Boží zemětřesení – Štěpančíková Petra (2025)

What do earthquakes reveal about God? Are they merely a blind yet creative natural force that shapes entire mountain ranges but has devastating consequences when it strikes populated areas, or do they carry a deeper meaning? This Czech-language book takes readers on a journey between the natural sciences and theology, to a place where not only the earth but also our ideas about the meaning of natural disasters are shaken. The author connects scientific knowledge about earthquakes with biblical texts and questions of theodicy. She shows that in the Bible, earthquakes often precede major events and accompany divine revelation and eschatological events, bearing witness to God's power, greatness and majesty, while only rarely representing a means of judgment. Tracing the historical development of theodicy, she examines changing views of natural disasters, from attributing responsibility to God, through seeing them as purely natural phenomena, to emphasizing human responsibility, particularly the structural sins of society. In today's world, she argues, the question “Where is God in all this?” is increasingly giving way to “Where is humanity in all this?”—a question of our responsibility for the consequences of natural disasters, which can often be prevented or mitigated. The book concludes with an inspiring reflection on God's “trace” in an earthquake, seen in the power, glory, order and beauty of the Creator, and on a Christian response to suffering through self-reflection, solidarity and practical help. It presents earthquakes not only as natural processes but also as a place of encounter with God and a challenge to human responsibility.