It hardly seems possible that, ten years ago on September 11, 2001, we witnessed an act of horror, evil, and grief that left a nation reeling. There has been a great deal of soul-searching and reflecting on the Event and what it means today. How should Christians ponder 9/11 a decade later?
Here are several articles that will help Christians process what happened on that infamous day, how to process what has occurred since, and how we should look to the future to be faithful and obedient sons and daughters of the living God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ligonier Ministries is making their monthly devotional magazine Tabletalk available for free. Selected articles are highlighted below for you to ponder. On top of these, John Piper (of Desiring God) helps us believe what Scripture teaches on God’s sovereignty and suffering in the wake of 9/11.
May these articles stir your soul to deeper trust in the Lord, a deeper love for His Word to do it, and a greater zeal to serve Him!
John MacArthur “Can God Bless America?”
In this era of terrorism, poverty, oppression and a few less-distinct enemies, waves of patriotism occasionally revive the slogan “God Bless America.” Sadly, though, the sentiment long ago became a cliché to which people rarely give serious thought. The phrase is even seen… Continue reading at Ligonier.org
Charles Drew “A Pastor’s Reflection”
What do you do when the world falls apart? When the planes struck, I was in my office overlooking Columbia University on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, eight miles north of Ground Zero. I listened helplessly to news reports and to the sound of sirens as rescue workers raced… Continue reading at Ligonier.org
Thabiti Anyabwile “The Gospel for Muslims”
In 2005, I make my first trip to the Middle East. I was there to engage in a Christian-Muslim dialogue sponsored by a local university’s Muslim and Christian student associations. As far as we knew, it would be the first such public dialogue in this country’s history. It would be… Continue reading at Ligonier.org
R.C. Sproul “Ten Years Later”
A full decade has passed since America suffered the tragedy of 9/11. Ten years ago, I repeatedly heard the question raised: “Where was God in all of this? Where was God on 9/11 when the planes crashed into the twin towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania?” My answer… Continue reading at Ligonier.org
John Piper “Why I Do Not Say, ‘God Did Not Cause the Calamity, but He Can Use It for Good‘”
Many Christians are speaking this way about the murderous destruction of the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001. God did not cause it, but he can use it for good. There are two reasons I do not say this. One is that it goes beyond, and is contrary to, what the Bible teaches. The other is that it undermines the very hope it wants to offer… Continue reading at DesiringGod.org
Burk Parsons “Coram Deo Ten Years Later”
The world has changed. We are not the same people we were on September 10, 2001. The events of September 11, 2001, and the events that followed in ensuing years have not only changed America but nations and peoples throughout the world. People are more afraid and less naïve. People are more aware of the differences between world religions and of the different cultures of those world religions. People are either more antagonistic towards the religion of their fathers or they are more committed adherents. Continue reading →