Anne Graham Lotz: Finding meaning in September 11

The daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, Anne Graham Lotz has just completed "Heaven: My Father's House." Written in consideration of the events of September 11, the book examines concepts such as death, suicide, heaven and hell from a biblical perspective. Lotz is president and executive director of AnGel Ministries, a non-profit ministry organization that produces "Just Give Me Jesus" revivals across the United States. The book, "Just Give Me Jesus," has been a best-seller since its 2000 release. Graham Lotz joined the CNN.com chat room from New York.

CNN: Welcome to CNN.com Newsroom, Anne Graham Lotz. Thank you for being with us today.

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ: Thank you, and hello to everybody who is out in cyberspace. I'm looking forward to hearing what's on your mind, and what questions you have.

CNN: Explain the post-script of your new book, "Heaven: My Father's House," and why you believe it could provide comfort to anyone who lost love ones since September 11.

GRAHAM LOTZ: Jesus, in John, Chapter 14, referred to heaven as "My Father's house," so that postscript was taken from there. It's a comfort, because Jesus is describing heaven as an actual place. It's His father's house. He tells us not only enough about heaven, His Father's house, that we would want to go there, but tells us how to be sure that we will go to heaven. Actually, King David, in Psalm 23, also referred to heaven as God's house, and said "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will live in my Father's house forever." So David was thinking of heaven as the house of the Lord, and Jesus called it His Father's house.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Ms. Lotz, what do you think the World Trade Center attack means in terms of God's protection?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I do believe that God protects us, but there are times He lifts His hand of protection, because He has either a greater lesson or greater blessing for us. When we get to heaven, we can ask Him why He lifted His hand of protection in this instance. One lesson to learn from it is that we need to be ready to meet God at any moment. It's obvious, and we sometimes ignore it, that every one of us will step into eternity. When that moment comes, will we be prepared? Will we be welcomed into our Father's house, because we're His children?

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do you believe what your brother Franklin said, that 9/11 "was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith"? How has his comments affected you? And, if he now admits he was wrong, why won't he give an unequivocal apology?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I let my brother Franklin speak for himself. I have enormous respect for him. He's traveled much more than I have, and has seen suffering in places like Sudan, East Europe, Afghanistan. I haven't. I haven't understood that he retracted that statement, just clarified it. I don't know enough about Islam to comment on it, but I know that people point fingers at Christians and blame us for things that don't please God. The primary issue isn't what your religion is, but what your personal relationship is with God. The Bible says that you can have a personal relationship with God, one that He acknowledges, when you place your faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Billy Graham

CNN: We know that many people leapt to their deaths before the Trade Center towers collapsed. Do you believe those individuals are in Heaven?

GRAHAM LOTZ: The determining factor as to whether or not you're welcome in heaven is your relationship with Jesus Christ. I think that in that last second, someone can cry out to God, and claim Christ as Savior, and in that second be ushered into heaven. I was just down at ground zero, and they said how many people leapt to their death rather than burn to death. I expect that there were many who did that who did have a relationship with Christ, and even as they were going down, they were going up, so to speak! God accepts us into heaven, based on our relationship with His Son, not the manner in which we died.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Ms. Lotz - do you agree with the assessment by Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson that September 11 was punishment from God for "immoral" acts in the United States such as abortion and homosexuality?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I personally have not read those comments from Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, but I would say as clearly as I know how, that punishment for sin is not just suffering, but the Bible says that the wages of sin is death, and that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, to pay that penalty for our sins. So God doesn't punish someone for sin by sending suicide bombers to the [World Trade Center] buildings. God punishes sin by sending His Son to the cross, to die in our place. That was God's punishment for sin. When we place our faith in Jesus, that's what the Bible means when it says we can be saved, because Jesus took the punishment for us. He died in our place. When I place my faith in Him as my Savior, I'm relieved of punishment for my sins, and given a place in heaven when I die.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Ms. Lotz, do you feel that only Christians will find a place with God or will all people of all faiths be allowed into God's house, no matter what name they seek his under?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I try to base what I think on the Bible, and I believe the Bible is God's word, and therefore true. In the Bible, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no-one comes to the Father, except through Me." Which means that heaven is open to everybody. God so loved the whole world that He's opened heaven to everyone. But the only ones who will actually walk through those gates are the ones who have placed faith in His son, Jesus Christ.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Ms. Lotz, what lesson from God do you believe we in the United States need to learn from the attacks on the World Trade Center?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I believe one of the lessons -- and there are many, and some we are still learning -- but one lesson is that we need each other. One is that there is more meaning to life than material prosperity. I think one lesson is that it's time to think about our priorities, and what really matters, what's really important. An over-arching lesson is one I've already given, and that's that while we're buying insurance, homeowners, life, etc., we should also make sure that we're insured for eternity, and the way to do that is to place faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Ms Lotz, do you feel that God will forgive the terrorist attacks and will he forgive our anger at the perpetrators?

