This is Nancy Pearcey in the Public Square.
To defeat Osama Bin Laden and his terrorists, political leaders are going to have to bone up on their theology.
Bin Laden is revered as a spiritual leader, and we cannot treat him as a common criminal. Instead, we must grasp the powerful role religion plays in world affairs. The source for Bin Ladens ideas was an Egyptian named Sayyid Qutb. Back in 1950, Qutb visited the United States and was appalled by its moral decayand he pinned the blame squarely on atheist thinkers like Darwin, Marx, and Freud. His outrage fuels todays jihad.
Such intense religious concern is often overlooked by secular leaders. Religion is The Missing Dimension of Statecraft says a book by the same title. As Christians, we need to remind our political leaders that wars are won first in the soul . . . and only then on the battlefield. Im Nancy Pearcey.
Copyright 2002 Nancy Pearcey. All rights reserved.
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File Date: 06.13.02