***Update***
Click here to see more about miracle abuse - hat tip Mark Elrod
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The first word was that 12 miners were alive and one dead. "Miracles happen in West Virginia!" was the mantra after hearing about the survivors.
A few hours later, it turned out to be just the opposite - one alive (barely) and 12 dead. Certainly a miracle that anyone survived, but not quite the miracle that was trumpeted. No miracle at all for the 12 families who thought they had a miracle on their hands.
I cannot imagine the rollercoaster these people have been on. May God be with the families who lost loved one in this tragedy.
Pondering on this tragic event, I thought about how Christians sometimes report miracles. Do we not sometimes get too excited and miscommunicate? Aren't we sometimes so hard up to prove God that we embellish the truth? We sometimes get so wrapped up in our agenda that we do whatever it takes to advance the agenda, though sometimes without integrity?
What happens when we overdo our story is that innoculate people against it. Our evangelism can become the anti-christ.
When we speak for or about God, we must be honest. I believe in miracles, but I am also very sensitive to how I communicate them. A miracle is not meant to force someone into love with God and never to advance a human agenda. Miracles for the sake of fund-raising is crazy.
Technorati tags: [Miner]Miscommunication, Evangelism
4 comments:
I agree. This whole thing is just heartwrenching.
And on miracles for fund-raising, I see no difference between that and Simon the Sorceror's agenda (and how did Peter react to that?).
When I saw the news break late last night that 12 of the miners had been found alive, I started to write a blog about it immediately. I was glad I didn't.
What could be worse that going from grief to joy to grief in a span of just a few hours?
I wish I had the words to express how bad I feel for these families.
i think its the lesser evil, though, to overdo miracles. personally i see more watering down of God's miracles, where i come from. and i think thats worse.
i think its the lesser evil, though, to overdo miracles. personally i see more watering down of God's miracles, where i come from. and i think thats worse.
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