Jim Denison | Denison Forum on Truth
and Culture | Friday, September 11, 2015
 |
| A montage of eight images depicting, from top to bottom, the World Trade Center towers burning, the collapsed section of the Pentagon, the impact explosion in the south tower, a rescue worker standing in front of rubble of the collapsed towers, an excavator unearthing a smashed jet engine, three frames of video depicting airplane hitting the Pentagon. |
Where were you 14 years ago today? Most Americans can
answer that question, just as my parents could for Pearl Harbor.
It's often said that 9/11
changed the world. In a very real sense that's true.
On September 11,
2001, nineteen terrorists murdered 2,977 Americans. According to
Brown University's Watson Institute, warfare in the years since has killed
13,816 U.S. military personnel and contractors. The civilian death count in
Iraq and Afghanistan stands between 184,500 and 212,500. The "War on
Terror" has cost Americans more than $4.4 trillion. Imagine the impact
that expenditure could make on hunger or education.
In another sense, however, 9/11 revealed a war that has
been waged against the U.S. for decades. On November 4, 1979, radical Muslims
took fifty-two American citizens hostage in Iran. In the years since, jihadists
have attacked our embassies in Beirut, Kuwait, Kenya, Tanzania, Lima, Kurachi,
and Libya. They attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, the U.S.S. Cole in
2000, and the Boston Marathon
in 2013. Their numbers and global reach are greater than ever before.
Now the self-proclaimed Islamic State
has captured land the size of Great Britain, claims greater than $2 billion in
assets, generates $2 million per week in oil revenues, and boasts a fighting
force of up to 100,000 soldiers. They have more than 35 global affiliates, and
intend to conquer Europe and then America. ISIS spokesman Sheikh Abu Muhammad
al-Adnani: "We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave
your women. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren
will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave
market."
What lessons have we learned in the years since 9/11?
One: The Department of Homeland Security cannot secure the
homeland. It is just too easy to enter a country whose borders exceed 5,830
miles, not to mention terrorists such as the Boston Marathon bombers who are
already here. Mass shootings
in schools, shopping malls and movie theaters prove that we can
never be truly safe on this fallen planet.
Two: This is the war of our lifetime. Unlike conventional
wars with leaders who could surrender to us, this enemy has no single head. So
long as one jihadist is left, the threat is not over. Henry Kissinger noted,
"The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he
does not lose."
Three: Fearing terrorism is just what the terrorists want.
We need to take all appropriate measures to secure ourselves and our families,
then live with courage and passion. Claim this promise: "God gave us a
spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy
1:7). Trust your fears to God in faith.
Four: This is a spiritual war. Our enemy
is motivated by religious aims and has been deceived by the evil one. The
gospel is the true answer to radical Islam. The spiritual awakening sweeping
the Muslim world is our greatest hope. Praying for ISIS
leaders and other jihadists is the church's greatest responsibility.
On the Sunday after 9/11, I preached from Psalm 46. Its
first assertion is our Father's assurance on this somber day: "God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v. 1). But a refuge
can shelter only those who trust its protection.
Would God say he is your refuge today?
Original Source: http://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/denison-forum/14-years-after-9-11-four-lessons.html
Photo courtesy:
en.wikipedia.org
Publication date:
September 11, 2015