September 17, 2001
EDITORIAL:
God saves us, suffers with us
___"It looked like the end of the world," one eyewitness exclaimed.
___"This is the greatest attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor," numerous commentators proclaimed.
___"I don't know whether to scream, cry or throw up," a New Yorker confessed, graphically yet honestly.
___"This illustrates what we're up against spiritually," a pastor-friend observed.
___We'll never forget Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.
___We'll remember where we were when we learned a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan. We'll recall the sickening feeling when we heard (or saw) a second plane slam into the other tower, and we knew this was no accident. We'll recall the rage we felt when we heard a third plane slashed into the Pentagon, as well as our confusion upon hearing that a fourth plane plowed into a rural Pennsylvania field.
___The world--at least the United States-- changed last week. "Terrorism," abstract on these shores, lived up to its name. We watched, transfixed by horror, as broadcasts played and replayed that plane crashing into the second tower at the World Trade Center. We gaped at images of New Yorkers, caked in ash, wandering rubble-strewn streets and fire fighters battling raging torrents of flame in the Pentagon. Worse, our minds convulsed as we tried to imagine the anguish of doomed passengers and crew on those airplanes and the agony of loved ones desperately clinging to hope against all hope.
___Answers do not come easily at times such as these. In fact, the only simple thing to remember is to reject anyone who offers simple answers to incomprehensible evil and incalculable suffering. Still, three thoughts keep coming to mind. You have your own. Here are mine:
___Only God can save us.
___Ironically, the terrorists struck two primary repositories of American faith--money and military. The World Trade Center, just a couple of blocks from Wall Street, represents the pervasive power of the U.S. economy. In the latest bull-bear cycle, we've seen how Americans turn to the stock market and the economy as a form of savior, as financial security. Yet the twin icons of American capital strength crumbled from the shock of terror's trajectory. Likewise, what represents military might if not the Pentagon, seat of the armed forces? Yet soldiers and civilian colleagues perished at their posts.
___So, we realize ultimate protection is not secured by money or the military. The psalmist spoke truth eloquently: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 46:1-2).
___
___When Jesus came to earth, fully human as well as fully divine, he identified completely with humanity. He understood our emotions; he experienced our pain and grief.
___The Apostle Paul promised, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
___Some Christians claim this verse means God causes all things to happen in order to bring some good out of them. What kind of God do they worship?
___The witness of Christ and the testimony of Paul indicate God enters into suffering with us. He has given us free will, and that means evil exists. God does not thwart that will, even when it seems demonic. But God works "in all things," laboring with those who love him to bring about some good, and feeling our suffering as we struggle.
___Just now, the notion of good associated with last week's terror seems absurd. We walk by faith through the darkness, just as survivors stumbled through black clouds of smoke. And God is with us, suffering and working.
___
___This may be the hardest lesson of all. We are hurt and angry and, most significantly, scared. We want to see justice delivered. It should be. People who perpetrated this terror, and any accomplices who empowered them, should be punished to the full extent of the law. But we should be careful lest our fear and anger turn justice to vengeance.
___We must not view all who appear similar to the terrorists as terrorists themselves. Extremists who kill in the name of a god do not represent the beliefs and attitudes of millions who wear the same religious label. We must resist the temptation to treat all of them the way the terrorists treated us.
___Moreover, as Great Commission Christians, Baptists have a mandate to reach all people, including those who produce terrorists, with the gospel. And love, not hate spawned by fear, is our tool.
___The Apostle John said it best: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear ..." (1 John 4:18).
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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