Written by Dave Pritchett
Recent events at ground zero in New York City reveal how fresh the wounds of 9/11 are in the American psyche. The furor over the proposed building of an Islamic mosque and community center reminds us that fear of the Muslim Other still runs deep. How should Christians respond to such fear? What should be done on the ninth anniversary of the attacks?”[He] came into this world to establish a kingdom which is antagonistic to all human authority, to all governments of the earth. Its mission is to break down and destroy them all.” One can imagine those words being spoken about Muhammad by a fundamentalist Muslim, perhaps even by one of the jihadists of 9/11. However, this statement comes from the mouth of our university’s namesake, James A. Harding, and speaks of Jesus, not Muhammad. This serves not as a clever parlor trick of words, but rather as a sharp reminder that at our best, disciples of Jesus share in common with Muslims a critical gaze askance at the American government, as well as all governments of the earth.Undoubtedly, on this ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, there should and will be a swath of memorial tributes. Crises reveal those who have heroic virtues, and those who have displayed such virtue should be honored. Most likely there will be prayers for the nation. To be sure, we who claim to follow Jesus grieve at the loss of life and rightly should pray for peace.However, the anniversary of the attacks must be tempered by a global awareness. Each life lost in the towers was unique, but the loss of life at the hands of violence is not unique to America. Even now people are dying in Sudan over disputes about the oil to which we are addicted. Even now, U.S.-supported paramilitary regimes in Latin America are killing villagers. Even now, drone missile attacks murder women and children by the numbers in Afghanistan. The United States is not alone in being victim to terror and too often itself perpetrates acts of evil.We too have a history of violence.As a good friend of mine notes, the cross is not a flagpole. Not a flagpole, that is, but rather a wooden stake in the heart of undead nationalistic religion. As James Harding understood, disciples of Jesus do not belong to a nation; our citizenship lies elsewhere. The Kingdom of God needs no military budget. The Great Economy does not depend on oil to burn away the chaff in the hearts of men and women. The radical disciple knows that he or she lives and dies, like Jesus, for the sake of the world, not some arbitrary constitution.As Christians, we must interpret the World Trade Center attacks not as an affront to America, but instead, like all violence, as an insult to the image of God present in the victims. In response, we as disciples must confront such violence with symbol and power in the manner of Jesus. Thus, rather than pray for the safety of our nation or protest the building of a mosque, I would offer the following ways to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.
- Pray for peace.
- Pray for world peace.
- Pray for world peace. In a mosque. Certainly such an act may serve as a symbol of your commitment to peace and enemy love.
- Pray for the soldiers.
- Pray for the soldiers of every country, fighting wars they did not start and killing people they do not know. We must be clear; if the church is truly universal, then it is logical that the church does not have troops. Therefore we cannot pray for our troops but must pray for all the troops, and the well-being we hope for them will be realized when they all return home.
- If you have a courageous heart and a desire for justice, consider joining Christian Peacemaker Teams. Join them in getting in the way of violence for the sake of peace.
- Own up to your own violence, and reconcile yourself to someone with whom you have had conflict.
I don’t know what you will be doing on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I’ll be at the closest mosque, praying. You can meet me there.DAVID PRITCHETT is a guest contributor for the Bison. He may be contacted atdmpritchett@harding.edu
