SENTINEL WATCH October 4, 2004 Issue

Beslan—a response

By Annette Kreutziger-Herr

In the face of the events in Beslan, Russia, where children became the strategic target of terrorists—separatists on the fringes of the Muslim world—life in many parts of the world came to a halt. News kept pouring in hourly. Beslan was a topic not just in the news, but also in public thought. The Russian embassy in Berlin was flooded with flowers, and private homes became the base for discussions. In our church, Sunday School children and teenagers gathered to share thoughts and to explore what our response might be.

I had to dig deeper, too, and my thoughts went to something comforting that I found in the Bible: "Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best—as above, so below" (Matt. 6:9, 10, The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson). These words from the familiar Lord's Prayer are a great assurance and a guideline for us. For centuries, people have been searching for—and finding—a spiritual perspective for trusting God's power to penetrate the surface of catastrophes and for trusting that good is in fact "setting the world right."

So, is it necessary again, after this recent act of terrorism, to declare the goodness of God and His protection? Is this the time to argue again for a spiritual perspective?

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