11th September: the day that changed the world forever?

Here's my article for Broughton's September magazine:

It has become this generation's 'JFK' moment: where were you when the World Trade Centre was attacked? I remember I was working at Liverpool Hope University College at the time and we were watching the events unfold on a large screen in the Reception area that was usually used for announcements and PR. Then in the evening I was in a bar celebrating a friend's birthday, whilst the aftermath was playing on the small screens around the room.

Particularly in the USA, 11th September 2001 is often called “the day that changed the world forever.” It is true that many things have changed since those attacks; airport security, the 'War on Terror', attitudes to immigration to name but a few. The attacks also affected the USA psychologically, given the audacity of the attacks and the symbolism of the targets: these were strikes at what the USA prized as its successes: its economic strength (the WTC); its military strength (the Pentagon); and its system of government (the failed attempt on the Capitol).

Although these were attacks on the USA, they were also seen as an attack on the whole of Western civilisation and its reverence for economic and military power, and its governance.   As such there was a brief moment after the attacks when the question was asked: “Why do they hate us so much?” which could have given rise to a humbler view of ourselves as we see that our way is not the only nor the most perfect way of doing things. But quickly thoughts turned to using our economic and military power to punish and avenge, and also try to impose our Western liberal democracy on other cultures.

So it could be argued that 11th September 2001 was the day that changed the world forever. But the same could be argued for many important days in history, and also for little-known days in history. Just as you could argue that the Battle of Waterloo changed the world forever, so too could the day that Napoleon was born, or the day his parents met etc. The things you and I will do today will change the world forever.

But one day truly could be said to be the day the world changed forever: the day Jesus was born. The visible effects of his birth are obvious: our dating of years refers to his birth, the movement he inspired provides the foundation of Western Civilisation – our concepts of justice, human dignity, compassion, as well as science, education and morality. But more importantly, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17) and “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). It is only through Jesus that justice will be done and all the wrongs of the world, which are caused by the sins all of us have, will be put right. His birth was the day that really changed the world forever. And some scholars say Biblical, historical, and astronomical evidence point to that day being in 3 B.C. on Wednesday, 11th September.