Between starting a new job and having to buy and set up a new computer, I have not posted anything for a couple of weeks. That could be fatal to a newly-hatched blog, but I hope not. And I hope you are still with me.
Today's post came to mind as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 neared, and I thought about posting it then. I am glad I did not do it because the day was marked by solemn and generally respectful remembrance of those whose lives were suddenly taken from us. I think it's better to post it now.
It is not new. It is from the concluding section of a sermon I preached on September 16, 2001, in which I struggled with the same questions everyone was struggling with in the tragedy's immediate aftermath. I remembered it in general, but when I went back to look at it I found myself asking to what extent my prayer suggestions had been realized, and whether things would be different now if they had been.
What do you think?
Every decision made or not made by President Bush and his advisors in the next few days and weeks will have overwhelmingly real world consequences. The stakes are higher than perhaps they have been in my lifetime. Christians will continue to pray for them.
- We pray that a way to a just, lasting and secure peace be found, recognizing that walking that way may prove tough and costly.
- We pray that our leaders be as honest and forthright as as they can possibly be, so that the distrust of democratic institutions initiated by Vietnam not be heightened.
- We pray that we not strike out at just any target, or even at pretty good targets, intending to show our strength and resolve, but in fact only showing our frustration.
- We pray for the protection and preservation of all people, from the least to the greatest.
- Obedient to Jesus, we pray for our persecutors.
- We pray that dissent and criticism be considered and respected, even if not all are accepted.
- We pray that every genuine sacrifice continue to be valued and appreciated.
I remember that President Bush often defended his post 9-11 policy on theological grounds, some of which were dogmatically asserted. It is striking that there was not a theological discourse to speak of on the post-9/11 American policy. Was there one about the dropping of the first atom bombs on Japan for that matter? The combination of the belief that the US is a Christian nation and the belief that what its government does is sanctioned by Christian ethics not only distorts the logic of real politics in the US but also distorts and besmirches American Christianity. The reality is that the US is not a Christian nation in any rigorous theological definition, nor is it desirable for the US government to tow some theological line. The US is diverse racially, ethnically, culturally, religiously, and ideologically. Its diversity will be a source of strength rather than of weakness so long as it can sustain its effort to build a national consensus on a universal human ethics such as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and naturalists can share.
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