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Christianity Today, August, 2007 |

Jerry Falwell Was Right

God really does judge the nations, new book argues.

Stephen H. Webb | posted 8/29/2007 08:43AM

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Even more problematic, Keillor's single-minded focus on judgment obscures the broader topic of providence. God can use, guide, and bless nations as well as judge them, but Keillor has no patience for any talk about America as a special nation.

America's founders were certain that their new country was chosen by God to play a providential role in the world, but even Christians who would agree with that proposition have largely lost the skill of analyzing contemporary events as signs of God's will. The Vietnam War taught many Christians that God's plan does not always coincide with our good intentions.

After Vietnam, theologians on the political Left stood providence on its head. They became convinced that God had singled out America for special judgment, not special blessing, because American influence abroad was so evil. Anti-Americanism thus became a perverse kind of providentialism among the cultural elite.

What anti-Americanists do not understand is that God allows nations to obtain enormous power for good as well as evil. This is true especially with regard to the treatment of Israel. God said of Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please" (). God used Cyrus to subdue the nations, including Babylon, and to free the Jews from their captivity.

If God could use Cyrus, surely he can use America not only to defend Israel but also to advance the cause of freedom around the world. America exports Christianity as well as raunchy movies. Democracy and capitalism are the new Roman roads on which Christianity is spreading to the corners of the globe. America is not Israel, but it is not Babylon, either. 9/11 could be interpreted as judgment against those who want to impede the great Christian theme of freedom. If so, then God is not done with America yet.

Stephen H. Webb, professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College and author of American Providence and Dylan Redeemed.

Related Elsewhere:

God's Judgments is available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

Excerpts of the introduction and first chapter are available from IVP.

Books & Culture also reviewed the book.

"Weblog: As the World Prays, Falwell and Robertson Blame ACLU, Gays, and Others for 'Deserved' Attack" comments on the initial reactions to Robertson's statements on God's judgment.

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August 2007, Vol. 51, No. 8

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Stu Chisholm

Posted: September 09, 2007 4:26 PM

Robertson, Fallwell and now Keillor are looking at this tragedy through their own religion filters. This prevents them from seeing what plainly happened: fanatic religion caused 9/11. The hijackers who carried it out may have been many things, but no one can say they lacked faith. They had been taught that their actions were "what God wanted" and were confident enough in the promised rewards to willingly give up their lives. They had no doubts. We have Christians today that feel the same way, and will bomb a women's clinic or take up a rifle and kill a doctor because they're erroneously confident that it's "what God wants." Now Keillor is making the same mistake. Won't we ever learn? Trying to fathom the almighty is a risky business. Jesus taught that our faith is a personal thing: it is about our personal relationship with God. Not about killing, or even judging others. God doesn't use jet liners to vent his wrath. Learn the true lesson of 9/11. Give those deaths meaning.

moses

Posted: September 08, 2007 11:14 AM


i am scared why is all this bad weather falling on our red states is the world coming to the end is our ways coming back to haunt us why does the rest of the world and other americans dis like us are really greedy

tony	Posted: September 08, 2007 10:22 AM


it was refreshing to see some rational thoughts scattered in among the usual CT biblidiotic "commentary". The only thing this book and the review have evidenced is that possession of a PhD is not necessarily an indicator of intelligence.

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