As we end this year 2001, I think everyone will agree that the collapse of the WTC in NYC was the monumental catastrophe it brought. So I lay awake during the night praying for more insight as to it's meaning. The most obvious is expressed in our current war on terrorism, Operation Enduring Freedom. We are rightly determined to stamp out this global plague of humanity and hopefully we can be more successful than the war on drugs, or on cancer, or on various other evils we deplore. We've made a good start in Afghanistan as I see it. And we have the right guy at the helm of our ship of state, even though he wasn't named "person of the year" by Time magazine. The fact that Rudy Giuliani got that honor only affirms how central 9/11 was to the year. But I kept thinking philosophically of the image that collapse has left, a gaping hole in the major urban skyline of the USA and whole world. It appears to me as a parable of modern thought which had created a temple of the 20th century called "modernism." Science and religion were melded together in that colossus that has now disappeared. We have been thrust into this postmodern world where nothing is as safe and certain as we had come to believe. Certainly our trust in science has been profoundly shaken, though long in coming. It was clear back in the year I was born, 1927, that Werner Heisenberg first announced the "principle of uncertainly" about the whole physical universe. Years before that, in 1900, the basis of quantum mechanics had been articulated by another German physicist, Max Planck. So modernism that had grown out of the 18th century's "age of enlightenment" was already being shaken by new discoveries. It had departed in the 19th century from any metaphysical basis of knowledge into that time of logical positivism introduced by the French philosopher, Auguste Comte. Thus modernism in all it's glory was humanity alone proudly building it's tower of Babel to the heavens. And in Isaiah, Jeremiah and the book of Revelation we read a repeated refrain "Fallen, fallen is Babylon, that great city." It had been the towering symbol of human achievement until it's time of judgment came. And ever since it's been in ruins and of interest only to archeologists. But NYC goes on, so there's no comparison there; only that an age has gone. We now live in the post 9/11 era and calling things "modern" doesn't have the ring of quality it once did because modernism has collapsed as a world view.
1-1-02
I shared A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT SEPTEMBER 11 beneath last week's column on my web page. And on this day there's been a new start for OU in the Cottenbowl, a new mayor Bloomberg of NYC, a new Euro currency in the European Commonwealth and a new 2002 over the whole world!!! Even the numbers of this year look appealingly balanced and symmetrical, like none since 1991 (the year this column first appeared in the Democrat). Seems like the Fox News claims for their reporting: "fair and balanced." Maybe it was twins that the crowd in Times Square were waiting to see arrive last night (with Twin Towers gone). Watching in the new year is like a family staying in the waiting room while mama's in delivery. I also "go it" about the crystal ball that comes down that pole, which has long puzzled me. It's like gazing into the future (the way mediums do) as we turn from the past to what comes down to us for tomorrow. Since it began it 1904, when psychics were so popular, there may be a forgotten link. But who cares anyhow. Though I liked Seattle's spaceneedle better, where an elevator went up and the great saucer on top lit up as 2002 began. I guess there was something special in OKC but I missed it while watching coast to coast; along with London, Paris, Kabul, Moscow and Singapore abroad. We already had four TVs in the Pinkhouse upstairs and down, then we got another for Christmas. But this last one is for Niece, to watch in her car. It will run off the cigarette lighter.
I appreciated Berry reporting on Garvin county's top ten stories of '01 as the Democrat carried them in today's issue. And #1 being about the sudden death of sheriff Bob Davis was yet another tribute to him, elected four times to that office. Another item I'd have included was about our former sports writer becoming editor. Along with the publisher's leadership, I feel that Mike has enhanced this publication. And his moving to Pauls Valley even adds to that. But when I read in the Oklahoman the top stories chosen from state news for the past year, it filled me with disgust to see the OKC bomber as # 1, even though it was about the federal execution (first in 38 years (He doesn' deserve to even be recalled).That OSU plane crash last Jan.27 was second. Third was the OKC police chemist who finally got fired in September for laboratory mismanagement. Fourth was the passage of right-to-work and fifth was Oklahoma's executing a total of 18 inmates, most of any state. Sixth was merger of Conoco and Phillips with plans to move to Houston. Story number seven was about the ice & wind storms. Eighth was dedication of the bombing memorial in OKC and 9th about Gov. Keating's loosing out for a place in the Bush administration. Report of National Guard troops mobilized after 9/11 tied with those of possible anthrax threat in Oklahoma for #10 spot. I'd have put the bomber down at eleventh. These violent, wicked devils don't deserve remembrance in my opinion; at least not among the top ten. And I'd have expected 9/11 to be first instead of last. And all those dogs rescued from neglect over at Duncan in Sunday's issue, along with that baby boy in OKC who had to be given a blood transfusion to save his life despite his parent's religious objection (today's copy) are bigger items than some of the above to me. We used to feel that religion was all basically good. But we can see more and more perversion of it, so that we need to be on guard against false prophets as foretold of the last times (Mat.7:15). Jesus asked "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." Wrong teaching can be as deadly to the mind as poison is to the body. A good new years resolution is "read the Bible daily" and ask the Lord to help you understand.
I went to bed last night trying to recall something that had come to me pertaining to 9/11 that I knew from Scripture. Then I awoke early this morning remembering a reference Jesus had made while teaching in Jerusalem. He spoke about some Galileans whose blood had been mingled with their sacrifices by Pilate ( must have been down to Jerusalem) and asked if they were worse sinners than other Galileans. They would have come to offer sacrifice for their sins at the Temple in Jerusalem, of course. Then He asked about a recent accident in the vicinity that had resulted in the deaths of local residents: "Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Thus both calamties, one humanly caused and the other by nature (gravity), were calls to turn and seek the LORD with repentance. We in America have largely seen 9/11 like that with the collapse of WTC's twin towers. And it's surely more than coincidence that it's date is the same as our emergency number to call for help, 911. So we have gone to war now, not for revenge because that's up to the Almighty, but in order to bring those to justice who caused such a great calamity. Thus we must begin or continue to "seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness" if we give heed to our Lord. Already we're learning of complications about compensation to those who lost loved ones in NYC that will cost the government billions more. It's probably going to become a very sticky issue, but federal officials want victims to accept a million and a half settlement each because that will preclude future law suits. It's going to cost less this way they say, and insurance or other compensations received will be deducted from the amount paid to each, so that all will get equal help. Sadly it seems to me that the message of repentance mayl be obscured in all the reach for compensation. I believe that we Christians should pray for Congress to be guided in the way this difficult matter is resolved. It's good to see hurting families get help but a precedent might be set that will give the devil abundant opportunity to exploit so that instead of repentance, we'd end up with the very opposite. It may be a bad idea, as one relative of a victim was claiming on TV yesterday.