Haiti and Pat Robertson

As most of you have probably seen or heard, Pat Robertson has made the news again for the above statments on the Haitian crisis.  My friend, Fred McKinnon, posted this today.  I thought it was quite insightful.

We will be taking an offering to send over to the Glove International missionaries in Haiti, the Lashbrooks, this coming Sunday.  They have been there many years and are trusted in how to dispense the funds given.

Please come ready to give to this Sunday.  I would like to hope others would do the same for us!

To Mercy,

PB

4 Things We Can Learn from Pat Robertson’s Haiti Remarks

Posted on January 14th, 2010 in Faith by Fred McKinnon

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So I have struggled on whether or not I should even weigh in on the big “Pat Robertson” saga.  Not that my opinion matters.  But then again, I think that I do have some insight.  Is it fresh and new?  Probably not.  Has someone already blogged it?  I’m sure.  I just need to get this off my chest.

#1.  Use Discretion.

There is a time and place for everything.  In all fairness (I guess I’ll get flamed for this pretty heavily), there is some wisdom in what Pat Robertson says.  If this whole “pact with the Devil” thing is true (there are plenty of sources denouncing that this ever happened, including some who are devout Christians from Haiti) there could be a huge degree of spiritual oppression.  I believe in spiritual oppression and that it can affect a person, a city, a state, or an entire country.  I also believe there can be freedom from such oppression.  Regardless, you don’t need to sling this in the face of a country who is in devastation and crisis.  Our response should be of love and compassion, not shame and judgment.

#2.  Blow It Early, Lose it Late

I suspect that 90% or more of the people who have commented on Pat Robertson’s remarks never watched the entire clip.  (I have the clip above, as long as the source is available).  Most people heard a sound byte or saw a tweet or a blog comment or a headline … and made their judgment.  It’s clear from the comments that most people didn’t hear Pat’s entire message in context.  I’m not defending him or his comment.  But  … he says everything that he says to bring the final resolution .. the last 10-15 seconds or so, that most people probably never watched.  He says we need to pray for revival, for a returning to God, and then he goes on to talk about how we can send aid and relief, and how we can pray for them.

But … because of the insensitive judgment and remarks EARLY in his interview, he BLOWS the opportunity to be heard later on when he asks people to pray for the country and send aid.  The message:  blow it early, lose it late.  Watch what you say, because if you lose your audience early, they’ll never hear your resolution.

#3.  Disagree in Love, not in Hate

I agree, the timing of Pat’s remarks and the nature in which they would be interpreted was not good.  However, the tone and words in which we (Christians) have expressed our disagreement are far more hateful and harmful to the witness of Christ.  Do we really think that publicly calling a fellow Christian (and yes, despite some of his off-the-wall comments and judgments, I do believe he is a Christian) all sorts of names and ridicules is expressing the love of Christ.  We condemn him for the “harm” he’s caused the witness of Christ; yet, we call him “f*** idiot”, among other things.  “Go to hell, Pat”.  Yeah, that’s real Christian of us.  I expect these comments from the lost, but from Christians?  We’ve done just as much harm.  I think there is a way to disagree and express our disagreement with respect and love, not with judgment and hate.

#4.  Just Because You Think It Doesn’t Mean You Have To Say It

This really goes with #1, Discretion.  But here’s the deal.  Just because you know something … just because God showed you something (or so you think) … it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to spout it out.  Especially on television or the internet.  Sometimes you are made aware of something so that you will pray.  Sometimes, you address a situation privately.  But many times, you say nothing at all.  You water it in prayer, and ask God for wisdom on what to do or say.  You don’t have to say everything you think.  It’s really that simple.

So, was there a “pact” made with Satan earlier in Haiti’s history?  I don’t know.
If there was, could it bring on a spiritual oppression?  I believe so.
If that’s true, is that the cause of an earthquake?  I don’t know.  I doubt it.  There was a fault line under Haiti long before there was any pact made with the devil, if indeed that happened.

Most importantly:
What is God’s heart for the people of Haiti?

God loves them more than anyone could imagine.  He grieves over this disaster.  He grieves over the previous condition of the land, over the poverty, over the corruption.  It’s as opposed to the Kingdom of God as you can get.

God’s heart is to see a nation rise up, to call on Him, to honor Him.  His desire is to pour out his blessings on that land so that they may shine.  His desire is to comfort the hurting, the lost, and the broken.  His desire is to come quickly and rescue those who call on His Name in surrender.

That, my friends, I can say with confidence.

So, comment away.  I’ll try not to censor, even if you are against what I shared.  What I will censor is hateful remarks hurled at anyone.  That’s not what this community is about.

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Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=631515675]

Hey, thanks for sharing my thoughts to your readers, bro ... look forward to some great time of prayer, worship, and fasting next week!

[Carolyn]

When I heard Pat Robertsons remark, I have to admit I was stunned. I remembered his past statements that got him into trouble. I think he was just talking and didn't think about the repurcussions of what he was saying. It was a mistake to say those things under the terrible circumstances going on in Haiti. I still love and respect Pat Robertson, he has done amazing things for God. Its a lesson for all of us to be careful what we say. Scott

[Jim Mather]

Wisdom knows when to speak, when to remain silent and when to know the difference.

[becca]

James and I were discussing the comment and our thought was the same as Fred's: DISCRETION. Could be a lost art, but there is so much need for it in ALL that we do! Thanks for sharing the post.

[christian stone]

If we were to ask God about Haiti, he would say that they are His people, they are His children, wouldn't it make sense that these children of God have an enemy also? Wouldn't it make sense that this enemy would try everything in his power to put a dark cloud over said people? That he would have others question their sovereignty,their righteousness? Wouldn't it make more sense for us to ignore all of this discredit to God's people, to not play into becoming a puppet to said enemy? Wouldn't it make more sense for us to show up at their side and help them fight this treturous battle? With them, for them, on their behalf if need be, not against them.

[Ron Villagran]

Bobby, I appreciate the wisdom you share with regards to "blowing early and losing late: but at the end of the day any witness for Christ and the Gospel will come under persecution. And as one person stated; We should be surprised when thier is NO reaction. I saw the clip you posted from beginning to end and liked it. Often times and unfortunately, people will not consider thier dilema until a castrophic event happens in thier lives... it is at this point that God's people need share thier faith. I like the fact that Pat gets ahead of this by indirectly reminding folks that God did not do this, as so often is the case. Whether the comment of a pact with the devil was made between the Haiti and the devil by Pat on the clip were true... well I hope thier is evidence.