Prince of Wales Hotel, Alberta
Happy Canada Day!
Since I have presently have 210 questionnaires in my possession and 190 processed on my SPSS data file, there is no urgent need for me to further ask for completed questionnaires. However, my goal is to not reject one survey that is returned to me, and so I shall keep accepting questionnaires until the day I am ready to email the results to my advisor at Wales. Thank you!
The process of emailing out questionnaires over the internet has been interesting. I learned a little about the Christian landscape in various parts of the world and emailed out over 1000 questionnaires. I very much appreciate the persons that returned questionnaires by email, and regular mail. I also somewhat appreciate those that politely declined to assist in an email response or just deleted my email.
I have discussed in previous articles, for the sake of clarification, some of the negative feedback I received from persons of the religious left and right, and some accusations made against me. From a couple of sources, it was suggested that there may be a hidden agenda with this project, as in somehow behind the problem of evil questions there is another topic I wish to deal with, for example, to discuss women in ministry. It has been stated that I might wish to catch people blind. Based on the denominations, these people were likely of the religious left and were implying that I had an agenda against feminism, which I do not with this project. I responded to these accusations in a friendly email, but received no reply.
From a leader from an independent fundamentalist church that is likely of the religious right, there was the suggestion that my research was a feminist propaganda tool. I corrected this person in a friendly email, but received no further reply. There is no anti-feminist or feminist agenda with my questionnaire or dissertation. My University department is not Reformed. It is secular and has required me to add some women related questions, as they originally wanted me to review a feminist theodicy. I informed them that as far as I could tell there was no such thing. I am required to meet certain academic standards, including presenting viewpoints that are not from my particular theological tradition.
I was not furious with these accusations, but I was angry for a few hours each time. After the second event, I also found these accusations humourous as they contradicted each other! But, these incidents also made me think about the concept of anger, in regard to the problem of evil. Millard J. Erickson points out that God’s reaction to sin in anger is not primarily emotional, as his temper is not out of control. Erickson (1994: 605). Erickson states that God in his anger should be described as being disappointed with sin. Erickson (1994: 605). I am by no means able to handle anger in a way equal to God, but I was angry with these accusations and accusers, not in a furious manner, but was disappointed that men that claim to be Christian pastors did not give me the benefit of the doubt in regard to my motives in producing this PhD problem of evil questionnaire and emailing it out world-wide. I realized that even though I was not emailing them for commercial gain I may have been viewed as an irritant and/or it may be that since I am not in within their perhaps extreme religious views of the left and right respectively, that I was deemed as an outsider and a threat.
From the New American Standard Bible:
Proverbs 14:17 explains that a quick-tempered man acts foolishly.
Ephesians 4:26-27 notes that a person will be angry, but is told not to sin, as sinful anger gives the devil opportunity.
I have often looked at human sin metaphorically as a fire and Satan and demons as beings that pour gas on that fire. This all occurs within the sovereign will and purposes of God. All that occurs within creation is willed and allowed by the infinite, and omnipotent God, but I would rather follow God’s will by being obedient as opposed to being disobedient, and so anger is something that should be dealt with in prayer quickly. I was angered by these accusations and accusers, and soon asked God to help me to forgive these accusers and as well understood in the situation the opportunity to produce humourous blog material and to clear up misconceptions which some would have concerning my project, and perhaps me personally. R. K. Harrison describes God’s Biblical anger as a deliberate reaction to all that violates his holy nature. Harrison (1996: 48). It is explained that human anger can be righteous, but can also be selfish, or a combination of both and if human anger is not righteous alone, it may face the condemnation of God. Harrison (1996: 48). Righteous anger against false accusations and accusers is therefore something that should be overcome quickly through the power of prayer and the leading of God.
ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.
HARRISON, R.K. (1996) ‘Anger’, in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
