Theodicy Amidst Contests
NOVEMBER 13, 2024
The elections have come and gone, votes have been cast, and joy or disappointments remain because either your candidate, Donald Trump, who is now our president-elect, is going to “Make America Great Again?” Or regrettably, your candidate, Vice-President Kamala Harris, has lost and could not, with all the hopeful energy of her political pomp and excitement, avert “Our Not Going Back.”
Many of us are going through Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief and denial. “How can this be true? I don’t believe this is possible because everyone I know voted for VP Kamala Harris!” Anger; “To hell with every Trump supporter, especially Donald Trump!” Bargaining; “God, please… I need a miracle, and if you strike him dead or change Donald Trump’s heart, I’ll believe in you, or I’ll be a better Christian or stop doing wrong.”
Many of us are depressed and have given up all hope because of the looming rhetoric and divisive commentary of what this administration is going to attempt. Life is almost not worth living, and we can’t breathe because of the stifling, noxious bile that is spewed on every social media platform and news media outlet. Lastly, there is acceptance and the slim thread of lifeline in hope that I offer to you in the exercise of self-actuating your faith through your denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. The current adversity you face because of your loss while participating in the democratic process. Or because the hounds of hell that the mystic Howard Thurman talks about in “Jesus and the Disinherited” are stalking, hounding, rending, and mauling your very existence.
As you are scrambling for shelter from the storms of life, and the Hounds of Hell of fear, hate, and hypocrisy are gaining ground, and you are losing faith and strength with every breath and stride you take. “I say hope in God and hold on to your faith!” The Theodicy of God is dormant, residing in the inner recesses of your soul! Lean on the Ancient of days and draw upon God’s omnipotence and goodness to give you strength and light given the existence of evil in your life! Build your hopes on things eternal because this foundation determines your ability to cope with difficulties in life!
I submit to everyone who shares in this writing that “Everything isn’t going to go your way!” But, with the Theodicy of God, which is the existential you! You are God’s goodness in the world, you are God’s power in the world, and you are God’s love in the world to everyone who breathes the breath of life! You have a life that is worth living, a love that is worth sharing, and a hope that must endure!
Author:
Gregory S. Hardaway
MDIV, McCormick Theological Seminary