My column for the InPort News, to be published October 30:
I had planned to take my newspaper space this week to write something fairly innocuous (and, in retrospect, quite unimportant) about Hallowe'en and how we as Christians should understand it. (For what it's worth, I'm on the side that thinks there are Christians who take Hallowe'en far too seriously, and that there's nothing wrong with kids dressing up in costumes and playing a bit of trick or treat.) But, sitting here and writing this, it didn't seem appropriate to write about that.
A little over 24 hours ago (at the time I'm writing this), we faced the scene of a shooting in Ottawa, a soldier being murdered and the Parliament Buildings – the symbol of our democracy – being locked down. Just days before that, another soldier was killed in another attack in Quebec. I spent a good deal of time yesterday watching news reports of what was happening, numbed a bit but in all honesty not really surprised that this sort of thing happened in Canada. Some are expressing shock, but I'm not shocked. The world has become a pretty small place. Problems happening in other parts of the world hit home here, and we choose (rightly or wrongly – and that's a whole other debate) to become involved in what's happening in other parts of the world. That some of the world's problems would be imported to Canada is hardly surprising.
Right now, there's a lot of speculation about the violence that's taken place. Is it part of a wider terrorist plot? Is there more to come? Or were these “lone wolf” incidents – with isolated and probably disturbed individuals throwing our country and its institutions into chaos? It will probably take a while to find that out for sure. But the reaction is disturbing to me. On a radio call-in show a little while ago, I heard someone say that “everything's changed – and it's changed forever.” I heard another caller say “nothing will ever be the same again.” That concerns me. It concerns me as a Christian. It concerns me as a pastor, because I'm concerned that what's going to change is not going to be for the better.
The word “terrorist” come from the root word “terror.” A “terrorist” is someone who uses terror as a weapon. For a terrorist, as I see it, the point is not to kill a soldier or anyone else. The point is to instill terror into all those who are left behind. It's to have us all looking over our shoulders, suspicious of everyone we see that we don't know; everyone we see who looks or acts a little different. As another caller to that talk show said, “we'll never be able to trust anyone ever again.” And there's the victory that “terrorism” wins. It reduces our society; it takes away some of the fundamental things that make us who we are. It makes us act in fear, and when we act out of fear we often do irrational things. When we decide that our safety (which can never be totally guaranteed) is all that matters, then we become prepared to surrender much of what we are for the illusion that such surrender is making us safer. I've always been taken with the words of the great American patriot Benjamin Franklin, who wrote that “he who gives up liberty to gain temporary security is deserving of neither liberty nor security.” No matter what, it's essential that we hold on to what and who we are as Canadians, and that we continue to uphold the ideals and values that we cherish. Otherwise we give a victory to those whose primary goal isn't simply to kill a few people, but is rather to terrify a lot of people.
From a Christian perspective, I think it's important for us to remember that we are called to act in faith, and not to act out of fear. Christian faith teaches us many things. Above all, it teaches us love. “God is love,” the Bible tells us. And we're also told that “perfect love casts out fear.” If Christians succumb to the wave of fear and anxiety that I heard on that radio call-in show, then I despair. “Love your neighbour” has to mean just that. But, if we act out of fear, then we'll succumb as easily as anyone to the desire to target certain people, to distrust others, to seek revenge, to sacrifice freedom (our own and the freedom of others) for the illusion of safety.
We need to continue to be who we are. A free and democratic society. A society that, while not perfect, has done in my opinion a pretty good job of loving our neighbours in so many different ways. Fear can cause us to let go of those things; to sacrifice all that we hold dear. But perfect love casts out fear. If you're a Christian, I want to invite you to commit yourself to truly living in love – for God, for one another, for your neighbours, and let's not forget that Jesus mentioned loving our enemies as well. That's how we bear witness to the change God makes in our life, and that what makes the difference to how we see the world – we see it through a lens of faith and not a lens of fear.
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