Friday Read: September 11 - The Day Everything Changed
Twenty-five years ago today, on September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and turned them into weapons. At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Seventeen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower. At 9:37 AM, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. At 10:03 AM, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back against hijackers. By day's end, 2,977 people were dead - the deadliest terrorist attack in human history.
The attacks were orchestrated by al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, who claimed they were retaliation for America's support of Israel, involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and military presence in the Middle East. The nineteen hijackers - fifteen from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, one from Lebanon - had lived in the United States for months or years, some taking flight lessons at American commercial schools.
What followed changed the world. President George W. Bush declared a "War on Terror." The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to eliminate al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime harboring them. In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq. These wars lasted decades, cost trillions of dollars, and killed hundreds of thousands of people. The Department of Homeland Security was created. The Patriot Act expanded government surveillance. Airport security transformed. American foreign policy pivoted toward counterterrorism.
But the attacks also revealed extraordinary courage. Firefighters rushed into burning towers while others fled. First responders died trying to save strangers. Passengers on Flight 93 fought back, crashing the plane in an empty field rather than letting terrorists reach their target (likely the Capitol or White House). In New York, 343 firefighters, 23 NYPD officers, and 37 Port Authority police died. Many entered buildings they knew might collapse, choosing duty over survival.
The church struggled to respond. Some pastors offered cheap comfort, claiming God had a beautiful plan requiring these deaths. Others preached nationalism, conflating American interests with God's purposes. Jerry Falwell infamously blamed the attacks on God's judgment against America's sin - later apologizing but revealing how easily tragedy becomes weapon for agenda. Better responses acknowledged mystery, grieved with those who grieve, and resisted simplistic explanations.
Jesus addressed similar tragedy in Luke 13. People told him about Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices - a horrific atrocity. They wanted Jesus to explain why God allowed it. His response surprised them: "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:2-3).
Jesus refused to explain the tragedy as divine punishment. He didn't say those who died deserved it or that God caused it for some higher purpose. Instead, he used the tragedy to call listeners to repentance - not because they were worse sinners but because everyone faces mortality and should prepare accordingly. Tragedy doesn't require theological explanation. It requires repentance and preparation.
Paul promised: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Notice what this doesn't say: it doesn't say everything is good. The 9/11 attacks weren't good. Terrorism isn't good. Mass murder isn't good. But God can work good even through evil - redeeming what humans destroy, bringing light from darkness, accomplishing purposes evil never intended.
The attacks unified Americans briefly. Political divisions faded. Church attendance spiked. People hugged strangers. Firefighters became heroes. But unity didn't last. Within years, bitter divisions returned. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq became controversial. Surveillance expansion alarmed civil libertarians. Anti-Muslim hate crimes increased ten-fold. Fear became weapon for political manipulation.
Twenty-five years later, what should we remember? Remember the victims - 2,977 people who went to work or boarded planes expecting ordinary days. Remember the heroes - first responders who ran toward danger. Remember the passengers who fought back. Remember that evil is real, humans are capable of horrific cruelty, and courage under fire reveals character.
Also remember that fear is corrosive. After 9/11, fear drove policy - invading countries, expanding surveillance, restricting freedoms, treating entire populations with suspicion. Jesus said: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28). Terrorism kills bodies. Fear destroys souls. The former is tragic. The latter is more dangerous.
Where are you letting fear control you? What are you afraid of losing that's making you act unlike Christ? Terrorists can kill bodies. Only you can surrender your soul through fear-driven choices. Evil is real. But "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). On this anniversary, remember the victims, honor the heroes, acknowledge evil's reality, and refuse to let fear determine your responses.
