Ten years ago the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in downtown New York shook the world. We have been living with the fallout ever since. Despite the so-called ?war on terror?, we have witnessed the increase of Islamic Radicalism:
What is happening to us?
October 12 2002 – Bali bombings, 202 dead
March 11 2004?- Madrid Train bombings,?191 dead
July 7 2005 -?London bombings, 52 dead
November 26 2008 – Mumbai, 164 dead
Added to this there has been the recent killing of innocent lives by an extreme Right Wing fanatic in Oslo opposed to the Islamisation of Europe.
The credit crunch of 2008 and last month?s financial crises caused losses of billions of pounds in the world?s financial markets. The Coalition Government?s austerity measures have not been universally welcomed. Times are hard. The recent riots and looting in London and other major cities in the UK pointed to a breakdown in law and order, social unrest and community collapse.
These are the realities of life today. It is time for society to take stock and ask what is really happening to our world. The biblical answer to that question is clear. We are experiencing the inevitable consequences of a society eating the fruits of its ways. The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow.
Years of systematic institutional ?anti-christianism? have eroded the values that hold Western society together. Multiculturalism, secularism and irresponsible liberalism have all contributed to the breakdown we are seeing today. Politics has also let us down. Bankrupt ideologies cannot help us. False religion is not the answer. It is time to get back to the pure message of God?s love, his grace and his life-transforming power. Christians must engage deeply with the world and point our society back to God.
The greatest need of the hour is for the Church of Jesus Christ to arise in all its forms and expressions and speak with a unified and credible voice. We must declare Christ?s love and demonstrate his compassion. Truth must be both seen and heard. That is how the Holy Spirit acts to turn lives back to God, heal whole communities and save a nation from itself.