Biblical Preaching in Babel‪.‬

After the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, someone said, "Our response to these events will be determined by the simile we choose. Is it like Pearl Harbor, or is it like the Tower of Babel?" But no simile or metaphor could frame that day. Though many said, "We haven't seen such an outpouring of patriotism since Pearl Harbor," it was not like Pearl Harbor. No nation sent those planes, no government could be held accountable, and those who died were not in anyone's army. We've responded with the anthems of our nation and have bought flags faster than they could be sewn. We've called upon other nations to stand with us or be branded as our enemies. "God, bless America." But there is too much pain and heartache to speak of the day as Babel's judgment. A few tried to bring God in to explain the tragedy, but not by comparing it to Babel. The problem, they said, was not tower-building, but that some were ungodly--libertarians, homosexuals, and prochoice feminists were to blame. It didn't take long for such voices to be soundly chastised across the political spectrum, though the words couldn't be completely erased. Nothing could explain this tragedy except the very real presence of evil. It was not Babel, for that tower was not destroyed. Emotions were too raw to chastise the dead or the living for trying to make a name for themselves. It was not the time for critique, only unfathomable sadness. For many, it was also a time for revenge and a deep longing to know that the United States was still the greatest nation on earth. By Christmas time a billboard on the Westside Highway was pushing designer clothes, white letters on black: "God, dress America."