ​an​ ​illness ​or​ ​a person​ ​faces​ ​a​ ​great​ ​struggle,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​uncommon​ ​to​ ​hear​ ​“God​ ​doesn’t​ ​give​ ​you​ ​more​ ​than​ ​you can​ ​handle.”

Why​ ​is​ ​God​ ​the​ ​one​ ​giving​ ​us​ ​the​ ​struggles?​ ​When​ ​I​ ​hear​ ​people​ ​say​ ​that,​ ​​ ​I​ ​can​ ​understand why​ ​more​ ​and​ ​more​ ​people​ ​are​ ​fleeing​ ​religious​ ​faith.​ ​I​ ​mean,​ ​who​ ​wants​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a system​ ​where​ ​God​ ​is​ ​handing​ ​you​ ​every​ ​trial​ ​and​ ​challenge.

I​ ​prefer​ ​to​ ​think​ ​that​ ​“God​ ​gives​ ​us​ ​the​ ​strength​ ​to​ ​handle​ ​what​ ​the​ ​world​ ​gives​ ​us.”​ ​We​ ​live​ ​in​ ​a broken​ ​world.​ ​And​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​consequences​ ​of​ ​that​ ​brokenness​ ​is​ ​that​ ​unfair​ ​things​ ​happen.

We​ ​are​ ​subject​ ​both​ ​to​ ​our​ ​free​ ​will — and​ ​consequences​ ​of​ ​our​ ​action — and​ ​the​ ​free​ ​will​ ​of​ ​others. For​ ​example,​ ​​ ​if​ ​I​ ​drink​ ​and​ ​drive​ ​and​ ​something​ ​happens,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​my​ ​action,​ ​my​ ​free​ ​will,​ ​​ ​that cause​ ​it.​ ​​​If​ ​someone​ ​else​ ​drives​ ​drunk​ ​and​ ​hits​ ​a​ ​person — the​ ​person​ ​hit​ ​​ ​has​ ​suffered​ ​because of​ ​the​ ​free​ ​will​ ​of​ ​another​ ​person​ ​who​ ​drank​ ​and​ ​drove.​ ​God​ ​had​ ​nothing​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​either​ ​action.

God​ ​is​ ​the​ ​one​ ​who​ ​gives​ ​a​ ​person​ ​the​ ​strength​ ​to​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​the​ ​pain​ ​of​ ​those​ ​actions,​ ​the consquences​ ​of​ ​free​ ​will.​ ​​And​ ​it​ ​is​ ​God​ ​in​ ​Christ,​ ​through​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​the​ ​resurrection,​ ​who gives​ ​life,​ ​and​ ​not​ ​death,​ ​the​ ​last​ ​word​ ​in​ ​the​ ​face​ ​of​ ​the​ ​brokenness​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world.

The​ ​victory​ ​of​ ​eternal​ ​life​ ​that​ ​Christ​ ​provides​ ​in​ ​the​ ​face​ ​of​ ​a​ ​world​ ​where​ ​death​ ​is​ ​inevitable​ ​is an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​God.​ ​Freedom​ ​from​ ​eternal​ ​death — that​ ​is​ ​the​ ​ultimate​ ​act​ ​of​ ​God.

But​ ​there​ ​is​ ​another​ ​reason​ ​I​ ​have​ ​come​ ​to​ ​loathe​ ​the​ ​phrase​ ​“act​ ​of​ ​God.”​ ​​ And​ ​that​ ​is​ ​because it​ ​denies​ ​any​ ​human​ ​agency​ ​in​ ​the​ ​most​ ​recent​ ​acts​ ​of​ ​destruction.

In​ ​the​ ​last​ ​three​ ​years,​ ​there​ ​have​ ​been​ ​three​ ​“500​ -year​ ​floods”​ ​in​ ​Houston.​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​think​ ​that​ ​this is​ ​happening​ ​because​ ​God​ ​has​ ​it​ ​in​ ​for​ ​Houston.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​there​ ​are​ ​far​ ​more​ ​human​ ​reasons​ ​it​ ​is happening.

In​ ​the​ ​Bible​ ​story​ ​about​ ​Noah,​ ​God​ ​destroys​ ​the​ ​world​ ​in​ ​a​ ​flood,​ ​saving​ ​only​ ​Noah​ ​and​ ​his family,​ ​​​and​ ​a​ ​bunch​ ​of​ ​their​ ​animal​ ​friends​ ​brought​ ​on​ ​board​ ​in​ ​pairs,​ ​because​ ​humans​ ​were​ ​so sinful​ ​and​ ​awful​ ​that​ ​they​ ​lost​ ​favor​ ​with​ ​God.​ The​ ​story​ ​ends​ ​with​ ​God​ ​saying​ ​that​ ​this​ ​will​ ​never happen​ ​again.​ ​Basically,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​story​ ​whose​ ​purpose​ ​is​ ​to​ ​tell​ ​us​ ​that​ ​natural​ ​destruction​ ​in​ ​the world​ ​is​ ​NOT​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​God.

