I already commented briefly earlier on the “Wildcard Death of Osama bin Laden.” I am not going to rehash how it happened, why, etc., as many others are already doing that.
But what I do think relevant is the breadth of ideas about how Christians should respond to the death—and the breadth of Christian response to the celebrations (or anti-celebrations) being held.
- Eurasia Review on America’s Self-Righteous Celebration which “is particularly troubling to me… [are the] images of their celebrations really so different from those that they condemn”?
- Fears that terrorism will continue: for example,
- How will history remember bin Laden? (BBC)
- Security concerns for Pakistani Christians after death of bin Laden: fears of revenge attacks. Also in Mission Network News
- bin Laden’s death merits ‘prayer more than revelry’ says several mission agencies
- Justice has been done: but our response as Christians must be marked by knowledge of our own depravity (CT)
- What kind of justice has been done? The difference between the city of man and the city of God (CT)
- NPR: Is Celebrating Death Appropriate? (for Muslims?)
- NPR: Is It Wrong To Celebrate Bin Laden’s Death? Some have found the celebrations morally troublesome.
- CT: ‘Do Not Gloat’ over Osama bin Laden’s Death.
- Inside Higher Ed: College celebrations over Osama’s death raise questions about the Millennial Generation.
- CT: ‘Do Not Gloat’ vs. ‘Joy to the Righteous’: two most commonly quoted verses on Twitter
- The shocking truth that God loves Osama Bin Laden too (National Catholic Register)
- Piper: Love your enemies, vengeance belongs to God
- And from another Catholic perspective: the distasteful task of praying for Bin Laden’s soul. On the one hand, I don’t agree with the theology. But on the other hand, I can understand and admire the perspective.
- IMB: Bin Laden’s death prompts Christians to pray.
- SIM: How shall we pray?
- Lee Grady (Charisma): Did Osama bin Laden go to hell?
- CBN: Should Christians Rejoice over Bin Laden’s Death?
The bottom line: we should fully expect there will be strong emotions around the death of bin Laden. It’s impossible that there wouldn’t be. But we Christians should struggle to temper our responses to reflect love for our enemies that is kind, gentle, patient and self-controlled. God loves (or loved, depending on your view) bin Laden and Christ died for him, even if he did reject that.
Here’s something to consider: Jesus said that anyone who looked on someone else angrily would be subject to judgment, and anyone who says “You fool!” would be in danger of the fire of hell. If we take this verse (Matthew 5:22) at its word, what does it say about us and our response to bin Laden and to Muslims and terrorists in general?
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