9/11 a year later

How shall we remember
September 11^th?

An American returns to a more fearful home [3-3-03]

Sometimes we can see our own country more clearly after being away for a while. The Rev. Bob White returned to an America ruled by fear, and surrendering its freedoms.

Thanks to Len Bjorkman for sharing this, and to the author for permission to post it here.

How shall we remember September 11^th?
[8-6-02] [Last updated on 9-9-02]

A visit to Ground Zero - beyond pilgrimage to peacemaking

Janet Adair Hansen wrote these reflections upon taking three high school students from central New York State to visit Ground Zero last month. She urges that this pilgrimage, like any authentic pilgrimage, should point beyond itself ... in this case, to the high calling of peacemaking. [9-14-02]

PresbyNet will host live chat room on 9/11 [9-9-02]

Elinor Mosser of the PresbyNet staff has sent this note:

On September 11, 2002 we are going to open the live chat room called "Hope and Pray Together" where people can stop by between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Eastern to chat, share feelings, reflections etc. At 10:00 p.m. Eastern we will have a worship service.

If you would like to assist by being present in the chat room during a portion of the day, or if you would like to assist in the worship service, we would love to have you do either. If you would like to help, email me and I'll invite you to the private planning meeting!

Please feel free to advertise the event to friends, your church, on websites or email lists. A link to the meeting where the chat will be, which you can email to people or put on a website is www.ecunet.org/topic/hope_and_pray_together

You can reach Elinor at elinor.mosser@pcusa.org

A Meditation on September 11 - and on saying "I love you" [9-10-02]

Lisa Larges, Regional Partnership Coordinator for That All May Freely Serve, has offered a "Meditation on September 11." Recalling how many people faced death a year ago and used their final moments to place cell-phone calls to their loved ones, she points to the crucial affirmation in those moments of those simple words, "I love you." For her and her partner Angie, whose love is denied by so many in our church, this takes on special power.

September 11, 1949: A Commentary [9-11-02]

Writer and Witherspoon board member Barbara Kellam-Scott reflects on the meaning of 9/11 in light of the date's long-established significance in her own family's life. This date last year was not a time for nuances, she acknowledges - but remembering the nuances is perhaps more important now than ever. That, and enjoying a small, deep pleasures and goodness of life.

When Muslims are neighbors instead of "them" [9-10-02]

The Rev. Alex Awad, a Methodist minister who teaches at Bethlehem Bible College, takes a thoughtful look at Christian attitudes toward Muslims -- from the perspective of one who lives in Israel/Palestine, with Muslims as friends and neighbors. Hostile evangelical rhetoric condemning Islam is doing harm, he says, to the cause of Christ among Muslims.

"If we want to find the enemy," he says, "we must look within us rather than at Islam and Muslims. The enemies of the United States and the Western world are found mainly within the United States and within the Western world. Greed, pride, hypocrisy, racism, atheism, moral corruption, xenophobia and social injustices are our worst enemies."

One year / America's heartbreak, and the world's

An editorial from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[9-11-02]

One year ago the United States joined the rest of the world in experiencing the terror that comes with vulnerability. And the rest of the world stood with us.

A somber editorial in this morning's Star Tribune ("our" paper here in Minneapolis, 'way up north) sums up the sad decline since then.

"So much opportunity was wasted: the chance to link the pain Americans felt after Sept. 11 and the pain others in the world feel every day; the chance to knit the United States tightly into the world community; the chance to enlist NATO and other allies in a genuine quest to rip up terrorism by its roots.

"And it's a shame, for Bush's immediate response to Sept. 11 was superb -- brimming with great expectations. His execution of the military response also showed promise. Now, a year later, look at the American image in the world: Thanks to Washington's my-way-or-the-highway approach, it could hardly be lower."

Yet the American people have learned, the editorial goes on, that we really are a part of a larger world, and that we must find new ways of relating to that world.

It concludes:

"The reason the foe can't be quickly quelled is that he lurks not just beyond our sight, but also within us. He gains strength not from scriptures we haven't read, but from convictions of our own we haven't examined. So long as the United States regards "the American way of life" as an exclusive American entitlement, that dark foe will haunt us. So long as we pretend that American heartbreak hurts more than the foreign-born brand, the threat of Sept. 11 will abide."

What progressives said a year ago: [9-11-02]

Equal Partners in Faith has assembled a number of statements from progressive groups -- Christian, Jewish and Islamic -- in the days immediately after the attacks of September 11th. We offer them here for you reflection.

Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, echoes Barna's analysis that a large part of the "failure" of American religious communities to have a moral impact after 9/11 rests on the refusal of lay people to accept the challenges presented by the crisis.

September 11 and religion

A failure of the churches? Or a victory for complacency? [9-9-02]

A lengthy and provocative essay on Beliefnet, based largely on a recent study by Barna Research (which is based in an evangelical background but is increasingly critical of the realities of conservative church life).

