How a Nation of Freedom Must Confront Acts of Terror

After two acts of terror that took the lives of fifteen innocent people and injured dozens more, the nation is on edge. First, a man driving a rented Ford F-150, ran over dozens of people celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans in the early hours of the morning. Police engage him in a firefight after he exits his vehicle, ultimately killing him. Hours later, a Colorado Springs man detonated explosives inside a Tesla Cybertruck parked in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, taking his own life.

In our 24/7 media environment, dominated by TV and social media platforms, maintaining perspective is a challenge. It's all too easy to feel overwhelmed with the onslaught of negative information even though we are a nation of fifty states with over 330 million people. Yet, the default human nature is to think the sky is falling.

Why it matters?

In simple terms, after 9/11 our nation responded by creating the largest and most powerful surveillance apparatus in a country built on the cornerstone of liberty.

Republican Representative Sensenbrenner, a key architect of the Patriot Act, expressed regret over how it has evolved into a sprawling surveillance state using data mining and other tactics that go far beyond the original intent of the law.

"For too long, opponents of the PATRIOT Act have transformed this law into a grossly distorted caricature that bears no relation to the legislation itself," said Sensenbrenner in a 2005 interview with PBS News Hour.

The sad irony is that one of the primary objectives of the mastermind of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, was to undermine the sense of freedom and security Americans enjoy. Though he is dead, surely, he would celebrate the outcome of the Patriot Act as a posthumous victory.

What's next?

As we wake up on January 2, 2025, outrage and fear dominate the national conscience. Now is the time for Christians to pray for God's peace and wisdom.

Benjamin Franklin rightly saw the soft underbelly of liberty when he famously said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

2,707 years earlier, King Solomon had a similar warning in Proverbs 29:25.

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe."

Take two minutes today to invite the Captain of the Host to comfort those who have lost loved ones and to grant wisdom to our political leaders in the wake of such evil acts.

Liberty demands virtue driven by faith. Pray that the Father would renew a right mindset in our nation for virtue driven by faith in the Creator who endowed us with our inalienable rights. Ultimately, that is the best response to these acts of terror.