I woke up this morning to read this tweet from John Piper:
Tornados do have a voice. They talk to Lutherans. And the rest of us. They talk about sexual sin. Stay tuned.
You will find, if you read his blog, that he believes that “The Tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin.”
I’m not one who quickly grasps for this kind of explanation. Saying that God used natural disasters to warn his people about problems in lifestyle or doctrine seems to be a really obtuse way to speak to us.
On the other hand, I know God has run the gamut of ways to judge or warn His people- both harmless and very fatal ways. He disciplines us for sure. Just take a look at Hebrews 12:7-12. So I won’t rule it out.
What do you think?
On another note, about a month ago I e-mailed Keith Ellison and requested that he consider some legislation that would require smaller class sizes in public schools. I included some examples of overcrowding in our schools right now such as in Anoka-Hennepin, where, when I toured the high school, the normal class size was getting close to 40 students. This was compounded with the fact that they had just laid off many teachers. (A teacher normally gasps a little at the prospect of 30-35 students. It’s a tougher gig.)
Here is beginning of his response:
Dear Ms. Schofield, [my emphasis]
Thank you for contacting me about improving our nation’s public education system. I am honored to hear from you and proud to represent you in the United States Congress…
He then talks about certain bills he voted for that would increase education funding for increasing class sizes for preschools, which is slightly related to what I was talking about but not the issue I talked about. He also talked about some bills that would allow schools to be waived from No Child Left Behind regulations if the government doesn’t give them the promised amount of money for their budget. This has nothing to do with what I e-mailed about.
The e-mail then ends with a friendly “This is an unmonitored email account. Please use our webform at http://ellison.house.gov to contact our office. Replies to this email will not be read.”
So I’ve been called a woman and brushed off. Thanks, Mr. ellison!
OldCoyote 