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Bin Laden's death: celebration or sorrow
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Maybe you, like me, found the whole thing a bit surreal. Osama Bin Laden, the world’s most renowned terrorist, had been hunted tirelessly by the entire Western military establishment for more than ten years and one day turned up dead. End of story. Just like that, the television news anchor gives the report of Bin Laden’s death at the hands of a team of U.S. Special Forces and dispassionately moves on to the next issue. I felt a sort of surprising sense of anti-climax rush over me. Nevertheless as days progressed and information leaked, things changed. Whatever the initial event seemed to be missing in climactic expression, was made up for with parades and presidential speeches later on as the news was processed and analyzed.
What do you make of the death of such a tyrant?
For Christian students, the killing of Osama Bin Laden brings to surface a host of burning issues that most of us have wrestled with at one time or another. How do we deal with death, violence and retributive justice? How far do we take the idea of punishment? Is it biblical to rejoice in the fact that the world is now rid of a man who caused great harm?
For many believers, it seemed they were not wrestling with how they should view the situation, they simply celebrated out of instinctive reaction. Just as Hitler’s downfall brought festivity among allied soldiers, so Bin Laden’s death should bring cheering in the streets. N’est-ce pas? Well, a scholar well connected to Redeemer would beg to differ.
What do you make of the death of such a tyrant?
For Christian students, the killing of Osama Bin Laden brings to surface a host of burning issues that most of us have wrestled with at one time or another. How do we deal with death, violence and retributive justice? How far do we take the idea of punishment? Is it biblical to rejoice in the fact that the world is now rid of a man who caused great harm?
For many believers, it seemed they were not wrestling with how they should view the situation, they simply celebrated out of instinctive reaction. Just as Hitler’s downfall brought festivity among allied soldiers, so Bin Laden’s death should bring cheering in the streets. N’est-ce pas? Well, a scholar well connected to Redeemer would beg to differ.
Gideon Strauss of the [American] Center for Public Justice claims, “rejoicing in the death of another, however wicked, involves forgetting the depths of our own depravity and the astonishing reality of our own salvation.” Strauss goes on to say that although the act of killing Bin Laden was a just act by the American government, “in the end, no death should give us pleasure.”
Somewhat surprisingly, this view is not universally accepted among Christians. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church posted the #3 most tweeted verse on the subject when he quoted Proverbs 21:15 on his Twitter page, "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." Justin Taylor of New Covenant Bible Church blogged on the issue using Romans 13, saying that “the government’s sword [is] an instrument of God’s wrath.” Others were much more cautious and sympathetic in their responses. Emergent church leader Brian McLaren grieved at the images he saw on television of "American college students reveling outside the White House, shouting, chanting 'USA' and spilling beer."
Being Canadians, we seem to be far enough removed from the heat of the discussion to see a bit more clearly. There’s something to be said of the Anabaptist criticism of the sort of thing that is present in the American “manifest destiny” mindset, an over-the-top and under the table union of political and religious spheres. Instead of viewing the event as a victory of the American-Christian enterprise over radical Islam, it might be wise to view it as a triumph of justice, nothing more. Christian musical artist Derek Webb reacted to his country’s celebration by saying, “Don’t celebrate death, celebrate justice.” Ultimately these are weighty issues to delve into, and our positions on them, even as Christians, may never be fully static. I would suggest a class with Dr. Barkman for you philosophizers who want to spend hours wading through these waters more deeply. But, given the brevity of this article, I will leave you with some words that candidly touch on the human condition and echo how I felt that night the television anchor delivered the news, “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” -- Mark Twain
Somewhat surprisingly, this view is not universally accepted among Christians. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church posted the #3 most tweeted verse on the subject when he quoted Proverbs 21:15 on his Twitter page, "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." Justin Taylor of New Covenant Bible Church blogged on the issue using Romans 13, saying that “the government’s sword [is] an instrument of God’s wrath.” Others were much more cautious and sympathetic in their responses. Emergent church leader Brian McLaren grieved at the images he saw on television of "American college students reveling outside the White House, shouting, chanting 'USA' and spilling beer."
Being Canadians, we seem to be far enough removed from the heat of the discussion to see a bit more clearly. There’s something to be said of the Anabaptist criticism of the sort of thing that is present in the American “manifest destiny” mindset, an over-the-top and under the table union of political and religious spheres. Instead of viewing the event as a victory of the American-Christian enterprise over radical Islam, it might be wise to view it as a triumph of justice, nothing more. Christian musical artist Derek Webb reacted to his country’s celebration by saying, “Don’t celebrate death, celebrate justice.” Ultimately these are weighty issues to delve into, and our positions on them, even as Christians, may never be fully static. I would suggest a class with Dr. Barkman for you philosophizers who want to spend hours wading through these waters more deeply. But, given the brevity of this article, I will leave you with some words that candidly touch on the human condition and echo how I felt that night the television anchor delivered the news, “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” -- Mark Twain
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