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Christianity Today, April, 2007 |

Life, Liberty, and Terrorism

How much freedom should we give up in national emergencies?

Review by John Wilson | posted 3/21/2007 08:52AM

Terror in the Balance: Security, Liberty and the Courts
Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule
Oxford University Press
328 pages, $29.95

In the aftermath of 9/11, dozens of books have argued about how to ...

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charles Jackson

Posted: March 26, 2007 6:36 PM

We must be willing to give up rights in general, but have recourse to argue our case in specific. Efficient "justice" without modification or recourse is anathema, and logically rediculous. There must be provision for the limitless creativity of our God: no two snowflakes are the same. No law can withstand this creativity as no number of shoe sizes can fit all feet. A law with a good fit for most feet must be amenable to challenge in specific instances. Trying to make that law fit all feet, all loop-holes preempted, is ineffieient on the one hand and unjust on the other. Freedom is manifest in legal recourse to strong, strict laws. Let us concern ourselves with recourse, and the ability to challenge aberrations, and not the ability to cover all aberrations preemptively. Let congress deal with common sense and the general good, and the judicial system with aberrations, unusual and unforseen situations.

Thomas Boynton

Posted: March 24, 2007 2:07 PM

"You're either with us or you're against us". Black and White. Sounds like fascism. "We don't need your kind around here". Fascist again. "Sissy Christians?" Hardly. Discipleship to Jesus Christ is never subordinate to nationalism. Anyone who would argue to the contrary is a withered vine. The kind of jingoistic nationalism spewed before is not righteous. It is not Christian. It is the Siren song of Babylon's whores. Christians in America need to choose which way they are heading. There is a Wide Way, which ends in Destruction. There is a Narrow Way, which leads to Life. Allegiance to the "American Way" of over-indulgence, self-pleasuring and hegemony, is the Wide Way, do not doubt that. The Narrow Way is harder and not for the timid, but the reward is Eternal. The Love of Christ is not delivered on a bullet. For God so loved the world (no exceptions), who then are we be to hate it? I will further contend that America is its own worst enemy when it comes to Freedom and Liberty.

THE PHOENIX

Posted: March 22, 2007 12:40 PM

www.phoenixseven.org......... 22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: Gal 4

Truth is What it is.

Posted: March 22, 2007 10:38 AM

Don't throw your pearls before swine. Islam is swine. You might convert maybe one percent. Put Psalm 83 beast into google and see what you find. There are a lot of liberal minded christians who post on this site. In other words apostates. God used USA to fight Nazis now he using USA to fight radical islam. Only sissy christians can't see this. Anonymous you are deluded because liberals and islam is fascist not Bush or us conservative christians. So take your veneer and convert to islam we in the US of A don't need your kind around here.

GDP	Posted: March 22, 2007 8:21 AM

Balanced and thoughtful. Of course, the real question centers around "emergency". Lincoln's threats were Sonewall first, then Early. Despite the hype, dangerous because of the implications, we have yet to see any equivalent threat triggering any sacrifice or loss beyond isolated criminal enterprise. Turning 9/11 into a jihad against any form of Islam is reckless and dangerous, particularly given the fringe nature of perpetrators within Islam itself. The contention of the authors, though maybe well intended, suffers from a timing problem, which suggests a partisanship going to the concenration of political and legal power at the expense of rights and individual remedy, which is a dangerous affliction, if the example of Weimar is to be taken seriously in the context of Democratic Socialism.

Pierre

Posted: March 21, 2007 4:18 PM


The question in your subtitle was answered more than 200 years ago. They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Anonymous

Posted: March 21, 2007 3:30 PM

I think more Christians (myself included) should voluntarily give up our rights and even our lives in order to go spread the Gospel in the Middle East. We need a "Martyrs Brigade" of Christian missionaries willing to risk thier lives in muslim countries for the sake of the Gospel. Not to kill or destroy the people there, but simply to preach and teach the truth of Jesus Christ, which is a life threatening act in many middle eastern areas. We have the freedom and the resources to do this, unfortunately most of have been lulled to sleep by our over indulgent culture. CS Lewis warned in the "Screwtape Letters" of patriotism being used to substitude and evendually overcome our service to God by it's being seen as the most important part of our Religion. If we fall into that trap the ideological war between the cultures may never end. The truest answer is to give them Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, but many of us Americans probably need to accept Him as such first.

Anonymous

Posted: March 21, 2007 1:46 PM

This is a very important topic, esp. in light of the fact that the person who is at the top of the polls in for the Republivcan nomination is there largely for this reason: national security. He doesn't fir the Republican profile of the Right on many core issues and, in light of his tenure as Mayor of NYC, has a style of governing that is abrasive and controversial, yet he is being championed as a "savior" for this very reason. The powerof technology makes the erosion of basic Constitutional rights a real issue, given what has happened already under Bush with the FBI and what is happening in the Justice Dept. The acquiscence of the public in deferring to the President uncritically due to the threats we face is the greatest problem we must face. Christians must be vigilant! I've always contended that American experiement will fall prey to a type of fascism, with a faux nationalist Christian veneer to it.

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