When Gov. Chris Christie criticized Sen. Rand Paul‘s non-interventionism, he inevitably appealed to the events of September 11th, 2001. Indeed, 9/11 is the go-to argument for anyone wishing to make non-interventionists look naïve, insensitive and weak. This was a common tactic against Congressman Ron Paul during his recent presidential campaigns and it will no doubt be used against libertarian Republicans as we near 2016.
So, how should a Christian view Islamic terrorism and what should our response to it be? The mainstream narrative is that we were attacked on 9/11 because of our freedoms. On the day of the attacks and in the weeks to come, President Bush promoted this theory in his speeches:
“Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts…America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.”
“They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.” (more…)
