President of Leading The Way looks to the teachings of Jesus to examine what one should consider when reflecting on tragedy
Contact: Mike Tilley, 404-414-9258; www.leadingtheway.org
ATLANTA, Jan. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- Michael Youssef, Founder and President of Leading The Way, offers a biblical perspective on the disaster in Haiti and all the major disasters that impact individuals around the world each day. By looking at a passage from the book of Luke, Dr. Youssef shares the proper response to tragedy.
"You mean Jesus made comments about disasters in life?" asked Dr. Youssef. "Yes, and he was very clear about how we should think about them," he stated. "We have to be very careful not to make judgments concerning the cause of tragedy."
Here are some excerpts from Dr. Youssef’s message on the topic:
"During the time of Jesus, people were as curious as we are about natural and man-made events. They wanted to know why, just like we do. People never change. They were anxious to draw sweeping and erroneous judgments."
"In the example of Luke 13, the people were making judgments that their calamity must have fallen on them because they were miserable sinners, worse sinners than all the others - that is why these things happened to them... that is why they were killed that way. They were saying that the people must have deserved this horrible death. This sort of false conclusion is not new. It's as old as the Book of Job. Jesus communicated that those killed are no worse sinners than anyone else."
"Jesus was saying to take this tragedy as God's warning to you. For your sake, for your family's sake, for your future's sake, for your eternal life's sake..."
The comments come from a 2005 sermon at The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, GA. To see a video of the sermon go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO23MLLRDT0
About Michael Youssef
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams (www.leadingtheway.org). His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast in 20 languages and seen in more than 200 countries - airing 3,300 times per week. He is also the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Ga.
Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt, lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and from Fuller Theological Seminary in California. In 1984, he earned a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 20 books, including the most recent - You Want Me To Do What? He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children, three grandchildren.
