Terrorism and the events of September 11 2001
I was in Argentina at the time. The radio interviewer asked, "You are
here speaking on Creation and Evolution. What is the relevance of that to
the events in New York and Washington?" My reply in brief was "Everything."
Man is in God's image
First, we believe that man is made in the image of God. Even the evil people of Genesis 9 were described in this way by God (v.6). Because of this, we are told to protect and not take life. Man is not evolutionary and so not to be exploited for political or even religious ends. To the creationist, man's life is precious, not disposable. There is a different attitude between creationists and evolutionists. To the evolutionists, this is a necessary part of the struggle for the fittest to rule. To the creationist, it is the result of the evil in man's heart and demonstrates our need for a change of heart. In fact, the first recorded event after Adam's fall is murder.
The people in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were no better or worse than anyone else. Some were Christians; some were not. Our hearts, therefore, go out to those who have suffered so much as a result of the wickedness of men. Only the Creation account with its consequent account of man's rebellion makes sense of such an event. Man's heart is desperately wicked and he can devise all kinds of wickedness. We note that the victims were not particularly wicked or more deserving of punishment than others. We are reminded of a similar event in the Lord's day when the tower of Siloam fell, killing a number of people (Luke 13:4). The Lord declared that they had done nothing to deserve this specific judgment, but it should be taken as a call to repentance.
What is there to repent of?
What is there to repent of? Of what is America guilty? Before I answer that, I want to suggest that we are not in a position to judge. I have been struck by the recent history of our own country. A succession of farming disasters (BSE, Swine fever, Foot and Mouth), terrible rail disasters, flooding, etc. I was reminded of Hosea's prophecy and the Lord's warning. In their case, the Jews had been more concerned with their own material prosperity than God's work. (Ring any bells?) So, God judged them by taking away that prosperity.
God spoke to us plainly, warning us of our spiritual neglect. But we turned deaf ears. Even our religious leaders refused to call the country to repentance. I wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury requesting that he call the country to prayer of repentance. (I know others did too). He refused because the Anglican Church had no such tradition except in time of war, he said! He did call on his churches to pray for those suffering. That was good but inadequate - was God not saying more to us?
In contrast, several of the American church leaders did call on their people to repentance following September 11th. Billy Graham, for example, made such a call as did his son, Franklin. His daughter, Anne, was being interviewed on the "Early Show". Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" Anne gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?"
Time is uncertain
Again, I believe that the incident is reminding us that time is uncertain. Most of those dear folk in the WTC had left home that morning assuring their families that they would see them later. They had travelled safely to work. Could they be safer than in their offices? But before the day had barely begun, thousands had been ushered into eternity. Are we ready to meet God?
God is Creator
I do not think that it is insignificant that these events have been experienced
by the two nations that have not only rejected God's laws, but have also
denied Him as Creator and declared Him redundant. Paul, in Romans 1, makes
it plain that God's judgment is on those who worship the creature rather
than the Creator (Evolution versus Creation?). As a result, we read of three
specific judgments:
(a) He has given them over to sexual impurity (v. 24);
(b) He has given them over to homosexuality (v. 26);
(c) He has given them over to a depraved mind (v. 28).
Such people will be filled, He says, with every kind of wickedness. Is that not a picture of our nations? Are we not under judgment?
For the people who have been bereaved, we weep. For those who have lost so much, we express a deep sympathy. But will we learn the lesson? Will we repent while there is time?
The scriptures say, "He who has an ear with which to hear: let him hear." Listen.
J.H.John Peet
October 2001
