A Biblical Perspective on September 11

I wrote this over the last month for my school newspaper. I'll have to see whether they publish it or not.

Many readers will recall, shortly after last year’s tragedies, the media flurry surrounding the comments by a few Christian pundits who said that the events of the 11th of September were “God’s judgment on America”. As an evangelical Christian, I would like to take the opportunity of the first anniversary of the tragedies to refute those who would speak for God in contradiction to His revealed word, the Bible.

In a passage eerily reminiscent of September 11, Jesus speaks about eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell, and a group of Galileans who were murdered while offering their sacrifices (Luke 13:1-5). Rather than blame the victims, Christ says “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus’ answer to the tragedies of His day should be the modern Christian’s model for our response to September 11. The Bible is clear that suffering is a natural consequence of sin, either our own or sin against us by others. The blame for the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocents last year falls squarely on the shoulders of those who planned and executed the massacre; not on the victims. Furthermore, we are warned in Matthew 7 not to judge those around us, but to look first to the “log in our own eye”. Christ’s word of caution - “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” - exhorts us to be mindful of our own mortality and sinfulness. Though we may be not be guilty of wreaking terror or even of blaming the victims, the Bible is clear that each of us must seek forgiveness for his or her own sin or be held accountable for it (Matthew 25:31-46). Those responsible for the deaths of Galileans and World Trade Center victims will all be called to account for their misdeeds, and likewise will you and I be judged for our actions during our lifetimes, be it long or cut short by tragedy. The good news is that Christ Himself provided a way for all of us to be pardoned, substituting His own death in place ours. Thus, the Christian response to tragic death is to sympathize with the victims - not to blame them - knowing that, like us, they were loved regardless of their deeds by a God whose goal is to see every one of His children come to repentence and forgiveness.