Why ‘Stand with France’ Isn’t Just a Cliché

Like many of you, I cloaked my profile picture in the French flag and posted statuses about praying for Paris. In the aftermath of such horrific events, it is easy to be swept up in the emotion of the moment, to hop on the bandwagon of a cause and pick up a rallying cry.

But for me, changing my picture and posting inspirational images is about more than the satisfaction of being part of something bigger than myself.  The hashtag PrayforParis and the call to stand with France are much more than mere clichés—or at least they should be.

Here are four reasons why:

1) France and the United States have a long and profoundly connected history.

It is fairly safe to say that if it weren’t for France, the United States would not even exist as an independent nation. Without her aid in the Revolutionary War, it is doubtful the British would have surrendered. This relationship with our oldest ally was further strengthened when the French bestowed upon us that iconic symbol of freedom, democratic government, and the American dream—Lady Liberty herself.

In the 20^th century, France and the United States remained allies throughout both World Wars, and, at the dawn of the 21^st, France supported the U.S. in the wake of 9/11. Now that a similar attack has taken place on French soil, it is only fitting that Americans continue to uphold the bond of friendship, letting the French people know that we feel their pain—with empathy, not merely sympathy—and that they are in our thoughts and prayers as they struggle through the days ahead.

Incidentally, I believe, this history explains why Americans have responded to the Parisians with such an immediate outpouring of support and proliferation of attention in contrast to the level of response to similar attacks happening much more frequently in the Middle East. The abundance of attention is not to make less of Lebanon, Syria, or any other country experiencing terrorist attacks but rather to make more of France.

Perhaps this seems to be unfair favoritism, but it’s a fact of life that we tend to think, speak, and write about things we care about and that we tend to care about things we are connected to. Paris simply hits closer to home—not only geographically, but ideologically as well, which brings me to my second point.

2) Ideas are important.

The present conflict is not primarily about land or wealth—it’s about a set of ideas, a way of understanding the world, a belief system that informs a way of life. Worldviews are significant because they are the foundation on which everything else stands, the base out of which action springs, as was clearly illustrated in the Paris attacks.

The worldview held by Islamic terrorists is diametrically opposed to that which has shaped and characterized Western civilization for centuries upon centuries. Standing with France, then, is affirming to yourself and to the world that you support the ideological pillars of Western civilization—the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, the value of intellectual discourse, and what is likely the most predominant characteristic of the West today—freedom—freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press, just to name a few.

If we do not know what we stand for or forget the importance of what we stand for, then we are setting ourselves up to lose it all at the hands of those who do know exactly what they believe and are willing to die to see their beliefs spread across the globe.

3) Freedom is worth fighting for.

The Islamic State is seeking to create just that—an Islamic state that eradicates Western values and imposes an Islamic religion-as-state/state-as-religion way of life.  The terrorists carrying out these attacks are doing so for very purposeful reasons. Their worldview is incompatible with that of Western civilization, and they are completely determined to ensure that their way of ordering society is the one that prevails.

Of course, it should go without saying that not all Muslims are bent on creating a world-wide Islamic caliphate. There are countless peaceful Muslims (like the two women I shared a meal with last week—some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet!) and countless others who are oppressed by people within their own religion—which again raises the question: why is there not outcry on behalf of those victims?

Why do we seem more concerned about attacks in Paris than those in the Middle East? Along with the reason mentioned earlier, I submit that it is also because the Paris attacks mark an expansion of terrorism outside of already Muslim-dominated lands. As such, they are more blatant threats not just to people but to our very civilization. Yes, we should direct attention to the atrocities happening to civilians in Muslim countries. But the attacks in Paris signified much more than the deaths of 100+ individuals; they signified a brazen affront to freedom itself.

4) Christ has overcome the world (Jn. 16:33).

For those of us who are Christians, the most compelling reason to support the French people is that we have been entrusted with the hope of the world—Christ, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Because of this, we can offer the strongest Support there is to those who are hurting, angry, and confused.

As a secular society, France is filled with people who give no thought to God—people like the Charlie Hebdo cartoonist who has asked people not to pray for Paris. This request highlights how so-close-yet-so-far the French people are from the truth. The cartoonist is right—the French don’t need more religion. They need Jesus. No matter how great their zest for life, they live their days as we once did, “having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). So even with all the music and champagne, in forsaking Christ they rob themselves of an abundant life of persevering joy.

But we have the good news of hope and peace, of forgiveness, mercy, and grace in the midst of cynicism, bitterness, and fear, and sharing it is the best way we can help the people of France.

Yet it doesn’t stop there. This news is so powerful that it compels us Christians to expand our focus beyond France and recognize that the gospel “is the power of God for salvation” in every country—secular, Muslim, or otherwise (Rom. 1:16). 

In addition to praying for Paris, then, we must pray for and share with the whole world, because we have been entrusted with the greatest hope of all—the knowledge that even in the face of incredible evil, Christ reigns supreme and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, having conquered sin and death and having overcome the world.