Effects of Terrorism on Christian Fundamentalists

If a drop of rain lands on the west side of the Continental Divide, it runs back to the Pacific. Raindrops on the east side of the range will wind up in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico. This is a classic watershed moment-one point in space and time that will determine fates and carry consequences.

9-11 was a watershed moment that changed the futures of whole countries and globally touched over a billion living souls.

In post 9-11 United States, the Christian subculture is facing its own watershed moment. In the current cultural climate, Christians who believe the Bible is the Word of God and fundamentally true, could be labeled Al-Qaeda's equal by intellectuals and the U.S. cultural elite. University intellectuals are discouraged from speaking of, or rationally considering God, and moral absolutes are not all-the-rage in the average entertainment industry star's lifestyle. Belief in any Word of God could be branded as dangerous in this country, by people who see all of history's bloodshed in the name of religion. Sociologically speaking, is the freedom to believe in a Word of God, worth the price of Homeland Security?

This is not a political scare tactic; this is a warning for all people of faith.

Specifically, the Body of Christ, believers who try to live more Biblically every day, are scattered through the nation's churches-and are very outnumbered. They face intellectuals who may force a godless definition of Fundamentalism into the legislature and courts. One that could immediately impact churches and any devout individual's daily relationship with God.

After 9-11, the Patriot Act was immediately voted through by both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate. The legislation grants US intelligence agencies police-state powers. Its ripples are only just being felt in the court systems, and it will affect issues of privacy for decades to come. In the wrong hands, The Patriot Act legally grants KGB-esque Big Brother powers over any citizen.

Realize most of our country's political leaders and politicians live with the same cultural values as society around them, and on a pragmatic level, live their lives as though human law were the highest authority. In a Dec. 2007 blog article titled Guilty of Hate, Ted Dekker discusses the social virtue of tolerance and the legal concept of hate-crimes. Toss these trends in the cultural-mix, and things get dark. If believers are blamed for future acts of domestic terrorism by rightwing radicals like Timothy McVeigh, the government could easily devolve into an anti-god police state, one where it is illegal to believe in a word of God or to gather and to worship such Fundamentalist-terrorist insanity.

The Biblical Body of Christ will continue to do what they've been doing all along: living at the intersection of their God-Given passions and talents, and giving their best in everything they do for His glory. It is the mark of a Christian Fundamentalist that God's Plan will come to pass-they pray that His will be done. The word amen means: so be it. Those in the Body of Christ will live their faith, as long as they're able. Perhaps this will be a source of cultural activism, and social reformation.