On the morning of September 11, 2001, my wife woke me to tell me a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. I was sleeping in that morning because I wasn’t feeling well. Within moments of when I started watching the news with Jane, the second plane hit.
For the next two days, we were basically glued to the television.
America would never be the same.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, orchestrated by the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda, involved the hijacking of four commercial airliners. Two of these planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. Another plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. However, passengers on board bravely attempted to retake control of the aircraft, ultimately leading to its crash in a field in Pennsylvania.
The 9/11/01 terrorist attacks killed 2,977 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United States launched a multi-decade global effort known as the War on Terror. This initiative aimed to dismantle al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. It also targeted the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had provided sanctuary to al-Qaeda. The War on Terror led to the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 and subsequently expanded to include various military and counterterrorism operations around the world, including in Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, and beyond. These efforts were aimed not only at militant groups but also at governments and organizations believed to be supporting terrorism.
Several members of Olney Baptist Church took part in this War on Terror. I thank them and honor them for their service to our country.
It’s sobering to reflect that – 23 years later – there are adults living in our country today who have no memory of September 11, 2001. They were either too young (my daughter, for example, was just shy of her third birthday) or they weren’t yet alive (my son would be born in 2003). For America’s kids and teenagers today and many of our young adults, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, are a historical event — much like the assassination of John F. Kennedy is to a 55-year-old GenXer like me.
When I reflect on that, it makes me more passionate about history – a subject that’s near and dear to my heart. We must remember our past.
It’s our responsibility to make sure the United States of America does not forget September 11, 2001 – just as our country should not forget so many other significant dates in our nation’s history.
Unfortunately, history has become a battleground of agendas and narratives. One of those prevailing narratives today is that the United States of America is an irredeemably flawed country and that we deserve everything bad that happens to us. Those who believe this about the United States of America should avail themselves of the freedom to leave the United States of America.
Don’t get me wrong. Reformers who point to sin and injustice — and call on us to make correction — deserve our gratitude. We need people like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
But haters bring nothing noble or worthwhile to our country.
Heroes like Douglass, Tubman, and King were not haters. They were heroes.
Oh, Pastor, you’re supposed to love everyone — even the haters. Yes, and I try. But some people can be loved — at a distance!
No country is holy. That includes the United States. Every country has both good and bad in its past and present. But if you voluntarily live in the United States, then I agree with George Washington who said that this country “has a right to concentrate your affections.”
Disagree? I point you to the Bible. We are called to “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21), to “submit” to the “higher powers” (Romans 13:1), to give “honor where honor is due” (Romans 13:7), to “submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” (I Peter 2:13), to “honour all men” and “honour the king” (I Peter 2:17). Oh, and we’re to pray for those in civil authority over us (I Timothy 2:1-3).
You can’t do those things in a way that pleases and honors God if you have apathy or bitterness in your heart or spirit. You have to care about your country in order to properly carry out those exhortations.
But Pastor! It says “honor the king,” not “honor the country!” I don’t mean to come off as mean, but this displays poor biblical interpretation skills and an ignorance of the context in which this passage is written. In the ancient world (Peter wrote this epistle in the ancient world – not the 21st century!), the king was the state! Read that again: The king was the state!
Even today, in the British Commonwealth, King Charles is a personal embodiment of the United Kingdom.
In the Apostle Peter’s case, the “king” to which he referred was the Roman Emperor, and Emperor Nero embodied Rome. Caesar was the state!
Keep that in mind also in Matthew 22. When Jesus says “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” (at the time Jesus said these words, the Emperor was Tiberius), Jesus is essentially saying give to the state what is the state’s. And by state, we’re talking about nation-states, not really the state of Maryland! Although Maryland, being a state within the United States, warrants your honor and appropriate “rendering” (or giving) as well.
As a Christian living in the United States of America, I am obeying God when I conduct myself as a law-abiding U.S. citizen who prays for my country and its leaders, honors my country and its leaders, and gives (my civic allegiance, taxes, patriotism, etc.) to my country. I would be disobeying and dishonoring God if I didn’t.
And, yes, while I’m speaking as an American, I would say the same thing if I were living in Canada, France, Germany, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, or even North Korea. Jesus, Paul, and Peter taught these principles while living under Roman occupation!
Wait! Wait! Aren’t we supposed to put God above government? Most definitely! Amen and Amen! Nothing in this article says otherwise. God first. But we do (under God) have responsibilities and obligations to earthly entities — such as our family! You wouldn’t question that, would you? And, yes, our earthly citizenship as well.
Remember… love and agreement are not the same. The same can be said for patriotism. Being a patriotic American doesn’t mean you have to agree with your government all the time. You can disagree with U.S. policy (even strongly) and still be a loyal and law-abiding citizen of your country. And there may be times when our higher allegiance to God may compel us to go against the laws or policies of our country.
The early church believers had to live this out. Many of them were martyred by Roman officials because they refused to worship the Roman gods or worship the Roman emperor as a god — even though they pledged their civic allegiance to Rome.
I’m not exhorting anyone to blind allegiance to a politician or political party, nor am I saying that our country can do no wrong. We know that countries, governments, and politicians can do wrong. Just as Jesus, Paul, and Peter knew that!
What I’m saying is that we should care about, honor, and pray for our country. And that we should obey the laws of our land and cooperate with our government so long as doing so doesn’t cause us to go against God. THAT is what I’m saying. And that’s what Jesus, Peter, and Paul said.
Christians should be model citizens. And as model citizens in the United States, we should not let our fellow citizens forget 9/11/01. Not so we stay perpetually bitter or outraged. That’s not God-honoring. But so that we remember the past, honor those impacted by the past, and honor those who keep us safe now and into the future.
So, on this anniversary of 9/11/01, as a Christian and as an American, I want to take this time to express my civic loyalty to the United States of America and my gratitude to God for being an American. I want to thank the men and women who keep us safe. And I say a special “We remember you” to those who lost loved ones on that fateful day.
May God bless the United States of America. And may we never forget 9/11/01.
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Excellent!
Thank you Pastor. I will never forget 911! I had lost my sister and was sitting at my desk in a daze when officers were trying to get everyone out of the building. I will always pray for our country and especially families who lost love ones.