UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES: 2001/09
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The Newsletter of Contend for the Faith, Inc
1 Chronicles 12:32
SEPTEMBER 2001
Finding Hope and Sharing Truth in the Midst of Tragedy
WORLDVIEW DIFFERENCES
Some people will no doubt ascribe these acts of terrorism to men with sick minds who desire to murder without reason. But I disagree with that assessment. I do not think they had sick minds but deceived and confused minds. Within their belief system all of this made perfect sense.
If these men were radical Muslims who believed in the concept of Jihad, their actions were reasonable, even desirable. In Islam paradise is not guaranteed to anyone except those who die in Jihad (holy war) against the enemies of Allah (god). To die in this way is not suicide but rather certain entrance into a paradise of sensual delights as a reward for advancing the cause of Allah.
It is interesting to consider that only the Christian worldview can make sense of these horrible events. To demonstrate this let us examine how other worldviews would try to understand this terrorism.
Muslims who reject Jihad and Jewish people can and do certainly call these actions evil and sinful, but the problem for them is they have no Savior who can take away sins (either theirs or anyone else’s) and reconcile them to a just and holy God. They believe God is righteous and man is sinful, but they have no way to bridge the gap between them. Muslims inherently know that heinous acts of mass murder are neither desired nor rewarded by God.
Atheists and naturalists cannot explain Tuesday’s events. To them there is no God, so we are all here by accident anyway. There is no reason or purpose to our existence. Although they can say they do not approve of these murders, they cannot say these actions were actually morally wrong. One person prefers to help people, another prefers to kill people, while both behaviors are equally pointless. Therefore those who were burned to death, those who jumped out of windows and those who heroically tried to rescue other people all died meaningless deaths and now are non-existent. They will never be seen or heard again. Where is there meaning, justice, or hope in atheistic worldview?
The pantheist who believes everything is god cannot make much sense of heinous acts either. In pantheism sin and evil are unreal, merely an illusion. There are ultimately no distinctions between good and evil. How can a New Ager explain this devastation?
Someone who holds a postmodern view of the world cannot condemn the actions of these terrorists. Relativists, who believe that all truth is perspectival and decided by the individual, have no foundation for calling these deeds evil. Those who espouse a relativistic worldview must say that we should be tolerant of this act because it was simply one group of people freely expressing their ideas. No one has the right to make a moral judgment about it.
Only the Christian worldview makes the pieces of this puzzle fit together. Only Christianity has a correct view of God (righteous, transcendent, loving and just), the correct view of man (fallen, sinful by nature, separated from God), and the correct view of salvation (being reconciled to God by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ as the sinless sacrifice and Savior of the world).
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
UNDERSTANDING LESSONS FROM THIS TRAGEDY
In the wake of the destruction of September 11, 2001, I think there are many lessons we can learn as Christians and as a nation. We also must keep several things in mind as we respond to these terrorist attacks. This list is by no means exhaustive.
BELIEFS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
First and foremost, these events should demonstrate that beliefs have consequences. How one thinks almost always determines the actions one takes. These terrorists had a flawed belief system that said God rewards mass murder of certain people. They acted on those beliefs. Thousands of Americans are now dead because of it.
Only those who hold a Christian worldview can make sense of all aspects of this tragedy (see previous page). But Christians can learn something from these terrorists about commitment. Not only did these men have a (flawed) belief system, but they were absolutely committed to living and acting according to it. While rightly condemning their beliefs, Christians should emulate their dedication to what they believed.
Often when a Muslim terrorist strikes the media is quick to condemn “Islamic fundamentalists.” It is not long, however, before there are some who say that all fundamentalists, Christians included, should be seen as suspect at best, evil at worst.
[NOTE: As the media defines fundamental-ism they are referring to those who dogmatically embrace and espouse the central beliefs of a religion. They do not generally use the term in a theologically precise way that would distinguish “fundamentalism” from “evangelicalism.”]
The problem here is not fundamentalism per se but the belief system about which one practices fundamentalism. Every religion deals with two crucial areas of life: faith and practice. The problem with these terrorists is they had the wrong faith but the right practice (ie acting upon what they believed). Many Christians have the right faith but the wrong practice. We believe the right things but fail to act out those beliefs as we should. All Christians should be fundamentalists in the best sense, living out the faith to which we adhere. Who would complain if Christians follow the command of Christ to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34)? Anyone who loves God with heart, mind, soul and strength and his neighbor as himself will never murder innocent people.
GOOD OUT OF EVIL
Although this was perhaps the darkest event in American history, I am convinced that God will cause much good to come out of it. He makes a habit of doing this (Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28).
This calamity has woken people up to the fragility and fleetingness of life. Men and women are faced with the reality that life is short and can end in a moment. Eternity may be right around the corner. As people around the world ask profound theological questions concerning this (How could God let this happen?) Christians have an opportunity as perhaps never before to provide answers in the form of the Gospel of Christ and to minister to those lost and searching. What Satan intended for evil, God can use for the salvation of thousands of souls.
SEEK JUSTICE
As a nation we must be sure to seek justice, not revenge. Romans 13 says that earthly rulers have both the right and the responsibility to protect their citizens and to uphold justice. Let us pray for wisdom for our leaders as they demand justice and act to prevent any future terrorist attacks.
Pray for the nation that we will truly see repentance, corporately and individually, so that we will see fulfilled the Scripture “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12).
Jude 3,
Dave
