This is a little later in the day than I would normally post these links, but I was a tad bit distracted last night when the news started breaking that Osama bin Laden had been located and killed by the U.S. military.

Needless to say, for Americans, this is good news. Bin Laden was a terrorist, responsible for 9/11 and numerous other attacks, and even though he might not have been as involved in al Qaeda now as he was 10 years ago, he deserved to be brought to justice.

But as Christians, should we celebrate that his justice came in being shot in the head and killed during a military raid? Or should we wish that he was captured and tried, or forgive him for his as Christ urged and let God judge him when his time came?

Personally, I think that was a just end to bin Laden’s life. But there’s still a voice in my head whispering that Christ told us to turn the other cheek, to forgive 70 times 7 times, to not return evil for evil, etc., etc.

So am I sinning by taking satisfaction in bin Laden’s death? If so, I pray for forgiveness. But mostly I pray for a more peaceful world and for God’s grace and glory to be shown in this situation as with any other on this planet.

I’m not a theologian, and I don’t have the time to really get into whether this is right or wrong and come up with an answer myself. That’s why I’m glad there are much smarter people out there than me who gave a take on this.

And that’s why I provide my “Monday Faith Links.” So, here ya go:

Osama bin Laden Perspectives:

• Christianity Today had a few interesting looks at the debate. Michael Horton writes about justice in the “City of Man” compared to the “City of God”; Gideon Strauss says that no death should give us pleasure, even when it might be justified; and Warren Larsen offers three different responses instead of gloating for Christians.
• Christianity Today also had a cool story that listed the most popular Bible verses that were used on Twitter once news of Osama bin Laden’s death was released. You can see the verses here.
• John Piper’s website, DesiringGod.org, posted a link to a story he wrote in 2005 about how Christians should respond to enemies of the cross. It’s still very relevant today.
• Albert Mohler addresses the limits of human justice in the latest post on his blog.

Have more good links of perspectives on this issue? Then post them below in the comments! This is a fascinating and important discussion, so the more viewpoints the better.