oa Het nieuwe terrorisme als ethisch en theologisch probleem

Crucial for a right understanding of the ethical and theological problems of new terrorism, is to get a clear idea of its essential characteristics, viz. the creation of maximum panic by killing as many innocent victims as possible, and carried out by religiously motivated offenders in suicidal attacks. The present author puts forward that the ‘morals’ of new terrorism consist in a tribal inside-outside morality, which is religiously defended by the apocalyptic language of ‘this world against the world to come’, of ‘enemies of God against friends of God’, and of ‘liberal democracy against an axis of evil’. Thinking in these absolute opposites is already disastrous. The political theology of the 20^th century in all its varieties is out of date now. We need a renewal of the 16^th century Protestant doctrine of the two divinely instituted orders of government, suitable for the problems of 21^th century global economy and politics.