Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Where is God When Bad Things Happen?

The last few weeks have not been good. A Catholic school holding Mass in Minnesota was shot up by a transgender shooter. Charlie Kirk is dead. Three kids are in critical condition after a school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado. Things are just not good and one of the things I’ve been hearing online from atheists and secularists has been “Where is your God in all of this?” In fact, that was one of the things written on one of the magazines in the trans shooter’s possession: “Where is your God?” Because of this, it’s easy to see why people would be upset and doubt God’s power when this is the type of thing that we see going on. So, what should the Christian response be when things like this happen?

For starters, according to the Bible, specifically in Romans 9:20-21, it says that we are like clay that God – the potter in this metaphor – can shape and mold to his will. Furthermore, the Bible also says that God has numbered our days (Psalm 90:12, James 4:14). He planned when you would be conceived, and He planned when your life will end. He can do this because He is the creator of the universe. He has a plan and what happens in your life ties into that plan. Thus, when someone dies, even though it’s tragic, God is still in control. He knew it would happen.

So then, you might be wondering, “If He knew this would happen, why did He do nothing?” That’s a fair question and is my second point. As I mentioned before, God is in control and has a plan. As much as it’s tragic when someone dies and we often can’t see what good will come of it, God still works for our good through it. For example, in the wake of the recent Charlie Kirk shooting, it seems cruel that God would allow this great tragedy to happen. However, as we’ve seen recently, his death has not just brought to light the political extremism of the Left, but it’s also inspired millions of young people around the world to have the courage to speak up for their values, something that we’ve struggled to do for a long time out of fear of being persecuted for it.

Finally, one of the things I’ve heard especially from atheists making fun of Christians when these things happen is that it’s undeniable evidence that God isn’t real because of the myriads of Bible verses saying that God will protect believers, especially in the Old Testament. On the surface, that seems like adequate reason to doubt. However, the reason why this assumption is wrong is because though God protected people in the Bible, it is not a promise that He’ll protect us from all pain and hardship or even death. Just look up some of the horrible ways that early Christians, including the apostles, were murdered for their faith. Furthermore, the promise of physical protection isn’t really ours under the New Covenant as it was in the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant protections applied to the nation of Israel, that if they remained faithful, God would prosper them. The promise of protection in the New Covenant applies more to spiritual protection, so even if we die, we can rest assured that if we’re Christians, we’re going to Heaven.

Until next time,

M.J.