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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
January 2002 |
What do YOU think?
The Hoosier United Methodist News welcomes all letters to the editor. In order to be considered for publication, letters must be signed and should include the name of your local church along with a daytime phone number for verification purposes. All letters may be subject to editing for clarity or length. Deadline for each upcoming issue is the 15th of the month.
Our wish is to provide a forum wherein all voices and points of view have an equal opportunity to be heard.
Send to Editor, Hoosier UM News, 1100 W. 42nd St., Suite 210, Indianapolis, IN. 46208; fax: 317.924.4859; e-mail: Editor
A child's view of 9/11
On the day of nine-one-one,
All of America's worries had just begun
After watching TV we all started to cry,
When we saw all those innocent Americans die
We didn't know then what was happening to us,
Just another reason for all of the fuss
We weren't sure who had started this attack,
All we knew was we couldn't bring any people back
I wish there were some possible way
We could have prevented what happened that day
But I know we can't make that day disappear,
And we can't bring the people back here
All we can do is help each other now
Even if we aren't sure how
Maybe everything will turn out okay,
But we'll always remember what happened that day
By: Megan Chaney, age 12
Sent by the Rev. Bill Sweigart,
ret., French Lick
Terrorism and justice
I agree with Bradley Foster's views (December HUM News Viewpoints)that there needs to be a strong response of the events of Sept. 11. I agree our response cannot be a sentimental one which closes eyes to reality.
I am troubled when you classify the following as "utterly foolish": (1) finding "the root causes" of terrorism, (2) correcting "injustices that make people feel they have to lash out," and (3)"Fighting hate with compassion." Any approach which depends on military power without also seeking to understand and correct injustice is not realistic.
As to your thought that "fighting hate with compassion" is "utterly foolish," I thought that was precisely what Jesus instructed us to do. I agree that "to allow evil to triumph in every instance by doing nothing is definitely a greater evil." But, those of us who believe it is necessary to search for causes, work for justice and respond with compassion are far from wanting us to do nothing.
Rather, this path involves hard study, close scrutiny of our own policies, refusal to be self-righteous, and willingness to seek to understand even the foe. For some of us it also involves wise, long-term diplomacy and, at times, restrained military action. This approach is one of doing much more than what I heard you proposing. Did I misunderstand you?
Jerry Hyde, Pastor
Trafalgar and Mt. Olive UMCs
Varying Christian responses to 9/11
The past few months since Sept. 11 have caused me to question, What does it really mean to be a faithful follower of Christ?
This has haunted me because of the variety of Christian responses to Sept. 11 and its aftermath. On one side are people like Jerry Falwell who claim Sept. 11. is a sign of God's judgment. On the other side are attempts to portray our new "War on Terrorism" in simplistic terms of "good versus evil."
These varying responses have caused me to reevaluate what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, especially in regards to the various "labels" that are so often used among Christians. For example … , why are "evangelical" Christians in favor of the death penalty, yet opposed to non-violence as a response to conflict? If the good news of salvation were truly at the heart of [these] views, killing would never be an option for Christians, because if we take the life of a fellow evil doer who has not accepted Christ as Savior, we would potentially be denying their opportunity for salvation and co-opting the role of God as Divine Judge.
Contrary to labels that end up dividing Christians, what would it look like to simply reclaim the name "Christian" and seek to live faithfully to Christ's teachings? If we were to do this, not only would we oppose the potential sentencing of others to eternal condemnation, but our communal life, both as churches and as a nation, would be greatly enriched.
If we were simply "Christians" and not Methodists or Baptists, Catholics or Pentecostals, we'd worry less about competing for higher attendance numbers and, instead, work together so that others might come to enjoy the new life that Christ brings to the world.
As others come to know and profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and live faithfully according to his teachings, the world itself would be a better place. And all this would happen simply because we are Christians.
Rob King, clergy member of
Western N.C. Conference,
Ph.D. student in Moral Theology
at Notre Dame,
Pastoral Assistant,
First UMC of South Bend
The power of pacifism in a world of war
The characterization of pacifists as sentimental, unrealistic and naive baffles me. War fails to accomplish the noble goals which some claim for it, (as when President Bush promises to "rid the world of evildoers"), and has particularly proven unable to achieve the purposes which Christians use to justify it. Yet, pacifists are called naive.
History shows that war cannot defeat evil. Armed might subdue one's aggressor, but another follows. The "good guy" nations wage war against a succession of tyrants and terrorists: Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Noriega, Milosevic, bin Laden, but there will always be another.
Military power just perpetuates this cycle. A powerful armed response does not deter aggressors by "teaching them a lesson" nor serves as a warning to future "evildoers." But it does teach aggressors that even "good guys" have faith in the effectiveness of violence. And it warns future evildoers to attack with even greater savagery next time.
Christians who imagine that war can effectively achieve just ends assume that killing evildoers defeats evil … . Terrorism, tyranny and violence are evil spiritual powers. Bullets and bombs cannot defeat them. Violence only intensifies the power of sin, death and evil in the world. Paul declares that Christians confront evil with weapons like truth, righteousness, faith, prayer and God's Word. Only such weapons have "divine power to destroy strongholds" of spiritual evil, (2 Cor. 10:4).
Is it sentimental to believe in the power of the Gospel? Is it naive to believe violence begets violence? What could be more naive than to believe war brings peace and that killing gives life? Centuries of war have failed to produce peace, failed to defeat evil, failed to end the slaughter of the innocents, yet we still put our faith in our swords, spears, bullets and bombs.
… The gospel of peace is as foreign to America as it is to the Middle East, where it was born. But "it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith." (Rom. 1 :16) - and even to Americans, Arabs and Afghans. That is, the Gospel has power to transform those who hear it into faithful, peaceful people of God, no matter what their culture, ethnicity or politics.
As citizens of God's Kingdom, Christians are, indeed, in the world, but not of it. This requires faithfulness, not balance. We live in this world's nations, but we are of God's Kingdom. In a world of war, we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of peace.
Dennis David Hensley, Pastor
Fairmount UMC.
dennisdhensley@hotmall.com
Last updated on January 14, 2004