New York Theological Seminary President’s Statement in Response to the Crisis in Japan

Fourteen months ago I posted on our NYTS web page a statement in response to a devastating earthquake in Haiti.  In that statement I noted that one of the questions that is often asked in the face of such disasters is “why?”  It’s the question that Jesus’ disciples asked in John 9:2 when they saw a man who was blind from birth.  Who sinned, this man or his parents, they wanted to know.  Jesus responded by saying neither, but that his condition was an occasion for the work of God to be made manifest.  The theological question we need to ask regarding the earthquake in Haiti, I suggested, is not why did it happen, but what would God have us do now in response.

As it was fourteen months ago in Haiti, so it is now again in Japan.  The recent disaster caused by the tsunami that was triggered by an earthquake in that nation is yet another occasion for the healing and redeeming work of God to be revealed.  New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) as a community of faith is being called once again to join with others in manifesting that work in the world in whatever way we can.

Healing and redemption can start with words of comfort.  On behalf of the entire NYTS community I want to express our profound condolences to the people of Japan who have experienced such loss and who continue to suffer in the aftermath of the devastation.  There are a number of members of the wider international community who have experienced loss due to the tsunami.  We need to reach out to them in whatever way we can.  As we watch once again the images of destruction on our television and computer screens, we are moved to tears.  May we find a way to transform such tears to acts of solidarity and hope.

Like many others throughout the world we are especially concerned about the threatening meltdown of several nuclear reactors damaged by the tsunami, and the catastrophic consequences that would ensue if this were to happen.  Healing and redemption are very much on our minds as we pray for the workers who are risking their lives as they try to avert such a meltdown, and as we pray that further devastation is avoided.

Healing and redemption can take financial shape in the form of a donation.  The NYTS community and others are invited to make contributions to any one of a number of organizations such as Church World Services (CWS) or the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) that are working with partners in Japan to provide emergency relief. You can read more about their efforts at http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer or http://www.umc.org/umcor/.

Finally, healing and redemption are in the end a promise.  We look forward to the promise of Japan’s recovery, and to the recovery of all who suffer in our day.