Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Tribute _______________________ "The war is being waged with unbelievable cruelty and in a fashion so out of character with American instincts of decency that it is seriously undermining them." - William Sloane Coffin _______________________ On Wednesday, April 12, 2006, those of us who are believers in Christ lost a brother with a profound and important voice about how our faith touches and influences this world. William Sloane Coffin, political activist, former chaplain of Yale University, and Presbyterian minister, died at his home in Vermont of congestive heart failure. Friday, the NPR program 'Fresh Air' with Terry Gross aired an interview with Rev. Coffin originally broadcast in 1985, and I listened, rapt and intrigued, as I drove home. Of course, Rev. Coffin's views are more liberal than mine (which is saying something), but he made one observation in particular that has gripped me and left me committed to reading some of his books. He was talking about the singular tendency of Christians, when faced with a life tragedy, to intone, 'Well...it must have been God's will.' He spoke of families who have lost sons and daughters in war or to disease or in accidents...and people, he knew what he was talking about: his own son died in a senseless car wreck in 1983. He made the point that it does no service to God or to the memory of the loved one lost to ascribe God's will to their passing. I loved what he said next...that instead of God somehow being complicit in our sorrows, that truly, God who loves us so much is the first to have His heart broken by our loss. Now, I know that this flies in the face of more traditional Christian thought, that God numbers the hairs on our heads and notes every sparrow that falls from the sky...but I'd submit for consideration that the utter and complete omniscience and omnipresence of our God is something that we are unable to understand. The philosophical challenge presented by the merest contemplation of God's will is daunting and and shouldn't be undertaken lightly. I always return to God's ultimate proclamation on this subject in Isaiah 55:8. ' "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. ' Further, I'd suggest that we are taught to endure and manage our lives with grace and dependence on the Lord. Peter touched on this in his first letter, chapter 4:12: 'Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.' He understood that this life here below is full of opportunities for sorrow as well as joy. I'd urge everyone who wants to experience the spirit and courage of a man committed to the conscience of Christ to learn more about the life of William Sloane Coffin, who rests now in God's peace.