The Boston Bombings: Madness and Meaning
On tax deadline day, someone hid bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombs exploded, killing three people and severely wounding many, many more. The investigation continues at all levels of law enforcement. Those are some of the facts, but it’s maddening that these clear words have been used over and over in news reports to summarize a truth that is founded in someone’s madness, in someone’s evil thinking and evil deeds. The madness of the bomber or bombers makes clear (as if we needed more clarity!) that no corner of our Earth is free from the deadly madness that some call insanity, others call terrorism, and some call sin. What is the meaning in all of this? Christians should resist the temptation to try to explain these horrific events in a context of “why God allows things like this to happen.” Honestly, not one of us really knows why God allows things like this to happen. We should stop saying, suggesting, or implying we know. We don’t know. We should n...