Like many people, for the past two days I’ve been closely following the saga of Abby Sunderland, the 16-year-old California girl whose attempt at a solo circumnavigation of the globe came to an end when her mast snapped in a fierce winter gale in the Southern Indian Ocean.

And, like everyone who has been following this saga, I heaved a huge sigh of relief and uttered a prayer of thanks when I learned that a Qantas Airbus dispatched from Perth had spotted her boat and had made radio contact with her. As I write this, a French fishing vessel is on its way to rescue her.

What I find perplexing about this story is not that her parents allowed a 16-year-old to attempt this voyage, but that so many people appear to be outraged at their decision. And that some of that outrage is directed at their faith in a sovereign God who controls all things. Read more »