Reflections on the July 4th Texas Flood and the Questions Faith Refuses to Ask
On July 4, 2025—Independence Day—freedom was replaced with devastation in parts of Texas. As torrential rains swept through Hill Country, homes were lost, families shattered, and lives stolen. Among the hardest-hit was Camp Mystic, a cherished place for many girls and their families. In the days that followed, social media filled with grief, prayer requests, and calls for healing. One such post came from counselor Sissy Goff, who, with deep sincerity, offered a webinar for parents and caregivers: Helping Kids Process Grief: The Tragedy at Camp Mystic.
But as we sit with the pain, we must also sit with the questions. Real ones.
Where was God?
This question isn’t meant to provoke—it’s meant to clarify. It’s what The God Question was created to ask. Because when tragedy strikes, we don’t just grieve—we reach for explanations. And in Southern Baptist churches like those across Texas, the answers tend to come quickly:
- “God is in control.”
- “His ways are higher than ours.”
- “This is all part of His plan.”
- “We may not understand, but we must trust.”
But let’s pause. Let’s not rush past the pain with platitudes. Let’s look, instead, with clarity, compassion, and courage.
The God Question’s Core Philosophy
We approach these questions by asking:
If this happened in a godless world—would we expect it? If this happened in a God-run world—what kind of God would it suggest?And what does this event actually demonstrate in the real world, without belief-based spin?
Here’s what we see.
- The flood was not stopped.
- Innocent lives were lost.
- Prayers did not prevent the tragedy.
- No divine rescue came for the children trapped by rising waters.
The event unfolded exactly as it would in a natural world governed by climate, geography, and chance. No intervention. No supernatural mercy. No evidence of a higher power altering outcomes.
What Does Faith Say?
Southern Baptist Fundamentalism typically reframes tragedies like this in a few predictable ways:
“This world is fallen.” Sin, we’re told, broke creation. Suffering is the consequence. But how just is a system where children drown because a distant ancestor ate forbidden fruit? Would we call that love—or abuse?
“God allows suffering to build character or teach others.” Let’s be honest: What kind of being teaches lessons through drowned girls and grieving parents? Would we accept this logic from any earthly leader?
“We’ll understand in heaven.” A promise of future clarity cannot excuse present injustice. If the answers only come after death, they cannot be tested. They cannot be known. And they cannot justify what we see here and now.
“God was with them in the water.” This poetic sentiment avoids the central issue: Why didn’t He act? Presence without protection is not love—it’s negligence.
What the Flood Reveals
The July 4th flood didn’t just expose environmental vulnerabilities. It exposed theological ones. It revealed that nature operates independently of prayer. That tragedy comes to the faithful and the faithless alike. That divine intervention is indistinguishable from absence.
If a God exists, He did not act. If He did not act, then what are we worshipping?
Toward a More Honest Compassion
This does not mean we must become cold or cynical. Quite the opposite. In a godless world, we become the ones who must act. We become the comforters, the responders, the rebuilders. Not because God told us to. But because we care.
Real compassion begins when we stop outsourcing morality to invisible beings and start living it ourselves.
Closing Reflection
The children and families of Camp Mystic deserved better—not just from the weather, but from our theology. As we grieve, let’s not hide from the hardest question of all:
Where was God?
If the answer is silence—then let’s finally listen to it.
God or Delusion? 