And now... a word on Pat Robertson...

Ok, first of all, let's establish that I'm not at all a fan of Pat Robertson... I find him disingenuous... pompous... not to mention really, really bad at bridging the communication gap of grace between himself and the sinners he is so good at denouncing.

Bottom line is, let's just say I am not, nor do I ever wish to be in the 700 Club Member database.

Now having said that, let's take a look at the facts.

The FACT is, a lot of the wildly unpopular things he has said aren't really untrue. They are just wildly unpopular. And very, very poorly timed, with even poorer delivery.

He has done this time and time again, but for the sake of brevity, let's focus on his most recent "outrageous" statement, about Haiti. http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9554506

Outrageous, right? Yes. But... the fact is, that whole thing about the "deal with the devil"?

[sigh] Um... Hate to say it, but it's pretty much true.

Here's an excerpt taken from the Haitian Bicentennial page put up by the city of Miami (a government publication): A man named Boukman, another houngan, organized on August 14, 1791, a meeting with the slaves in the mountains of the North. This meeting took the form of a Voodoo ceremony in the Bois Caiman in the northern mountains of the island. It was raining and the sky was raging with clouds; the slaves then started confessing their resentment of their condition. A woman started dancing languorously in the crowd, taken by the spirits of the loas. With a knife in her hand, she cut the throat of a pig and distributed the blood to all the participants of the meeting who swore to kill all the whites on the island. On August 22, 1791, the blacks of the North entered into a rebellion, killing all the whites they met and setting the plantations of the colony on fire. However, the French quickly captured the leader of the slaves, Boukman, and beheaded him, bringing the rebellion under control. Just like Mackandal, Boukman had managed to instill in the blacks the idea that he was invincible. Thus, the French exposed his head on Cap’s square to convince the slaves that their leader was really dead.
However, the ideas of the revolution, the ideas of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, had already enflamed the mind of the slaves. The death of Boukman although it had temporarily stopped the rebellion of the North failed to restrain the rest of the blacks from revolting against their condition. The Revolution that would give birth to the Republic of Haiti was under way and nothing could stop it. http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/haiti2004/history.htm

Ok, but still, you say... why even mention it? The rationale, it would seem, is that the mere fact of bringing it up is somehow tantamount to saying that God is punishing hundreds of thousands of people, many whom are innocent, non "deal with devil-makers", for the sins of a few way back when. That's hateful, you say.

Well, now wait a minute. Who brought God into all of this? Call me crazy, but if I have my "deal with the devil" playbook down correctly, isn't the point of voudon (or voodoo, whichever you care to call it) to call on the the incarnation of a bunch of animistic spirits (NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, btw) to assist and empower, in exchange for subjection? Is this not what they did? Did I miss something? Is voodoo NOT prevalent in Haiti? Has this country NOT been ravaged over the centuries?

Here is my point. Do ya THINK that maybe if the devil IS behind some or all of the poverty, desolation and tragedy that has decimated Haiti over the years... maybe... just maybe he doesn't really care HOW many innocent people get caught up in it? Do you think the enemy of the Living God might just be dancing in his little hell hole at the thought of it?

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." John 10:10

THAT'S his JOB, my friends! Why are we surprised by this? Why are we mad at Pat Robertson for pointing it out? The fact is, whether we want to admit it or not, there is an actual (not metaphorical) enemy of all that is good, of all that reflects the glory of God, roaming about this earth, with one clear cut, laser-beam focused mission: DESTRUCTION & BONDAGE. Period. Do you think he cares whether or not he gets the credit? Don't you think it only emboldens his dastardly deeds to deflect the putricity of said dastardly deeds back on his Enemy, the Creator of the heavens and earth?

I for one am not falling for it. As a follower of Christ, I am called to pick up the second half of that John 10:10 verse, where Jesus says "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly". That means, first of all, recognizing the first half, that there is a real devil to resist. Secondly, and more importantly, I am called to let Jesus Christ, through the weak and foolish vessel that I am, show justice, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and yes, SET CAPTIVES FREE! To let mercy and truth kiss one another. THIS is my clear cut, laser beam mission.

To those who cry out for judgment, I plead with you: Beware. We are ALL under judgment, of one kind or another. But, thanks be to God:

Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13

The truth is, without the risen King of Kings, I am just as lost and hopeless in my nicety nice, safe and warm, shiny happy American life of priviledge, as any person, place or thing that has made a "pact with the devil".

I need a deliverer. His name is Jesus. May I never forget that.