As Christians, we have an edge in interpreting the events of the last week. The Lord has given us frameworks in the scriptures in his dealings with nations from which he tells us we should know how to interpret the signs of the times (Matt 16:3). For these events are not simply technical issues of terrorism, nor political issues. At heart they are eternal moral issues of God's sovereignty and permissive will over nations. The call for a national day of prayer tomorrow, was an encouraging aspect of leadership in a nation long looking for moral leadership. It is needed because for many people there are deep questions about how we should interpret the events of Tuesday.
It is needed pastorally for many of us are in shock, and in need of comfort. Yourbeing as a people, as a nation has been violated. There is insecurity, there is sadness. Part of your being has been cut away. There is grief. And we need the pastor of our soul to bring peace to our inmost being.
It is needed to locate the response of seeking justice in the framework of the God of justice. There are those who talk of vengeance, describing this as a monumental struggle of good and evil. "Vengeance is mine says the Lord", and we do well to leave it there (Romans 12:17-21) "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, do good to those who hate you." (Matthew 5:43). There are other more considered and wise leadership responses that seek to deal justice to those who have destroyed. The godly exercise of the sword of justice by those in authority against those who violate requires such justice (Rom 13:1-5) - measured, appropriate, in short, a just response.
But there is a third reason for a day of prayer. There is a need for repentance and humility. Until now, in the midst of wise leadership response by an efficient governmental leadership, nowhere have we heard the cry, "Forgive us, Lord!" or the question, "What have we done to cause such a strike against us? " nor "We have sinned so greatly for you to allow such a terrible tragedy to touch the heart of our culture?" I want to add to the wise pastoral words, a suggestion that now is the time of repentance.
Why should God have allowed such a terrible, evil act by men possessed with such fanatical religious desires for death and destruction? Isn't that our basic question? Yet one the politicians have not voiced. This was the same question faced by Christians in Europe in World War II as their nations destroyed each other in the death throws of a thousand years of 'Christian' civilization.
Is he in control? Yes! Though God did not cause this act. He was not flying those airplanes. Can he use evil men for his purposes? Yes! Look at Cyrus in Isa 44:28 and 45:1, the Founder of the Persian Empire, a wise but vicious leader. God calls him his anointed.
He is a God who judges evil with destruction. He hates it, and at times must destroy it, though always there are forewarnings. Did he allow the flood that destroyed inNoah's day? Yes! though for a hundred years he forewarned of its coming. Did he allow the destruction of Ninevah? Yes! but first he sent Jonah, and when the people repented from bottom to top, he delayed his judgement for 150 years. He has sent warnings. And perhaps this is a further warning? We see his control. How fortunate the damage has been so limited, terrible though it is, yet so targeted.
I learned in my years in Filipino culture, that when a child is upset, the parents discipline the one who caused the upset. What is it in the way American culture operates that universally causes hatred? (Along with this, I need to express the deep love in the hearts of so many people around the world for American people who have come and served us. My email today contains letters from Brazilians weeping and praying in solidarity, from New Zealanders closing their school in a day of prayer on your behalf). And yet for most of us who love you, there is a parallel pain of being violated by your culture. Each country has a different story of that violation.
Who told you, you could go into Vietnam and destroy? Who told you that you could go into Brazil and other Latin countries and take control of the major production sources, so that their economy will never be free? Who told you that you could enter my country and by using the IMF, pressure the government to sell off national assets like electricity and forests, then start stripping those assets that belong to the people? Who told your last President that he should encourage an artificially high dollar, so that over the last three years country after country has been drained of resources and the people are left gasping in pain?
The prophetic gift is not limited to Christians. Often prophets in other religions can hear the voice of God around the globe in identifying issues of sin. Their response and actions related to those sins may not be godly for they do not have the truth of the word to measure against, but the voice of God is not difficult to hear. So when a Muslim prophet targets two centers of powers and when God allows him to take them out, we need to reflect that our struggle also is against the principalities and powers (Eph 6:10). It is a different kind of struggle, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but the focus is the same. So why would God identify two symbolic centers of great Powers over the nation.
The Global Trade center was the center of global capitalism. Capitalism has proven as essentially better than Marxism. Capitalism with a social conscience has proven better than both. But the progressions to global capitalism with very few moral controls and accountability to the peoples or the local communities of the globe is a destructive Power of great intensity which has emerged very rapidly over these last fifty years. New York has an economy bigger than most countries in the world, indeed bigger than Russia. And it has not been built on justice. It has been built on draining the wealth of the nations from the rural poor to the towns, to the mega-cities then through the banking system to New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo and London. It is built on legalized but unjust banking and control structures.
Many of us, as Christians, have predicted this for five decades and written against it, but have been largely powerless, it seems, to change it.
We are to see Christ as the integrator of economics, a Christ who was a servant among the poor, a Christ who spoke of redistribution of wealth, who called us to a global jubilee of cancelled debts and freed slaves. We are to speak of cooperative, redistribut vie economics, not self-centered, greed-based economic systems, increasingly concentrating wealth in the hands of a few. We are to bring about resource-savvy economics not resource- destructive, as well as economics that release creativity and production. Christ-centered economics speaks of justice in profit margins, not legalized usury.
Global capitalism is seen by many Americans as godly, part of the American way of life which is holy and blessed by God. It stands condemned as an evil Power. We are to respond to it, by casting down every piece of logic that supports it (and with grace and wisdom, searching for a more Christlike integrative economics.
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretentious act that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God" (II Cor 10:3-5).
The progressive pattern of violation of treaties and disrespect of peoples in your own land continues unabated globally. The pattern of violence developed across your own land at its foundations, continues in your global expansions. The world is upset. Bin Ladin is a symbolic expression of that pain for a part of the world. What did you expect? The politicians love a phrase, "the last remaining superpower", or "we are number one". Super in what? Morality? Ethics? Spirituality? Accessible and Functioning Health Systems? Public Integrity? Military Might? The answer appears to be in military might. There are other nations who are the leaders of these other arenas. You are seen as an abusive military oppressor. The scriptures are full of judgement on such oppressors.
I would suggest that a nation that rapidly became ruled by conquistadors needs to return to its other self. For the nation was founded to be a servant model to the world, but was rapidly perverted into a nation that destroyed and enslaved. Deep repentance is needed. A nation founded on communal economics needs to repent of legalized exploitative economic systems and seek a basis of economics that moves towards equality and just distribution. We need to begin our season of prayer with repentance for our collective sins.
And it may be that as the nation returns to the Lord, he will frown on us no longer, for he is merciful, he will not be angry forever. Only let us acknowledge our guilt (Jer 3:13). Viv Grigg, 14 Sept 2001.