Bibliography and links
If you have other resources to add, please contact Teresa Stricklen.
Books
Beyond Our Tears
Beyond Our Tears is a collection which will help in expressing what is almost beyond words. Drawing on the experience of those who can reflect on war and reconciliation, as well as those confronted with tragic events, this book brings together appropriate prayers, readings, poems and hymns. It will be invaluable to anyone who wants to bring fresh insights into remembrance and also to those who wish to devise a distinctive service in response to a local or national tragedy. Learn more and order your copy.
World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability
Chua, Amy. World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability (New York: Doubleday, 2003). This is a helpful book for those exploring the causes of terrorism.
Aftermath: In the Wake of Murder
Freitag, Carrie M. Aftermath: In the Wake of Murder (Ellicott City, MD: Chevron, 2003). While written to help family survivors of homicide, this book is quite pertinent to those who suffer traumatic grief from such events as September 11. Grief upon a loved one’s death is always something of a trauma to those left behind, but traumatic grief is grief compounded by losing a loved one by violent means. This book is an honest depiction of the depths of emotion that lead one to the brink of insanity or beyond in the wake of such heinous crimes, and offers hope and help for the restabilization of life in the aftermath. It also walks through the justice system process, which is helpful for pastors to know as well.
Out of the Depths: Voices of the Presbyterian Faith Community at Work After September 11
Out of the depths of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, rose the faith community, which worked on behalf of victims, families of victims and professional workers at the sites, grieving, listening, praying, and counseling with those who were suffering. Some Presbyterians engaged in this intense support came together at Stony Point, New York, November 6-7, 2001, for lamentation, reflection, remembrance, spiritual renewal, and the search for a way out of the chaos—an uncovering, if you will, of the hand of God at work in our midst. From that experience evolved a book, Out of the Depths: Voices of the Presbyterian Faith Community at Work After September 11, which contains reflections of the faithful caregivers and collected photographs, with four worship services at the back. You may already have this book in your church library, as it was sent to all churches. If not, you can order up to five free copies from the Church Store. You’ll just need to pay shipping and handling.
Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation
By Volf, Miroslav. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. Winner of the 2002 Louisville Grawemer Award in Religion, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, explores how Christians are to construct identity in Christ in such a way that they embrace God’s Dominion and resist evil by asking: “How does one remain loyal both to the demand of the oppressed for justice and to the gift of forgiveness that the Crucified offered to the perpetrators.
Links
Find more ideas to commemorate September 11 on these sites.
Prepare New York is a coalition of New York based interfaith organizations including Auburn Seminary and its Center for Multifaith Education, Interfaith Center of New York, Intersections International, Odyssey Networks, Quest and Tanenbaum and its Religion and Diversity Education Program, who are committed to preparing New York City (and the nation) for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 by promoting civil dialogue, education about religious pluralism, support for the Muslim community and coordinating events on the day of the anniversary. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and 9/11 Communities for Common Ground serve as advisers to the coalition.
Read the Godfrey Rust poem “September 11, 2001”
Statistics on terrorism may be helpful to keep discussions in perspective.
The National Council of Churches has put together more liturigical resources and services.
Nickelodeon will mark the 10th anniversary of September 11 (with a special segment to educate children about the attacks on the U.S. The episode — "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee" What Happened?: The Story of September 11, 2001 — will air on September 1, and the network will provide an online discussion guide for teachers, parents and guardians to use when they talk with their children). (Cynopsis Kids)
Forgiveness
“It was the Christianity we all profess ... practiced that left us stunned.” Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister wonders what would have happened if we had forgiven the terrorists of September 11 like the Amish forgave the gunman who killed their schoolchildren in 2006.
Praise to God
Dean McIntyre’s liturgy from the United Methodists intersperses Psalm 46 with “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” and John Bell’s “Goodness is Stronger than Evil.”
Beyond the Eleventh
Founded by two women in the Boston area who lost their husbands on 9/11, Beyond the Eleventh is non-profit organization that provides support to widows in Afghanistan who have been afflicted by war, terrorism and oppression.
Change the Story
An organization dedicated to transforming the narrative we carry of each other, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Section on resources for religious leaders includes lesson plans exploring Islam and those who follow the faith.
Find more liturgical resources from other Protestant churches.
