Petition for Our Troubled World

This petition, an adaptation of a petition published by our brothers and sisters in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will be included in the Prayers of the Church at Living Water tomorrow morning. Please include similar petitions in your own personal prayers tonight and tomorrow:

Lord of all comfort and peace, give to the world that peace which only You can give. Deliver Christians from the hands of persecution, restore peace to lands ravaged by war, grant safety to refugees, and comfort those victimized by war and terrorism, especially we remember the people of Ukraine and Syria daily assaulted by the Russian military and the people of Britain recently attacked by Islamist terrorists. Bring peace to our own nation. In the face of political division and tension, let us find peace in You and Your unchanging promises. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

'Proportional' reporting on possible terrorism?

That's the subject of this piece I wrote for The Moderate Voice.

After Brussels, Live

Travel expert Rick Steves shared this graphic on his Facebook timeline.

To me, it expresses an important message on this day when we grieve the senseless loss of life perpetrated by ISIS. The object of terrorists is to incite terror, panic, and fear in people. Such reactions are understandable. But when we alter our lifestyles to accommodate the possible actions of thugs and bullies, they win and we lose.

I'm not suggesting that either individuals or governments act stupidly. When the devil tempted Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem to see if God the Father would catch Him, Jesus refused. He told the devil that it isn't right to test God. So, people and governments need to take wise precautions in the face of the terrorist reality.

But if you're planning on traveling by any means, if you have tickets for a major public event, if you have to go shopping, or if there are things you need to do to live your life, I say do them.

If we let the terrorists intimidate us, we risk wimping out in one of two ways:

• Acceding to them and not doing anything or 
• Turning free countries into sterile, lifeless armed encampments

Both are fearful prospects fueled by fear which would change the fundamental qualities of living in a pluralistic democracy that includes both majority rule and a fair regard for the minority.

There are many things that give rise to Islamic-based terrorism. But among them is the palpable fear that potential terrorists see in free societies when terrorist acts do occur, something that offers them the possibility of feeling powerful. The fear of free societies is one of their greatest recruiting tools.

Terrorism must be fought on many fronts and in many ways. One of the ways is for we who value freedom and the sanctity of human life not to let fear get the best of us.

Like any other human being, I fear many things. But my faith in an eternal God Who raised His Son Jesus from the grave and promises a piece of His resurrection victory to all who repent and believe in Him, helps me to put my fear in perspective. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, for the Christian, death is not the worst thing that can happen.

In the weeks prior to September 11, 2001, my daughter and I were trying to decide whether to book a flight to Germany. September 11 was the deadline we had set for making our decision. We booked the flight that night because, we said, we didn't want Osama bin-Laden making our travel plans for us.

God has given you life. And if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you believe that God has given you life with God that never ends. So, live.

Of that 'Charlie Hebdo' cartoon of an assassin...

...Ann Althouse speculates that it's meant to implicate all religions in terrorist violence. That would be a "politically correct" approach, of course.

In the Face of Barbarities, Praying

Praying today for the 150 people--Christian men, women, and children abducted by Isis yesterday--that God will sustain, encourage, and provide for them and bring them to safety.

Praying also that the Holy Spirit will empower them, like the 21 martyred by Isis in Egypt last week, to endure in making the good confession for the God Who can save from sin, death, and themselves, any sinner who repents and believes in the crucified and risen Jesus, God in human flesh.

Through faithful, steadfast Christian witness, God can save and transform even the most murderous enemies of Christ and His Church. (Those conversant with the Bible will think of Saint Paul, who murderously terrorized Christians only to be changed for eternity by the grace of God in Christ!)

Praying also that the Church everywhere will be emboldened to spread the good news about Jesus so that, reconciled with God through Jesus, they will seek to understand and work with their neighbors, not hate or kill them. This is needed in every nation of the world, the United States as well as Syria, France as well as Iraq!

Praying also that God will guide the leaders of the world in punishing and bringing to justice those perpetrating these barbarities. The Bible is clear that God has instituted governments to hold in check those unwilling to voluntarily yield to the rule of God--and His call to love God and to love others--in this imperfect world. May God empower all governments to do their duty in destroying the forces of chaos, violence, and nihilism in our world.

