A Response to Bin Laden's Death

Other than the destruction and chaos of the storms in Chattanooga, Georgia, and Alabama, and the birth of my second son, Dylan, the big news this weekend was the death of Osama bin Laden.

People seem to have many reactions to the news.  You probably have your own opinion and are dealing with your own feelings.  I thought it would be helpful to theologically frame a Christian response to this news.

We should not rejoice in death -- no matter whose death it is.  We should always see death as the enemy of life, and an indicator that God's kingdom is not yet complete on earth.  To clarify:  Christians should not celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.  To celebrate death is to celebrate the very evil that fueled his terrorism.

What we can celebrate is justice.  Not the eye-for-an-eye justice that gives us a sense of self-satisfaction, nor the 'he got what he deserved' justice of hatred.  It is the justice seen in Jesus' words to Peter, "Put away your sword!  All who take up the sword will die by the sword." (Mt 26:52)  It is the justice we read about in the Old Testament:  carried out in right relationship to others.  In killing thousands of innocents, Bin Laden violated his relationship with them and with the world at large. So the justice done is of a relational manner, between the one harming, those harmed, and God.

We do not rejoice in Osama bin Laden's death.

We struggle, even, to correctly celebrate justice done.

What we can unequivocally celebrate is that evil will not triumph in our world!  Evil people and evil deeds will not have the final say!  Even if the lesson is taught in the horror of death (the death of an evil person, who, nonetheless was still created in God's image), the lesson stands as a powerful testimony to the hope and renewal of all things.