How the Presidential Debate and 9/11 Remind Us to Cherish Our Freedom

Last night’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump began with a handshake “but descended into acrimony as the candidates traded barbs,” as the Wall Street Journal reports. In an Instagram post to her 283 million followers after the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Ms. Harris for president. After the debate, the Democrat’s campaign announced their desire for a second meeting with Mr. Trump.

Whatever your thoughts on the debate in Philadelphia, we can agree that it demonstrated democracy at work. By contrast, the supreme leader of Iran, the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” is unaccountable to the nation he supposedly serves. And no such debates occur in Saudi Arabia, where fifteen of the 9/11 terrorists originated.

September 11 is appropriately known as “Patriot Day” in memory of those who were killed on 9/11. Flags will fly at half-staff today at the White House and all US government buildings and establishments throughout the world. We are encouraged to display flags inside and outside our homes today as well. And a moment of silence will be observed beginning at 8:45 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

On this very somber anniversary, as we remember the 2,977 innocent victims of the deadliest terrorist attack in US history, we are reminded that our nation still faces enemies at war with democracy. From jihadists who would attack us at home and abroad to cyberterrorists who would imperil our national infrastructures to autocratic nuclear powers that would threaten our very future, none of us can be certain that there will never be another 9/11.

In this light, I’d like to share some observations from a recent experience that left a deep impression on me.

“Freedom Is a Fragile Thing”

I have visited many veteran memorials over the years. Since my father served in World War II and his father in World War I, such places have always been deeply meaningful to me.

Recently, my wife and I visited the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial Museum in Paris, Texas. Here, we encountered a display provided by a family whose ancestors served in the Continental Army that liberated America from England, the Texas Army that liberated our state from Mexico, the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and the Coast Guard during the Korean War.

Beneath their names are emblazoned the words: “Freedom is not inherited. It must be earned one generation at a time.”

Their sentiment echoes that of Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address as governor of California on January 5, 1967:

Freedom is fragile, and it’s never more than one generation from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.

Millions of brave men and women are engaged today in defending our freedom at home and abroad. What can you and I do to join them?

“No Better than the Builders of Babel”

Benjamin Franklin, not typically known for personal piety or orthodox theology, nonetheless issued a memorable spiritual call to the president of the United States on June 28, 1787. He and his colleagues were gathered in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for their infant nation. In this context, he asked that prayers “imploring the assistance of heaven” be held “in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business.”

His reasoning:

I believe that without [God’s] concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future age.

Mr. Franklin’s request was not granted because the convention did not have funds to pay ministers to deliver such invocations. However, his sentiment could not have been more biblical. The Lord warned his people:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lᴏʀᴅ. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land (Jeremiah 17:5–6).

By contrast, the Lord continued:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lᴏʀᴅ, whose trust is in the Lᴏʀᴅ. He is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (vv. 7–8).

“Those Who Build it Labor in Vain”

On this solemn day, let us pray for a spiritual and moral awakening that would make America “a tree planted by water” that “does not fear when heat comes.” And let us remember:

“Unless the Lᴏʀᴅ builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

Who is building your “house” today?

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the Day:

“There are two freedoms—the false, where a man is free to do what he likes, and the true, where he is free to do what he ought.” —Charles Kingsley

Related Resource: Overcoming Political Anxiety and Turbulent Times | Philippians 4 Meditation

Dire predictions about world events and the coming US election fill us with fear and confusion. So much feels out of our control. And with so many voices speaking in, many of them spreading disinformation, how do we even know what to do or how to respond? This guided Christian meditation from Philippians 4 will help you release the anxiety and fear you feel about the future of our world. If you like what you hear, subscribe to So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

Published Date: September 11, 2024

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Jim speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.