By U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) Scott McChrystal, Ret.
F-E-A-R has two meanings: “Forget Everything and Run” or “Face Everything and Rise.”
“Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” Todd Beamer spoke these words shortly before 10 a.m. on September 11, 2001. He along with the other passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 knew that death was imminent. The big question was where? Crash into some high-value target in Washington, D.C., or try to force the terrorists to ditch the aircraft away from a populated area and save the lives of innocent people.
Todd Beamer’s words set their plan into motion. Unable to restrain the passengers, the terrorists flying the Boeing 757 slammed the plane into a field near Somerset, Pennsylvania. There were no survivors.
May God bless those passengers for their courageous and selfless act.
Reflections About 9/11
We just marked the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. Across our land most Americans are taking time to reflect soberly on the events of that fateful day. In a host of venues and locations, we are remembering the tragedy that witnessed 2,983 die during the deadliest act of terrorism in our nation’s history. Like most of you, I am thankful for all the efforts to honor the fallen and to celebrate the heroism of so many, especially the bravery of first responders. I appreciate the support of well-known Americans who speak encouraging words about America’s courageous response to the evil of that day.
On September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush didn’t have the luxury of time to reflect. Americans needed action. They needed to hear his reactions to the horrific events that had occurred. His speech was epic, containing just the right words to rally Americans. “Today, our nation saw evil — the very worst of human nature — and we responded with the best of America… The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”
President Bush spoke clearly, passionately, and truthfully. Soon, U.S. military forces headed to Afghanistan to confront the evil perpetrated against Americans on our own soil. Most American strongly supported that choice. Over the past twenty years, U.S. intervention in Afghanistan has accomplished many important things, most notably the prevention of another serious terrorist attack on American soil. Additionally, many Afghan citizens, mostly women and children, were exposed to a better life with exciting possibilities.
Reflections About America Post Afghanistan
Twenty years removed from 9/11, there is growing evidence of a greater crisis looming on the horizon for the United States, but this one is of our own making. The blundering effort to withdraw from Afghanistan has left most Americans aghast at decisions by the present administration. Regrettably, the debacle in Afghanistan is only the latest example of inept and corrupt leadership that has charted America on a dangerous path.
The good news about Afghanistan has come to a screeching halt. With the botched withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, a chain of negative outcomes seems likely: a bleak future for Afghanistan, danger and uncertainty for the United States, and instability for the world at large.
Predictably, our elected leaders in power do not agree. Reaction to widespread sharp public disapproval in the handling of Afghanistan has been one of defensiveness, lies, excuses, and finger pointing. The present administration seems both clueless and unmotivated to change a thing. Their energies seem aimed at creating other distractions in the hopes of pushing the debacle with Afghanistan out of the present news cycle. They won’t succeed. America at large is rightfully angered, especially with leaving fellow Americans behind in Afghanistan at the mercy of the Taliban government.
But Afghanistan represents only one of many serious challenges confronting our country in 2021. Most frightening about America’s present situation is the growing abandonment of the beliefs and values upon which our country was founded. Our currency still reads “In God We Trust,” but evidence in almost every area of our society and culture says otherwise. Increasingly, we are a divided nation without direction. The values of integrity, hard work, and servant leadership are increasingly hard to find. Trust in God is quickly eroding.
The clock is ticking for America. Our democratic republic is under assault by both physical and spiritual forces that want to take our great nation down. Many Americans don’t see this. They assume that the resiliency this nation has shown in the past will be enough to get us through the myriad problems we presently face. I don’t think so.
America Needs a Wake-up Call
In churches and denominations across our land, deafening silence is the most common response to what’s happening in America these days. Virtually every area of our society and culture shows evidence of America’s serious decline. Most alarming are the efforts to remove God from every sector of our culture. Secular humanism is rampant. Many are convinced that America can move forward without God. The wokes in this country are trying to turn America upside down by destroying our foundations and rebuilding from the ground up along the lines of godless Marxist/socialist ideology.
If any demographic group in our country should be trying to halt this destructive trend, it ought to be Christians. It ought to be the Church. But, largely, that’s not happening. Some pastors believe Christians shouldn’t get involved in government and politics. Others are too timid to preach the truth. Another segment, like many Americans, believes this will go away if we ignore it. None of these represent a biblical response.
It’s time for individual Christians, churches, and denominations to wake up, assess our present circumstances, plan, and act. It’s time to roll.
Biblical Examples of Calls to Action
There is nothing commendable about Christians failing to confront evil. Many of the worthwhile discoveries and advancements throughout civilization have occurred through the efforts of Christians who rose to confront big challenges. As just one example, we applaud “the Greatest Generation’s” confrontation of evil dictators like Hitler and Mussolini during World War II. Many men and women of that generation were motivated by their faith in Christ.
