October 15, 2001

EDITORIAL:
Signs of hope amid the darkness
___First, a confession: I'm struggling for the faith to believe enough good can result from the tragedy of Sept. 11 to overtake the evil those terrorist attacks unleashed.
___It was the bloodiest day in American history, perhaps one of the bloodiest in the history of humanity. More than 6,000 people perished. The circles of grief that ripple out from Manhattan, Washington and rural Pennsylvania cannot be comprehended. The fear and uncertainty that reverberate from the calamity cannot be measured. The sum of agony inflicted by the resulting war on terrorism never will be known. So, how can enough good come from this to make up for the horror?
___We probably cannot answer that question, at least in this life. The terrorist attacks have left many faithful people struggling in tears and agony with the idea that God's permissive will is so broad and deep. Human freedom, abused in the hands of radicals and extremists, exacts a heavy toll.
___Yet we have this promise: "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). These words from the Apostle Paul have provided hope and comfort for almost 2,000 years. They have affirmed a twofold divine truth: "In everything," good or bad, God is with us, grieving when we grieve and laughing when we laugh. And God always joins us to "work for good," despite the darkness of the hour.
___Many times these past few weeks, Americans have imagined the sorrow of survivors and the fear of family sending a loved one to war. God knows. God understands the pain of seeing a Child slaughtered by religious extremists and a corrupt regime. God has sent a Son away to an alien land to battle evil forces. God knows. God has been there.
___And God is here, with us. God "works for good" in the darkest hours. What hour could be darker than the last few weeks? Have you heard witnesses try to describe Ground Zero in New York City? Words fail them. It's bigger than we could imagine, they say. It smells worse. The rubble is more twisted. The magnitude of the human loss is greater.
___Evil tempts us to despair when we look ahead--to coping with loss, overcoming terrorist forces, rebuilding, restoring world order, moving ahead productively. Evil would have us ignore the promise, "God works for good with those who love him ... ." It's not up to us alone. God is with us. God will work with us.
___Like the first sprigs of plants in a blackened, burned-over forest, we already see signs of hope:
___ People are more interested in faith than they were Sept. 10. If you surveyed churches a week after the terrorist attacks, you learned churches were packed the following Sunday. Perhaps sensing a new perspective, or maybe just motivated by fear, Americans returned to church. I cannot believe God flew those planes into those buildings in order to punish America. But I do not doubt God can use this trauma to reset our moral compass and to redirect our spirits. Christians have an amazing opportunity to speak words of faith and belief to friends, colleagues and neighbors who seek truth.
___ Millions of people have donated blood. This may seem little, but it's significant. If you didn't give after the attacks, give now. If you did give then, give again when your eight weeks are up. Your blood can save a life.
___ Volunteerism is on the increase. Our hearts were moved by the stories of disaster-relief volunteers who flocked to New York and Washington in the days following the disasters. May this spirit of volunteerism multiply. Of course, we cannot all travel to the Northeast, but we can volunteer in our own communities, helping to defeat demons of poverty, ignorance, hopelessness.
___ Bipartisanship is back. This is slippery, especially in the age of sound bytes and dirty tricks. But hasn't the bipartisanship in Washington been refreshing? Who knows what lesser problems could be solved if politicians pared back partisanship.
___ Nations are resolved. Countries accustomed to nit-picking international protocol have teamed up to defeat terrorism. This bond will be tested, but focus on a common enemy has helped heal superficial rifts.
___ America rediscovered generosity. People opened their pocketbooks in response to need. For a few days at least, they turned greed and self-preoccupation upside down.
___(An important note: Don't become weary in well-doing. This crisis happened during the Baptist General Convention of Texas' week of prayer for state missions and the kick-off for the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions. This offering is vital to our mission. If you have not given, please dig deep and support proclamation of the gospel and ministry in Jesus' name.)
___These are seeds of hope. We can nurture them with prayer and water them with acts of support. We can trust God for the harvest.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com


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