God and September 11th

God and September 11th

Sunday, September 16, 2001

Originally, I published this column in the weekly church newsletter of the church in Nashville TN where I served as Pastor when the tragic events of 11 September 2011 occurred.

Today, we join our brothers and sisters throughout the country and the world in mourning the tragic and colossal loss of undeserving life on Tuesday, September 9, 2001, “a day which shall live in infamy.”  Terrorism struck on American soil in an unparalleled act of evil and destruction.  Hijacking four commercial planes, they flew two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and crashed the third one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  Inexplicably, the fourth plane exploded in an open field outside of Pittsburgh, PA.  More American citizens died on that day than any other single day of war in which the U.S. has been involved.  An official death toll, which may approach the tens of thousands, remains undetermined.  These horrific deeds rightly deserve the condemnation of people of faith everywhere.  Moreover, the victims and their families need our prayers, love and concrete compassion through blood donations, money and other necessary actions.  We share their loss in our spiritual and practical support.

Last Tuesday’s wanton and unprovoked attack upon the political, military and economic power of America unequivocally challenges the integrity of our faith, constitutional principles and democratic ideals.  Will we respond to this tragedy in a manner that is consistent with our sacred beliefs and principled way of life?  In our demand for justice, will we insist upon the due process of American and international law as the most preferable means to obtaining justice? 

As a congregation whose character primarily comprises African-American Christians, we face an additional challenge of responding to this evil deed with the righteous substance of our faith.  If we hasten toward revenge and retaliation without a thorough investigation and an analysis of the complexity of terrorism, then we dim both the lights of the gospel and democracy in such utter darkness.  We must resist the emotional and uncritical desire for the immediate gratification of inflicting pain upon someone in the Middle East.  Furthermore, we risk the desecration of our faith through bloodthirstiness and the sacrifice of the judicious principles upon which our society exists.

How should we respond?  First and foremost, we continue praying as we did on Tuesday evening.  We gathered that night to seek God’s comfort and counsel.  In accordance with the Bible, President George W. Bush, the Cabinet, congressional and world leaders desperately need the intercession of faithful people worldwide.  We pray that they will seek the humility of faith and ask for divine guidance as they prepare to respond.  Secondly, we pray in action as we attend to the needs of the victims, the wounded and their families.  Third, we offer consolation and encouragement to those persons bewildered by such a monumental act of evil.  Many will look to us for explanation, direction and the strength to journey forward.  The church has a unique opportunity to demonstrate the essence of faith and love to the human family. 

As the world’s sole superpower, the United States also has a singular chance to show the world what our constitution and democratic ideals really mean.  If we retaliate merely to inflict punishment and make ourselves feel good, then we will significantly undermine our standing in the world and corrode the respect of our allies. We would breathe new life into the spiral of unjustifiable violence that culminates in terrorism.  We have a chance to invite the world, Western and Eastern peoples and faith traditions, to join us in a democratic and just collaboration to bring the responsible persons to justice.  Vengeance will yield the continued and uncritical hatred of future generations for America. 

In contrast, we have the choice of building friendships with the Palestinians, Arabs, and Islamic followers in addition to our allies.  Utilizing our constitutional principles and democratic ideals, we ask people of good faith to assist in capturing the perpetrators.  Then, we justly try them according to our legal system.  After the due process of the law, we punish them to the fullest extent of the law.  This approach recognizes that Americans must learn to embrace the dignity and human rights of all peoples and nations of the world.  Have we treated our brothers and sisters in the human family in such a way that they feel that terrorism is their only defense against us?  We must consider what role American international policy plays in acts of terror.

Summarily, I suggest that the President and American leaders take a balanced, judicial approach in resolving and responding to this disaster.  Otherwise, we will pass on a legacy of violence and hatred to our posterity.  The church has the biblical mandate to offer an alternative to the indiscriminate thirst for revenge that persists.  Contrarily, we offer love and judicious principles of our faith.  Both Christian and American integrity are on trial.