The most wanted man in Europe is dead. Anis Amri was suspected of killing twelve people and injuring fifty-three others in the Berlin truck attack. ISIS called him
a "soldier of the Islamic State." He was killed early this morning in a
shootout outside Milan, Italy, after a routine traffic stop. When asked
to show identification, he pulled a pistol from a backpack and shot the
officer who asked for his papers. A second officer then killed Amri.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters today
that officials have stopped a terrorist plot to attack the city of
Melbourne, possibly on Christmas Day. Five people who were
"self-radicalized" by the Islamic State have been arrested. The
country's justice minister said the attack would have "caused very
significant casualties."
This
news brings mixed emotions, doesn't it? We're relieved that authorities
have killed one terrorist and stopped five others. But questions
persist: When will the next attack come? Why are innocent civilians in
danger? And why is this happening at Christmas?
I
can answer the second question briefly: to radical Muslims, there are
no "innocent civilians" in the West. Since our countries are democracies
in which we elect our leaders and support our military, they consider
us complicit in an "attack on Islam" they believe has been going on for
decades.
They
view our military actions during the Gulf War and in Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Syria as an assault on the Muslim world. They see our support for
Israel as an attack on Islam as well. In their minds, killing Western
civilians is a defense of Islam required by the Qur'an. Tragically, the
fact that Muslim scholars the world over have condemned their
theological logic does not deter them.
Now
to the other questions: When will the next attack come? And why is this
happening at Christmas? The two questions are related. Only the
terrorists know when they will attack again. But they are using the
Christmas holidays to terrorize us because they know how special these
days are to many in the West. If we're not safe at Christmas, we're not
safe any time of the year. And that's just what they want us to think.
Here's
the amazing news: Jesus came at Christmas precisely because the world
isn't safe. He knew he would become a victim of violence himself—falsely
arrested and accused, tortured, and executed in the vilest manner
possible. He did all of that to give sinful people an opportunity to be
forgiven and transformed by the grace of God. He came for Anis Amri and
every sinner you know. Including you.
One
of my favorite Christian intellectuals is Alister McGrath. A professor
of science and religion at Oxford, he possesses doctoral degrees in
molecular biophysics and systematic theology. In Intellectuals Don't Need God & Other Modern Myths,
he notes the consequences of Christianity: Christians have been
delivered from the penalty of sin; we are being delivered from the power
of sin; and we will finally be delivered from the presence of sin. All
of this is what Christmas means today.
I
hope you'll make time this weekend to join the shepherds in their
wonder and the angels in their worship. I hope you'll invite someone to
join you at the manger. And I hope you'll remember that the Child who
was born at Christmas and raised at Easter is coming again. One day our
violence-wracked world will be no more. One day all terrorism will cease
and the Prince of Peace will rule. One day, every day will be
Christmas.
What if it were today?
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