Eight Years Past

Eight years ago today, our world changed. Our countries changed. Our states changed. Our neighborhoods changed.

Nothing has changed in the attitudes of hate that existed eight years ago. They are still present today. They existed eighty years ago, and eight hundred. And eight thousand. If there were eight thousand. Sin hasn't changed, though most people think it has gotten worse. Sin is sin.

Eight years past... people in America came face to face with attitudes of hate that had been breeding half a world away for years. September 11, 2001 was eye-opening for most of us. I know it was for me. Our heads have been on a swivel ever since. We trust even less than we did before, casting suspicion on neighbors and strangers alike. Any remaining innocence has been lost.

It has been said that every generation has a defining tragedy that changes the world that generation faces. My great-grandparents were impacted by the Great War (WWI) and the Stock Market crash of 1929. My grandparents saw their world change at Pearl Harbor. My parents saw their world affected by the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And my generation has September 11. I shiver to think of what the next generation will have to face.

Here are some of the things I have observed about life after 9/11.

• That the Revolutionary slogan "Don't Tread on Me" has regained popularity after governmental reactions to 9/11 involved the taking away of many rights and privacies in the name of security. I guess that if you want security, you'd better be willing to part with freedom.
  
• That I now know a LOT more about Islam than I did before! I remember being enlightened about the religion after my pastor in Gainesville preached an informational message on Islam the Sunday after 9/11. I was very clueless beforehand.
  
• That we are too willing to compromise when it comes to the dignity of human life. It's funny to me how many Christians are quick to defend torture while I see non-believers actively seeking to preserve the dignity of life. Quite a reversal of the abortion issue, eh? God created human life. We should support it, whether in a womb or in a turban.
  
• That I'm now intimidated about traveling overseas. It used to be that the welcome mat was rolled out for Americans traveling overseas. This is still true in some countries but very few compared to 20 years ago. It's not a safe time to be abroad. Pray for your missionaries.
• That war is hell, no matter what the century or the cause. Several young friends of mine left to fight over the past eight years. That made the Iraq and Afghan wars personal for me. I'm so glad they returned safe. Many did not. Maybe the madness will end soon. Maybe not. I support the troops in either case.
  
• That the Gospel remains unchanged. God loves terrorists and wants them to come to faith in Jesus — not as a prophet — but as the Son of God. And His call for us to peach the Gospel still remains, even to terrorists. And He calls us to love our enemies. And bless those who curse us. No matter how much it pains us to do so. It's always more satisfying to respond with anger. But blessed are the meek...

The events of September 11th changed our world. For many it changed their faith. Mine was more energized after the events of 9/11. And I think I've seen the church in this world more clearly since that day. I saw pastors comfort the worried, and believers come to the sanctuaries just to pray. I saw fund raising by church groups to bless families of 9/11 victims, and support groups form for those emotionally traumatized.

I started seminary two weeks before 9/11 and entered full-time ministry a little more than three years after. I've moved three times since. It's been a long eight years. So long that I struggle to remember life before 9/11. It seems like another world. I guess it was.

Be God's.

-- Brother John

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