Burning the Koran (Quran) – Another Christian Response

A pastor* in Florida has decided to burn the Koran on September 11 as a “protest” against Islam. The talking-heads describe the church as an “evangelical Christian” church. Being one who would describe himself as an evangelical Christian, what do I think? The top three things in my mind:

#1 – He wants publicity. Oops. Too blunt? Not really. Why do I think this? If he was doing it simply and privately as an issue for his church, he wouldn’t have signs on the church property stating “Islam is of the devil.” More copies of the Koran can and will be printed. This is pointless.

#2 – He’s ignoring Scripture. Jesus sought to teach Truth. Even as He was cleaning out the Temple, Jesus was seeking to reform what was wrong with “the Church.” Because there is no account in Scripture of Jesus cleaning out a pagan temple, I believe the focus of a Christian should be to become more Christlike.

#3 – He’s ignoring more Scripture. Romans 13 gives clear instruction to the believer to submit to governing authorities. To be clear, this man has every “right” to burn a Koran. It is granted under free speech in the constitution. However, it is clear that the government is asking him to not make this particular statement. While he is free to pursue his course of action, the possible ramifications around the world would suggest he not do so.

Bottom-line: I personally believe he is doing more harm than good. Consider the Christian missionaries serving overseas in a Muslim country. How are they now to communicate the love of Christ? Consider the soldier fighting to protect the very freedoms this man is enjoying. Will this make his/her job easier?

Imagine if this pastor had put the effort that is going towards burning the Koran (Quran) in another way.

• Could he send Bibles to the Middle East?
• Could he begin an outreach to any and all immigrants in his community?
• Could he teach and train people from his church to go and share the Truth of Christ overseas?

Personally, I think we should spend September 11th in thankfulness for those who have worked for and fought for the freedoms we have in this county. Believers in Jesus Christ can pray for others. Believers in Jesus Christ can seek to demonstrate an act of love to those who don’t know Him. Believers in Jesus Christ can, well, seek to be like Christ.

Just my thoughts…

Yours in Christ,
Marty

* Because of #1, I’m not giving his name or the name of his church. Google it if you want to know.

Lies of the “Coexist” Philosophy

Give me a break...

UPDATE: See additional later post for meanings.

Let’s be honest. The “cute” Coexist bumper sticker using various symbols doesn’t mean what it says. Let’s use a practical example.

I was driving past a car the other night and it had that sticker. Next to it was a “Darwin Fish.” Now, as a believer in Jesus Christ (who has a good sense of humor), I was a bit offended by the two together. Why?

The Ichthys (ΙΧΘΥΣ) is an Greek word meaning “fish.” It was used by Christians (often during times of persecution) to identify one another or mark / direct believers towards meetings.

A basic design

It is a subtle symbol. It should not offend. (I once had a conversation with someone who asked me what car dealer it represented!) In fact, it should be a challenge to a driver who has placed one on his or her car to drive in a manner that is decent.

BUT – when you insert Darwin in the middle and put legs on it, it is intendedto offend. You want to insult those who put the ichthys on their cars.

Offensive or funny?

AND – when you tie the two “Coexist” and “Darwin” together, you are lying about your own beliefs.

What do I mean? If you are a Christian, an atheist, agnostic, buddhist, muslim or whatever you claim, you are professing a set of beliefs and faith in something. With that set of beliefs should come a set of practices about your belief.

If you (as a “whatever”) claim to believe in the coexist philosophy, you should not then turn around and slap the faith of Christians. Putting a Darwin fish on your car next to a coexist philosophy sticker  proclaims:

Let’s all coexist EXCEPT you Christians!

Do you even realize how ignorant that is?

I am a Christian. I believe in coexistence. If you put your faith in Allah, you have that right. If you put your faith in nothing, you have that right. I don’t think you should be locked up, exiled or killed. 

But, as a Christian, I am required by my faith to live in a certain way and do certain things. I am required to share my faith and help disciple people who want to grow in their faith. (Matthew 28:19-20) I’m not perfect, but I try to walk what I profess.

If I am sharing my faith with someone and they tell me they aren’t interested, I stop. It doesn’t change my belief or make me act any differently. I simply won’t discuss it anymore with them at that time.

Be honest. What would happen if you drove a car with that bumper sticker in Iran, Saudi Arabia or an Islamic nation? Or, do you think it is popular in Communist China?

Me either…

“Coexist” if you want to. But if what you really mean by that bumper sticker is everyone coexist but Christians then at least have the decency to cover up the cross.

With respect,

Yours in Christ,

Marty

Once an Arafat Man

I wanted to toss out a quick book recommendation.

I read “Once an Arafat Man” by Tass Saada (and Dean Merrill) this week to prepare for a radio interview with Tass. It’s a fascinating book of his journey as a former Muslim PLO sniper to a believer in Jesus Christ who now speaks to healing and restoration.

The book is written with frank honesty and clarity. You can hear his pain as he regretfully tells the path he once walked but you can also hear his joy as he praises God for his changed life.

There is also a fair amount of Scripture presented that relates the birth of Islam (Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 16) and the beginnings of the religion.

Well worth reading!

In, of and in-between – The Christian “world”

Perhaps I should add a touch more clarification to last week’s post – Death of a Christian magazine.

If “Christian-only” resources are OK, does that mean Christian resources don’t belong with the general mix? No, of course not. In the same sense that secular box stores can carry Christian materials they can stock material from people who are Muslim, Jewish, agnostic or atheist. After all, it is their business. I don’t determine their inventory.

In that same sense, a Christian artist doesn’t have to remain exclusively in the Christian realm. If artists like “Sixpence None the Richer” or “The Fray” wish to seek a greater audience with their music and testimony, PRAISE GOD if they are successful!

Isaac Slade (The Fray) shared that his “job” is to make the best music he possibly can. If it makes someone ask Why? then he can share his testimony.

All that said, the original issue of whether or not there should be “Christian-only” material still strikes me as rather strange. Why not?

God’s Word is for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2nd Timothy 3:16). Christian resource material is (or should be) also intended to help the believer grow towards maturity. Sometimes it is heavy, deep material; sometimes it is light and encouraging.

I used to shudder at Barbara Johnson’s (“The Geranium Lady”) material until someone told me how much it had helped them at a particular point in their life. LRM‘s founder and my mentor, Bob Fenn, told me simply “There is a right book at the right time for the right person.”

If you, whether a believer in Jesus Christ OR as a spiritual seeker, want to find something that will help you in your walk, you should be able to find such a resource. To break it down to the simplest level, if you want to learn to be a better plumber, read plumbing books. If you want to learn to be a better math student, read math books. If you want to learn to be a better Christian, read Christian books.

Don’t live on an island, but don’t refuse to visit one now and again!

Yours in Christ,
Marty