The Osama bin Laden Question

When I first heard the news about Osama bin Laden's death, my mind and emotions seemed to be confused about how I was supposed to react. While celebration and joy didn't feel quite right, neither did mourning his murder.

And while images of teenagers celebrating in the streets of D.C. and chanting "USA!" succeeded in putting knots in my stomach, I also curiously scanned several social media outlets waiting for dialogue that might be sparked by people offended by Christians posting Bible verses about "loving their enemies." And it appeared that many other Christ-followers didn't quite know how to react either.

I can understand both reactions. If Jesus Christ hadn't changed my life seven years ago, I would've been elated and toasting with anyone in sight. The man was responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people, used religion to manipulate people, and will go down as our generation's Adolf Hitler. Non-believers would be crazy to act any differently because outside of faith, there is little basis for the sanctity of human life, especially a life as evil and abused as Osama bin Laden's. On the other hand, my life has changed and been centered around the Kingdom way of life, one that is ushered in through weakness, peace, and love.

Yet, while I'm not trying to soften Scripture and what it means for us, I don't think it's as simple as "love your enemies" = pacifism and "turn the other cheek." And though I didn't feel like it was appropriate to celebrate bin Laden's death last night, thousands of soldiers and families impacted by this man might beg to differ. And did the Israelites not celebrate when David killed Goliath or their enemies were defeated countless other times? Every person was created in the image of God, but by that same merit, shouldn't we also do whatever possible to preserve life?

These are the questions that theologians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C.S. Lewis have long tried to figure out and that bring about that feeling I was attempting to describe.

Tension.

And it doesn't just come from issues like war and peace.

Politics,

Free will,

The end times,

Evangelism,

Poverty,

Sexuality,

And so on.

They all bring about tension.

I find that the closer I get to Jesus and thinking I know more of who He is and what He's about, the less I know about theology and life.

...and the more that tension grows.

But I think that's where we're supposed to be as Christ-followers. We can't even begin to pretend that we have the answers to all of those questions. And more importantly, Jesus has already lived the PERFECT life that we were SUPPOSED to live, was crucified, and resurrected. Because of that, we now have the FREEDOM to, by his Spirit, try to figure out how to best usher in the Kingdom through love and grace. In essence, being a Christ-follower means living in and embracing that tension.

By wanting things to be black and white, and being able to know EXACTLY what we need to do and how to behave, is to choose to live by the law, by religion. By this we will always fail. But by accepting that tension and working out our salvation with fear and trembling is to choose grace, and the Gospel.

As for the Osama bin Laden question, I pray that God might somehow use this to bring peace and that the anger and mourning that bin Laden has caused all around the world might somehow be replaced by the hope of the Gospel.

-CK