In the weeks following the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 the churches saw an increase in attendance. I’ve spoken with enough people to say that among the many mixed motives was fear – the fear that terrorists might strike again and that the government would be powerless to stop it. Where to turn in the time of great need but to “God”? I put the word in quotes because what many people were looking for was not the God who is there, but one that they imagine, and as a result they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear from faithful churches.
They didn’t hear that the attacks were some special judgment upon those who suffered loss or who perished, or that “they” deserved what they got. Rather they heard the words of Christ, Luke 13:5 “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
They didn’t hear that there was something we did to make other people take the life of noncombatant civilians in an act of terrorism. They didn’t hear that if we had just the right policies we would have no enemies. Instead they heard the words of Christ, Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
They didn’t hear an analysis of American foreign policy or a parsing of whose fault it was – Democrat or Republican, Clinton or Bush, because those are the responsibility of the government, not the church. Romans 13:1–5 (excerpts) “…The authorities that exist have been established by God. …He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”
They didn’t hear that God is “on our side,” as though this nation is not a nation of sinners. This is a nation of sinners as much as any other. Instead they were reminded of the word of the Angel of God to Joshua before the taking of Jericho: Joshua 5:13–14 (NIV84) “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, …”
They didn’t hear that there is really one god, and that all religions are just different ways to find him/her/it. Instead they heard, Acts 4:12 (NIV84) “Salvation is found in no one else [than Jesus Christ], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Now that ten years have passed, we may well ask again, “What is the church of Christ to say to those who live in a world where people seek to establish a power for religious (Islamic) purposes or for personal or political purposes over others, and resort to terrorism to do so?
- Sin is the problem. Murder rises out of the evil heart of man. We live in a broken world that will not be “fixed” but must be remade.
- Through the various vocations in which He places people, including the vocation of warrior, God defends and protects people, just as he uses farmers to feed, etc. He also uses citizens in our country to choose who governs.
- God has entered this broken world in the person of Jesus Christ, who has atoned for the sins of the world, and by his turning back the blindness, sickness, hurt, disease, and death He has shown that He is the Savior of this world.
- The message of the church, therefore, is to speak first of our sin and our Savior, warning that our sins have separated mankind from God, and that we have been reconciled through the word of Christ.
- The calling of the church as the followers of Christ is to speak this word, and to reflect the unmerited love of Christ in what we do.
- We are to pray for governments that they may faithfully defend the upright; we are to pray for the free course of God’s word and the conversion of all who do not have faith in Christ.
- We are to attend to our vocations as parents, citizens, husband, wife, son, daughter, and all things, so that we may honor our Savior and be His blessing to others.
Throughout History, the church has been speaking to a broken, suffering world. We will speak words of eternal hope in Jesus Christ our Lord until He comes again in glory to usher in His kingdom in all its fullness.