I am a Christian apologist who defends the faith against false prophets. Christian apologetics (Ancient Greek: ἀπολογία, “verbal defense, speech in defense”) is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity.
This is why people do not believe in God.
After eight months of intense prayer, Davey and Amanda Blackburn answered God’s call to start a new church in Imaginopolis, Indiana. They purchased their dream home at 2812 Sunny Field Court which doubled as their new church, Resonate Church. The congregation of four at first worshiped in the living room and the master bedroom was the Sunday school classroom, though it wasn’t long when four members expanded to 120, and they were able to secure their own building.
On November 10, 2015, Davey returned home from the gym and found his wife lying on the floor, shot three times in a home invasion by two men. His pregnant wife of seven years died the next day in the hospital. Davey became a single parent with a young son.
Less than a year after this tragedy, Davey married a member of his congregation, Kristi. With her child from a previous relationship, they embarked on life together. They now have a child of their own and have established Nothing Is Wasted ministry.
Nothing Is Wasted is an outreach program inspired by Blackburn’s own experience of tragedy, whose mission is to counsel others through heartache and despair. Blackburn’s desire is not allowing Amanda’s death to be “wasted,” with this mantra “allow the breath of Amanda to come out of her so that her breath can be breathed into you and me so that we can advance the gospel in a way that history books have never ever told.” With Amanda’s death, Davey claims that we are going to see a “revival like we haven’t see before.” It has been a decade and I am still waiting for God to breath upon us Amand’s breath.
The counsel that heartache isn’t wasted is appealing to those who reside within the evangelical circle, for those outside this boundary it is appalling. He shared, in the traditional conservative tradition, that God said to him, “I’ve got a plan for you. I’ve got a purpose for you. I’ve got a purpose out of this pain if you would just look to me and follow me and I’ll show you some great things I want to do in this.” He went on to say that God “allowed” Amand’s murder to initiate this plan.
Blackburn’s assertion that God allows pain and suffering, even the death of an innocent disciple, is for a greater good. In other words, Amanda died and Davey grieved, so the pastor could have the insight that comes from experiencing grief to counsel others in their time of despair.
Evangelicals have to ascribe to this theological postulate because they have to believe that God is in control of everything that transpires in creation. If they take an alternate position, they would have to mark themselves as agnostic, for it would deny the supremacy of the Creator. Therefore, God permitted Amanda to die a traumatic and horrifying death.
As a progressive theologian, I have an opposing proposition. God put forth the universe and populated it with people as He longed for a relationship between Creator and created. Though, the only way that relationship could be meaningful is if man had free will to choose to be with God or to journey solo. As we know from the Genisis story, man used this discretionary ability to forsake his Creator and evil came tumbling into the world. To be loved, God limited himself. God took a risk. Therefore, as the parent of creation, God suffers when we suffer. God did not desire or permit two men to enter 2812 Sunny Field Court and God wept with Davey on that fateful morning.
Davey, dismayed and confused as to why this tragedy happened to him, asking the why me question, was taking a shower when he got his revelation. Alone, with water raining down upon him and soap in hand, he had a paranormal discourse with God. He retold the actual conversation he had with God when the deity said, “Davey, I want my church, I want my bride to come alive and if I would have asked you Davey before this, if you were willing to give up your bride so that my bride could come alive, what would have said?” Davey then responded “absolutely not,” since he loved Amanda and was enjoying life on Sunny Field Court. Davey continued that he was pastoring Resonate Church and he must continue that pastoral calling. Then Davey shared, “and the Lord said that’s why I didn’t ask the question beforehand because sometimes you say I surrender all, what you really mean is I surrender some until you are put into a position where you have to surrender all.” So, I guess, God decided to leave Davey out of the loop.
This is so absurd that a commentary is needless. God wanted His church, His bride to come alive, and to do so required the murder of Amanda? And for what reason – to institute the ministry of Nothing Is Wasted. My father used to tell me when I was a budding Christian influenced by my college ministers sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, “If that is your God, I want nothing to do with it.”
Amanda is dead along with her 13-week-old unborn child. Davey has remarried and has started a new blended family. Since November 10, 2015, and to this summer when I heard him at New Spring Church in Florence South Carolina, he has traipse around the country, going from pulpit to pulpit as an invited counselor for the suffering, with the message – accept tragedy for there is a divine purpose in it, even if God wants your bride to die so His bride can live.
It is because of Davey Blackburn and those with his theological mindset occupy our pulpits – this is why people don’t believe in God.