Classic: Where Is God in Natural Disasters? Reflections from Haiti to Texas

Unbelievable?

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Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

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🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

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Summary

In the wake of the catastrophic and deadly 2025 floods in Texas, that caused widespread devastation, fresh questions are being asked about divine justice and human suffering. This classic episode of the Unbelievable? podcast from 2010 grapples with the topic of natural disaster in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, which claimed over 150,000 lives. The discussion brings together Roger Forster of the Ichthus Christian Fellowship, atheist Gordon Livesey, and philosophy student Nick Peters to explore the theological, philosophical, and emotional dimensions of suffering and natural disasters. While Forster and Peters suggest that suffering may have a place within God's greater plan, Livesey challenges the coherence of belief in a loving, omnipotent God in light of such tragedy. The conversation remains strikingly relevant today, as communities continue to wrestle with the meaning of good and evil in a broken world. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:09 The Haiti Earthquake: Facts and Figures 00:41 Panel Introduction and Initial Reactions 00:53 The Problem of Evil and Suffering 02:52 Personal Stories and Perspectives 04:38 Atheist Perspective on Suffering 09:10 Philosophical and Theological Debates 10:41 Listener Reactions and Further Discussion 13:43 God's Role in Human Suffering 17:25 Debating God's Omnipotence and Love 24:52 Summarizing Arguments and Next Steps 31:21 The Problem of Evil and Natural Disasters 31:55 Human Responsibility and the Role of God 33:55 Nancy's Perspective on God's Power 35:35 Gordon's Skepticism and Human Limitations 37:43 Roger's Explanation of Human History and Divine Purpose 43:25 Debating the Nature of Good and Evil 50:14 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Transcript

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0:00.0	Two-year-old Selena was sitting by the steps of the Hope Center, giggling as she played with a balloon.
0:06.0	But hiding under her little t-shirt was a painful six-centimeter hernia.
0:10.0	No hospital in Sierra Leone could help.
0:13.0	Her mom, Mariamma, wrapped her tummy in bandages to stop the mocking.
0:17.0	Then came Mercy ships and free surgery on board the global mercy. No more pain and no more
0:23.8	hiding. This summer, every pound you give will be doubled and just 16 pounds a month could help fund
0:29.7	life-changing surgery. Give now at mercyships.org.uk slash premiere. Bring hope and healing this
0:37.4	summer with mercy ships.
0:43.3	Well, welcome along to Unbelievable.
0:46.3	However you're listening, wherever you are, you're very welcome along.
0:49.3	This is the show that gets Christians and non-Christians talking, and today is no exception. Well, we're talking about
0:55.4	the biggest natural disaster, well, one of them at least in living memory. The Haiti government
1:01.1	says over 150,000 dead bodies have been recovered from the earthquake in Haiti. There are still
1:07.3	many people buried underneath. And one major question is really being asked by
1:12.3	many people of faith and of no faith. Where was God in Haiti? We're going to be looking at the
1:17.2	whole issue of evil, suffering, especially in light of natural disasters, things that apparently
1:22.8	have no human involvement whatsoever on the panel today, we're going to be looking at this with
1:28.2	Roger Forster, one of the founders of the Icthus Christian Fellowship, and Gordon Livesey, who's
1:32.7	an atheist, also by phone, Nick Peters from North Carolina. Thank you for joining me, and
1:38.4	this question probably has gone through the minds of just about every person who's ever walked
1:43.2	this planet.
1:46.3	How can God allow such a thing?
	...

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