Also:

Just Peacemaking Initiatives Can Prevent Terrorism [9-9-02]

Glen Stassen, Lewis Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., sees the current crisis as a spiritual one. As the US government appeals increasingly to blind nationalism in a "good vs. evil" contest, he calls for clearer analysis rooted in "just peacemaking theory" which offers such alternative strategies as direct non-violent action, conflict resolution, support for sustainable development, human right, and democracy.

Flying flags of peace

[Originally published on Sat, Sep. 07, 2002; posted here on 9-9-02]

The Mennonite Church USA is encouraging its congregations to fly "peace flags" as an alternative to American flags to mark the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11.

Religion News Service, as published in the Charlotte Observer, reports that the white peace flags feature the words "Pray for Peace, Act for Peace" in green letters.

Ervin Stutzman, the church's moderator, explained, "We don't want to underestimate the impact that Sept. 11 had on many of our neighbors, or thumb up our noses in disregard for the insecurities it creates or the patriotic responses it elicits. But as we share the pain of those losses, we also need to think through some alternatives we can offer for how our country should respond. We don't want to mindlessly support a retributive response ... but work for a way to build understanding and reconciliation."

For a variety of other "peace flags," you might want to visit Progressive Portal, where you can view their selection and order what you want.

A visitor comments:
Ground Zero Is Hallowed Ground

[received 9-6-02, and posted here on 9-9-02]

+ The first anniversary of the terrorist attack on NYC and DC is now 5 days away. What can I add to the conversation? I think GROUND ZERO needs to continue to be a sacred place. It needs to be hallowed ground. No particular organized religion can do this. The government can't. It can only be done by "the people." "The people" are creating something new and different. Some call it "the New Age." Some call it "the New Paradigm." Some call it a "spiritual awakening." But once a label is applied, it is no longer "the work of the people," the definition of the word liturgy.

Not far from GROUND ZERO is the United Nations building. The UN began operations in 1945, the year the atomic bomb was used to destroy 2 Japanese cities. Those two cities have both set apart hallowed ground for the world. Now, New York City has an opportunity to join them by allowing GROUND ZERO to remain a place where "the people" can come together somehow to share a vision of a peaceful world, of everybody getting along, of religious and ethnic and class intolerance disappearing because "the people" simply won't stand for it anymore. There's work to be done, not constructing new twin towers, but constructing a global village based solidly on love.

-- John A. Wilde

Hauerwas and others criticize the failure of faith communities to stand against the popular "war on terrorism" [9-9-02]

Stanley M. Hauerwas, professor of theological ethics at Duke Divinity School, has recently said, ''I find the lack of dissenting voices to the current outrage of Americans about September the 11th, and the resulting attack on Afghanistan, to be absolutely horrendous.''

He and Frank Lentricchia, a professor of literature and theater studies at Duke University, have edited a new collection of writings, ''Dissent from the Homeland: Essays After September 11,'' that is being published on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in a special edition of The South Atlantic Quarterly. In the journal, 18 theologians, philosophers, and literary critics speak out against the war on terrorism. Hauerwas and Lentricchia explain in their introduction that ''this war has ... seen the capitulation of church and synagogue to the resurgence of American patriotism and nationalism.''

Check out a review in the Boston Globe.

The essays have not appeared yet on the South Atlantic Quarterly web site, but you might check it after the publication date.

Peace is cool [9-9-02]

A Florida sixth-grader came up with a brilliantly simple idea for peace education: a national campaign (like the successful anti-litter campaigns of a few years back) to convince kids that violence is "nerdy and uncool." Shani Abergel's ideas were originally published in the book Young Voices: Breaking the Cycle of Violence, and are excerpted in InnerSelf.

Thanks to Utne Webwatch.

9/11 heroes were not told what they were getting into [9-9-02]

The rescue workers at the World Trade Center are legitimately celebrated as heroes, but it turns out that they were not in a position to enter the area with informed consent. Governmental agencies--local, state, and federal--assured them and nearby residents that they were safe, when in fact there were all sorts of hazardous materials in the air. They might have gone in anyway, but they were not given the full story.

"Fallout: The Hidden Environmental Consequences of 9/ll" by Juan Gonzalez points out that the collapse of the Twin Towers released a lot of asbestos and fiberglass from the building, lead from personal computers, and other toxics. State and federal officials put a clamp on information; Christie Todd Whitman on 9/18 assured New Yorkers that their air was safe to breathe and their water safe to drink. The Centers for Disease Control compiled statistics about coughing and eye irritation in people near the disaster, but took three months to issue an inconspicuous report.