And praying that God will undertake to do whatever He deems needed, knowing that my wisdom about all that needs to happen is minuscule, in these circumstances. Paul says in Romans 8:26-27 that God's "Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."

I don't know exactly what to pray for; but I know Who to pray to.

So, in my ignorance and faulty wisdom, I ask that God's kingdom come and that God's will be done on earth just as it is in heaven.

The Tragedy of Baga

The 'Charlie Hebdo' murders were horrible. But the ongoing murderous rampage of Boko Haram in Nigeria recently included a massacre of 2000 innocent people.

Until a few hours ago, the Nigerian government, apparently wanting to portray an image of stability to voters in the run up to an election, has been shy about even acknowledging the instability caused by the terrorist group.

And the international community's focus on Paris has kept the horrors in Nigeria off most radars.

Please pray for the people of Nigeria, asking God to give them safety and peace.

Please pray for the government of Nigeria, that it might protect its citizens.

Please pray for other governments of the world that they might provide appropriate help.

How I Understand Today's Outrages in Boston from a Lutheran Christian Perspective

As a Lutheran Christian, I feel equipped by our Lutheran Confessions to understand and deal with events like the Boston Marathon bombings.

In the first place, human depravity and sin don't surprise we Lutherans. We understand original sin and how those unmoved by the grace of God given in Christ are left disarmed before the temptations to sin created by the devil, the world, and our sinful selves.

Secondly, we understand that because there are people who refuse to live voluntarily under the Kingdom of God ruled by the loving grace of Christ, God has established another means of rule: the kingdom of the world. This kingdom--the kingdom of governments and such--has every right and, in fact, every responsibility to bring the people responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings to justice. This kingdom is meant to act as a bridle on the sinful actions of those whose lives are not being reconstructed by the grace of God in Christ.

Thirdly, we understand that even when the perpetrators of these bombings are apprehended, arrested, tried, and convicted, God will want them, even as they receive the punishment they deserve, to enter His kingdom through repentance and faith in Christ. When Jesus was crucified unjustly, neither the thief on the cross nor Jesus Himself denied that the thief deserved the criminal punishment that the thief received from the civil authorities. But when the thief asked Jesus, in an obvious statement of repentance and belief, to be remembered in Jesus' kingdom, Jesus promised him that on that very day, the thief would be with him in paradise.

Terrorism and murder can't go unpunished. Grace isn't a license to sin. But true justice is not revenge either. 

In a fallen world, justice meted out to those who commit acts of hatred is the duty of the kingdoms of the world.

In this same fallen world, grace is the gift of God and the response of God's people to those who repent and trust in Christ. 

A classic example of a Lutheran understanding of accepting God's two ways of ruling the world comes, ironically, from Pope John Paul II. The pontiff was the victim of a would-be assassin's bullet. John Paul recovered and his attacker was tried, convicted, and sent to prison. During Mehmet Ali Agca's prison term, the pope visited him. Their one-on-one meeting was recorded by a photographer. The attacker kneeled and asked for forgiveness from John Paul, which the pope granted. But after their meeting, as the TIME magazine cover article on forgiveness pointed out at the time, the pope left his assailant to finish his prison time. Both grace and justice were served. God must be allowed to rule over both His kingdoms.

May God's rule in both spheres--the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world--prevail in the wake of today's outrages in Boston.

[The sermon on April 7, dealt with the Lutheran understanding of the Bible's teaching on God's two kingdoms.]

Make cupcakes...

...not war.

Federal Budget Deficits: Our Ticking Time Bomb

The seriousness of the ongoing saga of US federal budget deficits is the topic of two interesting recent articles.

First, this from The New York Times.

Then, this from the BBC. My son, a seminary student with undergraduate degrees in History and Philosophy, linked to it over on Facebook. It elicited the following moderate, non-partisan rant from me.* (By the way, the Walker book to which I refer is Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility by David Walker.):

This is a good overview of the problem. I'm looking forward to reading the David Walker book.

Once unemployment comes down, it's going to be imperative that the deficits be addressed. But I'm not convinced that either party will do so. There are so many constituent groups--special interest groups, state, district, and regional groups--that want to eliminate pork and waste except when it impacts them, it makes eliminating the federal red ink tough.

Then, there are the sacred cows like Social Security and Medicare and the Defense Department, leaving little in actual "discretionary spending" to be cut.

