HOW SHALL AMERICAN BAPTISTS RESPOND TO TERRORISM?

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon and the failed attempt on other Washington, DC targets-reminds us of things we have taken for granted. It reminds us that religious faith can inspire the best and can be distorted to justify the worst in human action.

Since September 11, 2001, our lives as Americans have changed in both large and small ways. We grieve for the lives lost. We celebrate those who sacrificed to save others. We wait longer at airports, and we examine our mail more closely. We focus on protecting ourselves while giving up some of our liberties. We see the world differently, and our freedoms seem more dear. Our understanding of our nation's role in the world remains unclear. As American Baptists, how do we make sense of this changed world?

First, we must not give in to hopelessness. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God is able to accomplish, through us, abundantly more than we could ask or think. In spite of new anxieties and new threats, we are called to live courageously and generously. As Christians, we cannot allow the gift of God’s love on the cross for all peoples to cease to be acted out. As Jesus said, “What good is it to love only those who love you? … Be therefore perfect as your father in heaven is perfect” (Matt 5:46-48). We must continue to love and pray for those who hate us and want to do violence to us. We must not withdraw into isolation. And since terrorism is engendered and nurtured in part by poverty and economic injustice, the work of God’s kingdom continues: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, bringing justice to the oppressed, and proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s redemption.

Second, we must look clearly at our own history and society. Matthew 5:38 calls us to examine the plank in our own eye before we look at the eye of our adversary. Many reviews of American foreign policy show both achievements and shortcomings, laudable efforts towards encouraging democracy and a history of interfering in the rights of other countries to self-determination. We must understand that some nations despise us because of our decisions.

As Christians we must acknowledge that hatred often uses religion as justification for violence; for example, the Crusades of a thousand years ago, the Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kashmir, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Protestant-Catholic fighting in Ireland. Within our own nation, crimes of hatred have been committed against those some have perceived as “outside the fold”. We as Christians are called to be a people of reconciliation instead of divisions (II Cor 5:19b).

Finally, our American Baptist racial, ethnic, and theological diversity calls us to be a model for a peaceful pluralistic society. Our Baptist principle of soul liberty supports ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. Our understanding of the role of government gives us perspective on the importance of civil liberties. American Baptists can be a light to the world in showing how different faiths can live together in peace even while acknowledging our differences. Our faith in the saving and energizing power of God in Jesus Christ enables us to reach out to others without fear, for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Therefore we call on American Baptists to: