Light Brings Salt
Volume 2, Issue 38
Iron Range Bible
Church
Dedicated to the
Systematic Exposition of the Word of God
Triumph
over Tragedy
Certain
Hope in Uncertain Times
After
this unspeakable crime,
(9/11) will anything ever be the same?'
The
Economist
More than 60 years ago, on Sunday morning,
The Death of an Era
The cover of the British magazine The Economist for
Post-modernists rejected the very possibility of objective
truth, insisting that reality is only a construction of the culture or of a
mind. But the planes that crashed into the buildings and into every American’s conscious-ness
were no mental constructions. Objective reality in all of its hard edges
asserted itself.
In postmodern thought, there was a
rejection of any possibility
of objective truth or morals. Morality was relative. Right and wrong varied
according to cultures, individuals, or circum-stances. Right was decided by
whatever people chose to be right for them. But all of that changed on 9/11. “The terrorists
certainly made a choice, and what they did was right for them. But somehow their
cold-blooded murder of thousands of ordinary men, women, and children was seen
as pure evil, some-thing postmodernisms had professed not to believe in.” For
postmodernisms, all cultures were the same and equally valid. Yet when Western civilization
came under attack, its
attackers were viewed as something to be repulsed. For more than
a decade, Western civilization as an academic subject in universities had been
viewed as not worth studying or saving; but instantly that had changed and “it began to be
seen as some-thing worth defending. It became hard to consider the havens of
Islamic terrorism, which teach hatred, oppression, and suicide
bombing, as really being equal to the land of the free.”’ In the aftermath
of the terrorist attacks, the slogan “True for you, but not for me” no longer holds
much appeal. There is now an opportunity for Christians to reassert the
historic teachings of Christianity and the biblical worldview. If we are going
to speak effectively to our age, we must understand it.’ We have a
message of hope, certainty, and triumph to offer to all who will listen. The
opening for these opportunities may well come in discussions about a subject
that was rarely spoken of in public and private in the days prior to 9/11: the
subject of evil.
The covers of weekly news
magazines, hosts on television talk shows, and newspapers throughout the world
are using a word that hasn’t been seen or heard in contemporary culture for a long
time-evil. An essay in Time magazine stated, “One of the consequences of 9/11 has
been to revive, so to speak, the belief in evil.”
When we trade the truth of God for
the lies of Satan-when we follow Adam and Eve on the course of sin from the
Garden of Eden rather than following Jesus Christ on the course of
righteousness from the cross-we ultimately bring ourselves, and others, to
ruin. In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote that “wickedness when
you examine it, turns out to be the pursuit of some
good in the wrong way.... evil is a parasite, not an original thing.”
Discussions about the nature,
source, and course of evil are important. But for today’s society, a
first step has been taken back to a biblical perspective by simply
acknowledging the reality
of evil. Christians now have the opportunity to proclaim afresh the gospel of
Jesus Christ. As journalist Andree Seu writes, “Ours is a Spirit of boldness, not timidity, that compels us to speak something-not
nothing-into a world that, since
A Broken Heart but Not a Crushed Spirit
Jesus told his disciples, “In this world
you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John
Looking at terrorism in the
twenty-first century, terrorist expert Brian Jenkins states for contemporary
American society, Our most effective defense against terrorism will come not from
surveillance, concrete barriers, metal detectors, or new laws, but from our own
virtue, courage, continued dedication to our ideals of a free society, realism
in our acceptance of risk, stoicism, intelligence and the skepticism that comes
with it, the avoidance of extremism, and the humanity and sense of community
too fleetingly expressed when we mourn our dead. It will come from true
patriotism.
For the Christian, living
effectively in this new age means that there is the additional call to
discipleship and bearing the witness of Jesus Christ to a traumatized world.
Christians are called to courage in this world, but that courage is to be
rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In
the ancient world, courage was a valued virtue, but it was seen as rooted in
the inner resources of the individual. Not so with Christian courage. Christian
courage is found solely in Jesus Christ. Theologian Carl F. H. Henry notes that the Christian
view is distinct and rejects the classical perspective of virtue and courage
based on self-strength alone:
"Christianity repudiates that speculation. Jesus anchors
courage in His victory over the world achieved by His resurrection as the
crucified One, a decisive historical event that sets Christian realities apart
from pagan mythology. Not self-reliance, but Christ the Overcomer is the hinge
of history. Our lives and mission are in the nail-scarred hands of the Victor who
vanquished the threatening postures of the world powers. Jesus says, “Take courage!” Christian
courage centers in and around the Messiah who by His
sinless life and bodily resurrection won and guarantees the victory over all
the powers of evil and oppression and even of death.”
Christians have hope in this world
because they have the certainty of eternal life. Current events can be viewed
with an eternal perspective-a perspective that understands that God is at work
in the world and that he uses events, good and bad, for his purposes. In
addition, this perspective recognizes there will come a time of divine
reckoning and justice for all people. In that day, there will be eternal
comfort and peace for those who are Christians, and it will be Jesus Christ who
comforts us: “He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any
death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first
things have passed away”
(Revelation 21:4). One day there will be a world without sorrow and terror.
As a nation and as individuals, we
often forget our history and lose our perspective. We feel hopeless,
unappreciated, and unwelcome. Sometimes we forget that the world doesn’t end until God says
so. How we feel about the condition of the world has no influence on his plans.
God is the hand in the glove of history, and he permits peoples, nations, and
empires to rise and fall according to his purposes and his plan for the ages.
Too often we forget history. We
forget how sinful the world was before the flood. We forget how corrupt the
nation of
Our nation has its shortcomings and
failures, past and pre-sent, but it remains the greatest nation in the modern
world. It is still a nation with great potential and a country where Christians
have the freedom and opportunity to influence its future. Since 9/11, an
opportunity to see it grow stronger and better has been opened to us-if we
choose to take advantage of it. Remember Abraham’s concern for
the righteous people who lived in two of the most wicked
cities in biblical history,
In these days, Christians are
called to be a people of faith, letting the light of salvation shine into the
darkness of the world. Jesus Christ told his disciples, “I am the light
of the world”
(see John
To shoulder this responsibility at this historical moment is both a
burden and a gift for Christians. But we must step into this future with
humility, recognizing that we cannot know God’s will perfectly at every political
turn; with patience, knowing that the fight for liberty is never won in a single generation; with sadness,
realizing that on this side of the kingdom, justice is often impossible without
some violence; and with a serenity that passes understanding, abiding in God’s grace for the
meaning and measure of our lives.
For all its terror, 9/11 provides
an opportunity to heal
We encourage you in these days to
be knowledgeable of Scripture, confident in its truth, and always living out
your faith before your neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers. Regardless
of their religious affiliation, philosophical perspective, or ethnic
background, share with them the love of Jesus Christ. We must present the
truth and leave the results to God. Jesus told his disciples, “Let your light
shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew
The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the
appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself
a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and
exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you (Titus
This article is an
excerpt from a book In the Name of
God, Understanding the Mindset of Terrorism by Timothy Demy and Gary P.
Stewart. Both are Chaplains in the military.