The template for resolving these problems is an independent commission. It was done with Social Security back in the Reagan years, as I recall. It was also done with military base closings. Congress decides it can't deal with an issue because it neither has the will, the capacity to compromise, nor the willingness to give up on earmarks individual members want to bring back to their states or districts. So, it appoints a commission, outsourcing the appropriations function the Constitution gives it; all they have to do is vote up and down on recommendations.

But just last week, the Senate couldn't even agree to legislation authorizing a deficit reduction commission. Obama says he's going to appoint one by executive order. But it won't have any force of law.

It's a mess and both parties are to blame. Let's pray that God will give our leaders the wisdom they need. The stakes are enormous. These deficits mean that we're mortgaging the country's future to the Chinese government. Pols from both parties give lip service to doing something about it. But I don't see much substantive work happening.

Is anyone else as concerned as I am?

One other thing. Does anybody remember this? I personally think that Osama bin Laden takes entirely too much credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union. But when government spending reaches sustained high percentages of national GDP, it's not a good thing. Much of the war on terrorism has been financed by borrowing from the Chinese government, a regime which, because it is less than respectful of its own people, can hardly be expected to be forgiving of the US if we're unable to pay our bills.

Can't some of the river of red ink in Washington be attributed to our being terrified the terrorists?

Would any of our spending over the past eight-plus years have been significantly different if we weren't terrified?

How might we deal with terrorist threats and not spend ourselves into bankruptcy or slavery to the Chinese government?

*I'm certain that "a moderate, non-partisan rant" is not an oxymoronic phrase.

[This post is an example of JUMP, a category I created several years ago to designate pieces that are "just my opinion." This isn't Mark the Pastor writing, just Mark the Big Mouth.]

Five different perspectives...

on keeping Pakistan's nuclear arsenal out of the hands of terrorists.

Gitmo Closings: Now Comes the Hard Part

The Obama Administration yesterday began circulating a draft executive order that would close down the Guantanamo Bay detention center. But doing that could prove difficult as explained here by Columbia University law prof Matthew Waxman.

Praying for the Victims of Terror...

in India.

Aid Groups Being Increasingly Attacked in Darfur

See here.

World Vision, the main organization mentioned in the linked item above, does great work. For several years, our church has sponsored a Zimbabwean girl through World Vision. Our sponsorship dollars, pooled with those of other sponsoring individuals and churches, ensure that the people of Sinanzinkosi's village, get clean drinking water, a school, seeds and agricultural advice, material aid, and the opportunity to know Christ. World Vision does great work, work the government-sponsored terrorists and others in Sudan obviously want to thwart.

The crisis of Darfur and the suffering of its people go on and on. Please pray for an end to the genocide there, as well as for protection for all who are striving to relieve the people of Darfur.

Was Matthews Right to Say, 'Thank God' That Piccadilly Bombing Was Averted?

On his show this evening, Chris Matthews talked about the averted terrorist bombing near London's Piccadilly Circus. At least three times Matthews issued a "Thank God" that the attack was avoided.

Was he right to say that?

Did God prevent the bombings from happening in London today?

And if so, why didn't this same God prevent the Holocaust, the attacks of September 11, 2001, the July 7 London bombings, the Madrid bombings of March 11, 2004, or the Beslan school crisis of 2004?

As a Christian, I believe that the answers to these questions will only fully be apparent in eternity. Until then, as the New Testament portion of the Bible tells us, "we walk by faith and not by sight."

But, as I look at the historical record as presented in the Bible and at the experience of believers in the centuries since the last book of the Bible was written, I affirm several historic Christian teachings:

• God hears prayer
• God cares about what's happening in our world
• God intervenes in our world, first, out of consideration for His long-term will for us, and second, in response to our prayers, which are really invitations to God to act in our world

These assertions are either brave or stupid, I suppose. Or they are true.

That's because they diverge dramatically from the sorts of explanations offered by simplistic religious legalists, even those who identify themselves as Christians.

Remember the Muslim cleric who said that the tsunami of Christmas, 2004 was caused by the failure of Muslims in the affected countries to maintain their religious discipline?

Or the Christian clergyperson who said that the 9/11 attacks were the result of America's abortion laws and acceptance of gay relationships? (He later recanted for that comment.)

