Fr Rolheiser perplexes on ‘angry God’

by Admin · March 17, 2016

Gregory MacMaster, East London

Father Ron Rolheiser’s article “Understanding the angry God” (February 17) refers. I read the article more than once to make sure I sufficiently grasped the gist of it, but I was and still am left with abiding concern.

Fr Rolheiser, as a theologian, attempts to assist laity like me to broaden our ability to interpret scripture, but where does one begin and end when one does not attach literal meanings to biblical texts?

While I accept the point that “context and interpretation are not rationalisations”, is there not a possibility of us believers running the risk of not being “more faithful than the scribes (teachers of the law) and the Pharisees in doing what God requires” (Matthew 5:20).

The Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus about why his disciples disobeyed the teaching of the ancestors by not washing “their hands in the proper way before they ate”.

Jesus answered: “And why do you disobey God’s command and follow your own teaching?” (Matthew 15:2-6). Jesus referred to the Mishnah, the oral law that was eventually written down and became more authoritative than the original law of Moses (Wiersbe Bible commentary on the New Testament, page 44).

In the same context I find 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 very clear, if literally interpreted, instructive and unambiguous: “God was not pleased with most of them [the Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt], and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”

Now, all of this is an example for us (Christians), to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, nor to worship idols, as some of them did.

We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. We must not complain, as some did—and were destroyed by the Angel of Death.

As an ordinary layman I have come to accept that the Bible portrays God as most compassionate, most gracious, as loving us pardoned sinners unconditionally and as always ready to forgive us.

But we are also cautioned: “Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. People will reap what they sow” (Galatians 6:7), “Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please Him, with reverence and awe; because our God is indeed a destroying (consuming) fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).