by Kathy Ross
"I couldn't possibly believe in God, at least not the God of the Bible," sneered one of the brightest students ever to enroll in one of my community college English courses. "Why not?" I queried as we drifted along the crowded corridor between classes. I sincerely wondered yet at the same time feared I might be dumbfounded by her reply.
"Maybe you should take a look at this," she said, handing me a well-worn paperback with Mark Twain's name emblazoned on the cover. It was a collection of essays, including (I soon discovered) some diatribes against the "cruel and vengeful" Christian God who supposedly relished slaughter, annihilating whole cities and gleefully bashing out the brains of innocent babes. To support his point, Twain cited select biblical passages, including Psalm 137, which I asked readers (this column, last issue) to begin pondering for future discussion.
"I can't promise to read this whole book before next week," I told Sharon, "but I'll look at the essays you find most convincing and give you my comments." She accepted this offer, marked the pages, and we agreed to talk again after class in a week.
Perhaps you've been in a similar situation, asked to explain how a loving God could stand by and permit, or even decree and condone, such horrible destruction and bloodshed as we see described in Psalm 137:8-9. How do you reply? Consider what you might have said to Sharon, with gentleness and respect, of course. Focus specifically on this passage of Scripture.