Christian theology refuses to accept such simplistic explanations of God or of world events, primarily because God is bigger than our capacity to fully comprehend Him and also because in Jesus Christ, we meet a God Who cares about and is aligned with the human race, particularly with those who suffer.

So, does God intervene in the events of history?

Just last night, during a raucous commercial air flight back to Ohio from Florida, I read some of Philip Yancey's fantastic new book, Prayer. He dealt with this very question. He writes:

Our own time has witnessed uprisings led by prayer.

In the 1980s, a pastor named Laszlo Tokes took over a small Reformed church to minister to his fellow Hungarians, an oppressed minority living inside the borders of Romania. His predecessor had openly supported the communist Romanian government, even to the extent of wearing a red star on his clerical robes. In contrast, Tokes spoke out against injustice and protested government actions. Soon the sanctuary began filling each Sunday, bringing together worshipers and dissidents of both Romanian and Hungarian descent. Membership grew from forty persons to five thousand.

The courageous new pastor attracted the attention of special agents as well. They threatened Tokes many times with violence, and one evening the police were dispatched. Word spread quickly and hundreds of Christians--Baptist, Orthodox, Reformed, and Catholic alike--poured out of their homes to surround Tokes's house as a wall of protection. They stood through the day and night, singing hymns and holding candles.

A few days later, police broke through the protestors to seize Tokes. Rather than dispersing and filing home, the protestors decided to march downtown to the police station. As the procession moved noisly through the streets, more and more people joined in. Eventually the crowd in the town square swelled to 200,000, nearly the entire population of that area. The Romanian army sent in troops, who in one bloody incident opened fire on the crowd, killing a hundred and wounding many more. Still the people held their ground, refusing to disperse.

A local pastor stood to address the protestors in an attempt to calm the rising anger and prevent a full-scale riot. He began with three words, "Let us pray." In one spontaneous motion that giant mass of farmers, teachers, students, doctors, and ordinary working people fell to their knees and recited the Lord's Prayer--a corporate act of civil disobedience. Within days the protest spread to the capital city of Bucharest, and a short time later the government that had ruled Romania with an iron fist toppled to the ground.

I've gotten myself in trouble suggesting that the collapse of the old, evil Soviet empire had more to do with prayer than the policies of governments, important though the latter may have been, especially the policy of containment as pursued by every US president from Harry Truman to George H.W. Bush.

But Yancey catalogs one instance after another in which the eyes of faith see the hand of God, responsive to the prayers of people. Yancey recites prayers offered and prayers seemingly answered in Poland, East Germany, and South Africa.

There must be many elements in the world's response to Islamist terrorism:

• Citizens, like the London EMS worker, need to be vigilant, watchful for suspicious and menacing behaviors
• Governments must enforce the law and guard their citizens from terrorists
• Christians must proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ that frees people from hatred and from performance-based religion, freeing believers in Christ to become the people God made them to be.
• Christians also must pray for protection of the world from people bent on violence, inviting the power of God into our world.

With solid historical warrant, Yancey points out:

...wherever Christian missionaries have traveled they have left behind a trail of hospitals, clinics, orphanages, and schools.

In response to Jesus' command that we love God and neighbor, Christians have always and continue to serve their neighbors--whatever their neighbors' religious affiliation.

But in addition to acting in the power of God, we're also called to pray.

Who knows? Somewhere on this planet it may be that vigilant, compassionate Christians have been praying that God would thwart terrorist attacks in Britain and that had something to do with an emergency worker seeing smoke emanating from a suspicously parked vehicle near Piccadilly Circus. Maybe it was God who ensured that the would-be terrrorists bungled their plot to violate the laws of God and of humanity.

I wouldn't be surprised.

Which is why, in an act of faith tonight, I say with Chris Matthews, "Thank God!"

[For a discussion of tragedy befalling the innocent, see here.]
[For a discussion of the role of governments in the life of the world and the rule of God, see here.]

[THANKS TO: Bill Hobbs, Annie Gottlieb, Aramis of Three Mass'keteers, Ann Althouse, and Glenn Reynolds for linking to this post.]

[THIS POST HAS been substantially cross-posted at RedBlueChristian.com.]