When rescue workers were sent into the site, EPA regulations for asbestos exposure were not followed. More than 200 firefighters are on medical leave, and many others have what is called "World Trade Center cough." Gonzalez, who reported some of this for the New York Daily News, tells how his editors backtracked after Rudy Giuliani, the Chamber of Commerce, and Christie Whitman raised a fuss; the New York Times reported nothing. Gonzalez has a full- length book coming out on the issues, also entitled Fallout, published by the New Press.

This excerpt is in the September 16, 2002 issue of In These Times.

A moving remembrance of September 11^th [9-5-02]

"Leap" is a poetic essay by editor/writer Brian Doyle, recalling reports by two witnesses of seeing two people leaping from the south tower of the World Trade Center, holding hands as they fell.

It has been published in The American Scholar and Utne Reader, and you'll find it on the Web in the PBS site.

Your WebWeaver can offer no better thoughts than these as the day approaches.

We welcome your thoughts as 9/11 draws near.
Just send a note.

Your WebWeaver offers three little theological thoughts for our observances of September 11. [9-3-02]

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette offers a new hymn for the commemorations of September 11^th. "God, We've Known Such Grief and Anger," to be sung to the tune of "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy," affirms in the face of that terrible day, "Hope is ours for, God, you love us! / You have claimed us by your grace. / And through Jesus, you have called us / To bring hope to every place." [9-3-02]

A resolution for observances of "Let Love Ring!"

[9-3-02]

A few weeks ago we posted information about "Let Love Ring!" - a program started in Nashville, TN, aiming to encourage communities around the nation to commemorate September 11^th with activities affirming world community.

Now an attorney in Oregon has responded enthusiastically to their initiative by drafting two resolutions, one to be submitted to political entities in the U.S., and the other to be sent to communities in other countries. Here's his draft resolution for US communities, by which they could proclaim September 11^th as "Let Love Ring!" Day.

Moderator's call for prayer

The Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, moderator of the 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), has called on Presbyterians to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with prayer and reaching out to others. [8-22-02]

Pax Christi USA has posted links to a helpful collection of liturgical and other resources, along with a statement by Pax Christi and Catholics for a Peaceful Tomorrow. [8-22-02]

We've added more resources on 8-19-02, including a very helpful meeting on PresbyNet/Ecunet, and a book being produced and distributed to all churches by

We've just received a note asking for ideas, worship materials and other resources for churches or groups that want to commemorate the events of September 11^th, and all that has come after. One congregation is planning a peace vigil. What are you going to do? What help can you offer to others?

Please send a note, and we'll share everything here!

Just after receiving this query, another note came in:

"Let Love Ring!": a Nashville Idea Becomes Nationwide

A small group of concerned women in Nashville began talking about ways to stop terrorism and express love to those who have experienced terrorism. A not-for-profit organization was formed with the intent of putting love into action through all the arts.

Their first event will be on September 11, but they intend to keep on. "Together we can change the course of history," the organizers say, and they are going nationwide and even worldwide.

People of all faiths are invited to plan events for September 11. It is suggested that each location begin and end the gathering with
the ringing of bells. The vision is the "Let Love Ring!" across the world for a 24-hour period.

Check out their web site. .

Contact: Arzella Kay-Wheeler, (615) 366-6994, e-mail admin@letlovering.com

Gene TeSelle suggests doing a search on Google using the terms "sermons September 11"

Responding to the request for material for a commemoration of September 11^th, Gordon Shull of Wooster, Ohio, sent this "letter to congregations," which was adopted by the Synod of the Covenant in November, 2001. The Synod's Committee on Social Justice and Peacemaking originally drafted the letter. [8-7-02]

How Shall We Pray about the Twin Towers Tragedy?

A Letter from the Synod of the Covenant to the Congregations of Michigan and Ohio November 1, 2001

September 11, 2001 marks the day when a new kind of war was thrust upon the American people - and indeed upon democratic civilization - by a network of people who had declared this war long ago, but had waged it in less dramatic ways heretofore. Responses to this new war have included mindless outbursts (illustrated by the TV commentator who said we should "bomb them, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity"); equally mindless attacks upon people who look like Arabs or worship Allah, and efforts to blame the killing of more than five thousand innocent civilians in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, entirely on American policy.

Faithful Christians must find a more balanced response that is faithful to our heritage. In this spirit, we offer the following passages of Scripture as a guide for our troubled times.

l) "No one is good save God alone." (Luke 18:19) With these words Jesus proclaimed a truth that is an important part of our heritage: the truth that "all have sinned, and come short . . ." (Romans 3:23.) We are justified in resisting the most egregious manifestations of sin, especially when they threaten innocent people and the achievements of a civilization. At the same time, we must examine how our own policies or acts may have contributed to the hatred or zeal that animates those who call us their enemy. While we acknowledge that nothing we did or can do will calm the most zealous fanatic, we must also realize that millions of our fellow human beings who would never steer a plane into a building do nonetheless feel a certain envy and anger about the United States. If we would foster the most effective coalition against fanatical zealots, we must forge policies that are more sensitive than in the past to that envy and that anger.