But​ ​that​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​that​ ​there​ ​aren’t​ ​natural​ ​consequences​ ​for​ ​human​ ​behavior.​ ​​The​ ​recent near​ ​apocalyptic​ ​floods​ ​not​ ​only​ ​in​ ​Houston,​ ​but​ ​in​ ​India​ ​and​ ​Sierra​ ​Leone,​ ​are​ ​the​ ​result​ ​of​ ​the human​ ​sin​ ​of​ ​greed,​ ​that​ ​happens​ ​when​ ​there​ ​aren’t​ ​constraints​ ​on​ ​oil​ ​companies​ ​or​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of fossil​ ​fuels.

Climate​ ​change​ ​is​ ​the​ ​result​ ​of​ ​human​ ​action​ ​and​ ​the​ ​refusal​ ​to​ ​address​ ​it​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​focus on​ ​the​ ​​profit​ ​margins​ ​of​ ​oil​ ​and​ ​coal​ ​companies​ ​has​ ​led​ ​to​ ​very​ ​real​ ​conseqences.​ ​​The​ ​climate has​ ​changed,​ ​the​ ​waters​ ​in​ ​the​ ​ocean​ ​are​ ​warming,​ ​polar​ ​ice​ ​caps​ ​are​ ​melting​ ​​ ​and​ ​the​ ​weather patterns​ ​are​ ​changing.​ ​This​ ​leads​ ​to​ ​500​-year​ ​floods​ ​becoming​ ​​yearly​ ​events.

These​ ​floods​ ​are​ ​not​ ​“acts​ ​of​ ​God.”​ ​​They​ ​are​ ​the​ ​consequences​ ​of​ ​the​ ​acts​ ​of​ ​humans.​ ​Sadly, however,​ ​the​ ​victims​ ​of​ ​the​ ​floods​ ​are​ ​rarely​ ​the​ ​ones​ ​ones​ ​who​ ​are​ ​reaping​ ​the​ ​benefits​ ​of unchecked​ ​energy​ ​companies.

​Instead,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​the​ ​people​ ​on​ ​the​ ​tiny​ ​Pacific​ ​Island​ ​countries​ ​like​ ​Kiribati​ ​whose​ ​homes​ ​are being​ ​swallowed​ ​up​ ​in​ ​the​ ​ocean;​ ​they​ ​are​ ​the​ ​slum​ ​dwellers​ ​in​ ​Sierra​ ​Leone​ ​who​ ​have​ ​no protection​ ​when​ ​unprecedented​ ​rains​ ​cause​ ​mudslides;​ ​they​ ​are​ ​the​ ​people​ ​of​ ​Houston​ ​who didn’t​ ​have​ ​enough​ ​money​ ​to​ ​flee​ ​the​ ​city​ ​when​ ​the​ ​alarm​ ​went​ ​up ​and​ ​were​ ​caught​ ​when​ ​the torrents​ ​came​ ​down.

So​ ​it​ ​is​ ​incumbant​ ​upon​ ​us​ ​to​ ​not​ ​blame​ ​God​ ​and​ ​instead​ ​focus​ ​our​ ​energy​ ​on​ ​human​ ​acts.​ ​The Trump​ administration’s​ ​rollback​ ​on​ ​controlling​ ​​anything​ ​having​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​climate​ ​change​ ​​has far​-reaching​ ​effects​ ​for​ ​our​ ​entire​ ​civilization​ ​and​ ​as​ ​a​ ​result​ ​we​ ​have​ ​a​ ​call​ ​to​ ​action.

We​ ​need​ ​to​ ​lift​ ​our​ ​voice​ ​in​ ​more​ ​than​ ​prayers​ ​for​ ​those​ ​who​ ​are​ ​victims​ ​but​ ​also​ ​in​ ​advocacy​ ​for those​ ​who​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the​ ​next​ ​victims​ ​as​ ​we​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​the​ ​effects​ ​of​ ​destruction​ ​that​ ​humans​ ​have​ ​a hand​ ​in​ ​causing.

Floods​ ​are​ ​not​ ​an​ ​“act​ ​of​ ​God.”​ ​But​ ​if​ ​we​ ​speak​ ​up​ ​about​ ​the​ ​need​ ​to​ ​address​ ​climate​ ​change​ ​in real​ ​and​ ​consequential​ ​ways,​ stand​ ​up​ ​for​ ​those​ ​who​ ​are​ ​fighting​ ​for​ ​regulations​ ​to​ ​protect​ ​our land​ ​and​ ​water ​and​ ​change​ ​our​ ​own​ ​patterns​ ​of​ ​behavior​ ​to​ ​help​ ​preserve​ ​this​ ​world,​ ​we​ ​will be​ ​doing​ ​acts​ ​for​ ​God​ ​to​ ​protect​ ​the​ ​world​ ​God​ ​made.