GRAHAM LOTZ: God is angry, also. I can tell you, God is angry at those who willfully, wantonly destroyed life created in His image. I will say on the other hand, God extends His forgiveness to everyone and anyone coming to Him, repenting of their sins, and placing their faith in Jesus Christ. That actually is the two sides of the cross, the cross of Jesus Christ. He sent His son to die, and that's essentially His anger, poured out at the cross. But at the same time, His forgiveness is the other side. When you ask for forgiveness from God, you're forgiven, and brought into a right relationship with God. So, in a sense, the cross stands as a symbol of the anger toward sin, and the love toward the sinner, that God expressed there through His Son.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: If those who died were not saved would you go so far as to imply they would not go to heaven?

GRAHAM LOTZ: In Genesis, Chapter 18, Abraham was praying for Sodom, which was coming under the judgment of God. Abraham made a statement, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" He was speaking to God. In other words, God is the judge of all the earth, and we can count on God to do the right thing. Our sense of rightness comes from God. So, from my perspective, and my limited understanding, I know what the Bible says, and the Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The flip side of that is that if you do not believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, then you will perish. That's not just physically, that's spiritually, or eternally, so that when you die, you're separated from God eternally. That's what the Bible says.

In my little book, "Heaven, My Father's House," I tell about people who want to visit my father's home in Western North Carolina, and they drive up the long drive, and come to the gates. They would knock on the gate, and say, "Billy Graham, let us in. We've read your books, we've watched you on TV. We've written to you, and we want to come to your house." And my father would say, "Depart from me, I don't know you. You're not a member of my family, and you've not made the arrangements to come." But when I drive up that same driveway, and knock on the gate, I say, "Daddy, this is Anne, and I've come home," the gate is thrown right open, and I go inside, because I'm the father's child.

Jesus said that Heaven is His Father's house, speaking of God. Because heaven is God's house, He has the right to decide who comes in, and who stays out. He says He will welcome anyone inside His home, anyone can come, but they have to be born again into His family through faith in Jesus Christ. A wonderful hope that gives us, that when the time comes, whether death comes as a thief in the night as it did for those in the [World Trade Center] towers, or comes as an angel of mercy after a long illness, we can be assured that at the end of the journey, we'll step right into our Father's arms, welcomed there, because we're our Father's child.

CNN: If God is angry when humans kill, is our military sinning against God too?

GRAHAM LOTZ: The Bible speaks of "thou shalt not kill" as "thou shalt not murder," which is the innocent, wanton taking of human life. Now, I know that the people in the [World Trade Center] towers weren't completely innocent, but they certainly had not provoked that attack, and I don't believe our nation had done anything to justify that attack. That kind of destruction, God is against. But in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, God's people, had an army. That army was responsible for defending God's people, protecting God's people. Really, they were just serving God in that role. I thank God for our policemen, our military, our firemen, those who put their lives on the line to save other people. In the case of our military, they defend, too.

CNN: Do you have any closing comments for us today?

GRAHAM LOTZ: I would like to thank those who have participated in this chat, and to just say personally to each and every one who has participated or who is following along, that God loves you. That's what Christmas is all about, actually, that God so loved you that He came down in a way we can relate to, as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. He lived for 33 years amongst us, so that when we look at Jesus of Nazareth, we see God in the flesh. It was God who so loved you that at the end of that 33 year period, He gave His life on the cross as sacrifice for your sin. Three days later, He rose up from the dead, to offer you, me, each person ever born, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life. He is inviting you to place your faith in Him, that you might live with Him forever, in my Father's house.

CNN: Thank you for joining us today, Anne Graham Lotz.

GRAHAM LOTZ: Thank you.

Anne Graham Lotz joined the CNN.com chat room by telephone and CNN provided a typist. This is an edited transcript of the interview which took place on Tuesday, December 11, 2001.