2) "It is God who hath made us, and not we ourselves." (Psalm 100:3). A nation that has achieved greatness in both political and economic life is particularly in need of this truth. It is so easy to forget that had we been born in a different country or family, our lives might well be profoundly different. Although each of us may have labored diligently to make the most of the gifts and wealth into which we were born, we owe more than we like to think to the "accident of birth" and circumstance. This was the truth to which Reinhold Niebuhr pointed when he wrote, in 1948, "There is no greater temptation for a fortunate nation than to transmute its ''uncovenanted mercies'' into proofs of our virtue."

3) "God hath made from one all the nations to dwell upon the face of the earth." (Acts 17:26). The Twin Towers Tragedy has awakened America to a reality we had almost forgotten: that our destiny is intertwined with the world''s. A vast international network of fanatics could only be contained by international cooperation. In pursuit of such cooperation, we found that we had pursued policies that struck others as arrogant, unilateral, arbitrary, or exploitative. Illustrating the principle that God can make the wrath of men to praise him, (Psalm 76:10) the tragedy has forced us to re-examine our policies in the United Nations, the Middle East and the global marketplace.

We find again that the words of Reinhold Niebuhr speak to the churches and the nation today: "Whether our nation can sense both the grace and the judgment of God in its history is thus the pivotal problem in our national destiny. . . . The future of the world literally depends, not upon the display of our power (though the use of it is necessary and inevitable), but upon the acquisition of virtues which can develop only in humility."

4) We take our ultimate comfort from the words of Paul: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

May God grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the living of these days.

_______________

Quotations from Reinhold Niebuhr are from Harry Davis and Robert Good, Reinhold Niebuhr on Politics (New York: Scribner''s, 1960), pp. 278 ff.

Do you have ideas or material to share?
Please send a note!

More (lots more!) resources and ideas for commemorating September 11^th. [added 8-19-02]

First, you may want to look at the wealth of material posted on this site in the weeks after 9/11 last year.

http://www.witherspoonsociety.org/Global/september_11th.htm

It includes hymns, prayers, and a variety of thoughts and suggested actions.

A great discussion of resources and ideas is in a meeting on PresbyNet/EcuNet.

If you are on PresbyNet (through Convene or the PCUSA website) you may want to join the meeting: "SEPTEMBER 11 ANNIVERSARY"

If you're not currently a PresbyNet or Ecunet member, you can join "Ecunet Lite" for free!

Just click on the link below; you'll jump to a page which invites you to join the "SEPTEMBER 11 ANNIVERSARY" meeting. If you're not registered as a member of PresbyNet or Ecunet, you'll be asked to register. If you opt for EcuNet Lite, which is free, you can join up to three meetings of your choice.

http://presbynet.ecunet.org/topic/SEPTEMBER_11_ANNIVERSARY

If you're not a PresbyNet subscriber, you will be asked to register.

You'll need to fill out a simple registration form, and within an hour you should receive an e-mail giving you a password.

Then you can log on to EcuNet again, and join the meeting and get all the old notes by sending an e-mail filled out exactly as follows:

To: mailrequests@ecunet.org
Subject: OLDNOTES
Text of note:

SEPTEMBER 11 ANNIVERSARY, 1-

(Don't forget the spaces, comma and the hyphen after the number one)

But here are a few of the most important items gleaned from the conversations so far:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is producing a book as a gift to congregations titled "Out of the Depths: Voices of the Presbyterian Faith Community at Work After September 11." It is a book of reflections written by folks who attended the "Out of the Depths" conference/retreat for chaplains and volunteers assisting in the aftermath of September 11. It includes lots of pictures and four worship services.

One of the worship services is A Service of Remembrance on the Anniversary of September 11. Two new hymns are used in the service, one by John Underwood written after September 11 and one by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, written just for the book and the service.

This resource will be mailed to every PC(USA) congregation, and the service by itself will soon be posted on the PDA Web site: www.pcusa.org/pda

Thanks to Judy Steer, of the PCUSA national staff, for this.

Other tidbits from the Ecunet meeting:

Witherspooner Arch Taylor points to a disturbing coincidence of anniversaries on September 11^th:

"Did you know that on September 11, 1973, a coup led by General Pinochet assisted and encouraged by the US, overthrew the democratically elected government of President Salvador Allende of Chile, resulting in Allende's death and the beginning of a reign of terror by Pinochet?

The coup was prepared for by US government and economic forces which caused great instability in Chile, making it almost impossible for Allende to govern. During the coup itself and the Pinochet years which followed, thousands of people were assassinated, disappeared, tortured."

There are discussions of candlelight services, other discussions of ways to proclaim hope in the face of such evil - and examples of hope that might be offered.

And there's lots more. Check it out, and join the conversation!