It's Thursday, January the 2nd, 2025, and this is the Daily Article podcast. I'm Chris Elkins of the Denison

Forum, narrating today's daily article written by our co-founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Denison.

Quote, he was hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did.

This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.

This is how New Orleans police officer and Kirkpatrick described the driver of a pickup

truck flying an Islamic state flag who plowed into a large crowd in New Orleans

French quarter early yesterday morning, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30

in what authorities are calling a terrorist assault. The FBI identified him as 42-year-old

Shamsuddin Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas and an army veteran.

Hours before the attack, he reportedly posted videos on social media indicating that he was

inspired by ISIS. However, the FBI states they do not believe Jabbar was solely responsible

for the attack, which President

elect Donald Trump called an act of pure evil.

At times like this, we instinctually ask how an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God could

allow such a tragedy as posed in Habakkuk 1, verse 13.

In response, theologians note Matthew 22 versus 37 through 39 that God created humans to love him and each other, and referencing Joshua 24, verse 15, endowed us with the freedom necessary to make this choice.

When we misuse this freedom, the consequences are not his, but ours.

The God who made each of us in his image, according to Genesis 1, verse 27, commands us to

venerate life as he does, noted in Exodus 20, verse 13.

The horrific attack yesterday morning violated his clear will

and grieved his loving heart. And there's another side of this equation. If we blame God when

humans misuse their God-given freedom, should we not credit him when we use such freedom for good?

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