Good Answer. Bad Theology

"Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20-21

“Just that this was God’s plan. That we would be happier in victory, but God’s blessed us all year long. And so I’m not going to be in a position where I’m going to ask for any more than what He’s given us and trust Him completely. So we all feel really, really blessed, and yeah we’re disappointed, but we’re also very proud.” These are the classy, humble and gracious words of University of Auburn Men's Basketball Coach, Bruce Pearl, moments after his team suffered a heartbreaking and controversial 63-62 defeat to the Virginia Cavaliers in the Final Four. In a moment where Pearl could have let his frustration get the best of him and criticize the officiating for his team's loss, he chose to look at the positives and be thankful for all he and his team accomplished this year. Nobody would have blamed him if he had chosen to do the former, but in choosing to do the latter he will no doubt garner much praise and admiration. While he should be applauded for "taking the high road" in his answer, my prayer is that people don't see what I believe to be a misleading characterization about God and believe it to be true. As a Christian, I believe in the God of the Bible, who revealed Himself as Jesus Christ. Therefore, when I hear someone attribute their circumstances to God's plan, I cringe a bit because of the unintended consequences of making such a claim. Having viewed the game between Auburn and Virginia, I would have to ask the question, "Was it God's plan that an official miss an obvious double-dribble violation committed by Virginia, which if called may have secured an Auburn victory?" You see, the consequences of saying that something is God's plan can lead to the belief that everything that happens is God's plan; good, bad, and otherwise. And that the only proof required that it was God's plan is that it happened. Rarely, as is the case in this circumstance, is there any reason given as to why God caused these circumstances to manifest themselves. Conversely, and I am not aware that it was said, what would people say if Virginia's coach had said that it was "God's plan" for Virginia to win? He would have even greater anecdotal evidence given how Virginia scored 6 points in the final 13 seconds to pull out the victory; being aided by the missed violation earlier mentioned and a questionable foul call on Virginia's final shot of the game which led to them scoring the winning points. Who knows what the reaction to comments like that would have been like? Personally, I just look at it as what happened, rather than the fruition of some mystical plan of God nobody seems to understand. Do we ever stop to consider that God may have been just as surprised by the outcome of the game as everybody else?

In Genesis 18, the Lord, accompanied by a couple of His angels, is on His way to Sodom. After being persuaded to stop, rest, and have a meal with Abraham, the Lord is about to continue His journey when He says, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do (Genesis 18:17)?" What was the Lord was about to do? It is easy to say that He was going to go destroy Sodom because, as we see in Genesis 19, that's exactly what God did? However, what I believe God was "about to do" was to "go down and see" if what was going on in the city was "as bad as the outcry" had made it seem. By saying He was going to "see" what was going on indicates to me that the Lord didn't know for sure what was taking place in Sodom. Therefore, He took a couple of His angels, set out for the city, and along the way took some time to visit with Abraham. Was it God's plan to destroy Sodom? Not necessarily. He had heard an outcry from somebody about the city and went to investigate. We tend to believe that because God is omniscient, omnipresent, and sovereign that He has planned out every single event in history down to the smallest detail. While the Lord is certainly capable of that and has done that on many occasions, it doesn't mean that it takes place in every situation or that He is obligated to plan out every circumstance in life. What God can do and what He chooses to do are two different things. I don't believe that God's plan was that Sodom would descend into a city of great sin that He needed to destroy. Again, if that is the case, was it His plan that Adam eats the forbidden fruit? I don't believe so. Ultimately, God allows things to happen and He works in the midst of those things happening. He didn't want Sodom to descend into sin, but when it did He had a plan to rectify it; burn it up. He didn't want Adam to sin, but when he did God had a plan to rectify it; Jesus Christ. Did He want Auburn to lose? I don't know, but their loss can teach us something about God. Remember in Genesis 2:19 when God brought the animals to Adam "to see what he would name them"? It appears that God didn't plan on what to name the animals, but it doesn't make Him any less God. In fact, it gave the Lord a chance to share a special moment with His child during His act of creation. Maybe God wanted to share a moment with His creation again and watch a basketball game. Who knows? He may have been just as surprised and captivated at the finish of the game as everyone else was. If God can enjoy an unplanned meal with Abraham and take a moment to allow His son to name the animals He created, He can certainly take a couple hours out of His busy schedule to enjoy a college basketball game without determining the outcome beforehand. Bruce Pearl gave an eloquent response, but let's not take what he said about God's plan as Gospel truth.