The Church is not doing much these days to combat the evils of our time. Have we forgotten that “evil triumphs when good men are silent?”
Men and women of the Old Testament fought the evil of godless nations. David triumphed over the evil giant, Goliath. Deborah led Israel to victories against an enemy nation. Prophets boldly proclaimed the warnings and judgments of God to evil kings.
New Testament personalities likewise took brave action against evil. Some were imprisoned, others were tortured, and many died for their stand for the gospel and its principles in an empire ruled by godless leaders.
Jesus certainly wasn’t silent in the face of evil. He cast out demonic spirits, raised the dead, rebuked hypocritical religious leaders, and ran greedy moneychangers out of the temple. He rebuked Satan to his face and reminded a Roman governor that he had no power over Him.
The United States is on a dangerous path. It’s time to roll. It’s time to take action to turn our country around. It’s time to call out evil for what it is and to take steps to stop evil in its place.
A Plan to Get Started
Christ’s followers need to emulate “the warriors of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (2 Chronicles 12:32). Collectively, we need to identify, understand, and take responsible action to confront the serious issues facing our country today, whether it is such evils as abortion, suicide, addiction, and crime, or the mishandling of such responsibilities as public education, immigration, foreign policy, our military, the economy, work, welfare, marriage, family, and so much more. At the core of these issues is the need to stop the erosion of American values and the growing abandonment of God as our Guide.
Below is a starter list of issues we need to address. It’s not exhaustive, but it can serve to guide our efforts. No one of us can become involved with all these concerns. I suggest that you review the list and ask God what actions He might want you to take:
1. Seek God for wisdom and pray for America.
2. Reestablish and follow the biblical principles and values that our Founding Fathers followed in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
3. Hold our elected leaders accountable in restoring law and order in our country. Fund necessary growth in law enforcement at every level.
4. Strengthen our military to ensure that we have the means to defend this nation and its national interests.
5. Strengthen our borders and enforce present immigration laws.
6. Establish international trade policies and practices that support our national interests.
7. Put people back to work. Limit welfare to those who legitimately can’t work.
8. Take action to limit tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google from stifling free speech in America.
9. Widen opportunities for education that teach truth. Parents should have choices regarding where and how to educate their children. Ensure that the truth about American history is taught, especially the values and principles that our Founding Fathers followed when establishing our democratic republic.
10. Strengthen our legal system at all levels. Punish the guilty, but develop effective programs to rehabilitate those who are willing to change.
11. Institute voting reform that guarantees fair and honest elections at all levels. Encourage all voters to become informed and know what each candidate stands for. Don’t elect people to serve in public office who don’t possess good character and a solid track record of responsible, moral service.
12. Resist all efforts of woke ideology to tear down our great nation as they advocate Critical Race Theory and other ideologies that divide rather than unify.
13. Keep capitalism strong because it has worked to make America the richest and most powerful nation on earth.
14. Fulfill your civic responsibility and voice your opinion through appropriate channels. Don’t be intimidated by groups like Black Lives Matter.
15. Strongly resist efforts by liberals to destroy God’s plan for proper social order, to include sexual identity, marriage, and teaching about the family.
The Choice Is Ours
The above steps represent only a beginning. Turning America back in the right direction is a tall order. It will require individual Christians and the Church at large to stand up, speak out, and act.
Remember two things. First, God has never needed a majority to accomplish His will. Frequently He has called individual men and women to lead, especially during dark and desperate times. Second, we have God on our side. He rules. He will carry out His plans.
It’s time to roll. Is God calling you to action? What does He want you to do?
Chaplain (Colonel) Scott McChrystal was commissioned in 1970 and served 31 years on active duty, 10 as an infantry officer and the remainder as a United States Army chaplain. His line officer experience included a tour in Vietnam as an Infantry Platoon Leader and three assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As an Army chaplain, he had multiple tours at home and abroad. His final assignment was as the senior chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He retired from active duty in 2005 and served as the Military/VA Representative and Endorser within the Chaplaincy Department for the General Council of the Assemblies of God from 2005-2019. His decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Award, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Army Ranger Tab. His education includes a Master of Business Administration Degree, a Master of Divinity Degree, a Doctor of Ministry Degree, and graduation from The United States Army War College. Additionally, he serves as a consultant to the American Council on Education. In recent years, he and his wife have written several Christian devotionals. In addition, Scott co-authored a Christian action-novel and served as the managing editor for the The Warrior’s Bible, an application bible for the military community. Scott presently serves as the Executive Liaison for The Warrior’s Journey, a non-profit organization that supports the military community. He’s also a member of the Distinguished Advisory Board for Battle Ready Ministries. Chaplain McChrystal and his wife, Judy, live in Springfield, Missouri, and have 4 children and 12 grandchildren.
