[As every Sunday, please turn into “The Coral Ridge Hour" this SUNDAY 5-5:30 pm (over-the-air, channel 40.1 in Orlando). They will have the second of a two part feature on Radical Islam. Also, if you have cable, please call 1-800-295-5869 for the broadcast times of their new program called “Cross-Examine” - "to help viewers examine everything in life through the lens of the cross of Jesus Christ.” (or go to their website: www.crossexamine.com)]
(On this 9th anniversary of 9/11, I am reminded that on that day, I was at my desk in the office when I heard people rushing to the conference area of the office. As I saw people gathering around a television set, I saw on the screen a plane flying into a building. My first thought was, “What are people doing watching a movie?!!” Then, as I stood there, I saw the second plane crash into the second tower and suddenly realized it was not a movie but a live news report!! It was all so surreal, and I still don’t remember when or how any of us got back to focusing on whatever we were working on that day. So, what’s YOUR memory of that tragic day?)
George Sada, an ethnically Iraqi Assyrian CHRISTIAN and a hero in the former Iraqi air force, wrote a book entitled: “Sadam’s Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein,” (2006). In it he says:
“I’m often asked about militant Islam and the threat of global terrorism. More than once I’ve been asked about the meaning of the Arabic words “Fatah” and “Jihad.” What I normally tell them is that to followers of the militant brand of Islam, these doctrines express the belief that Allah has commanded them to conquer the nations of the world both by cultural invasion and by the sword. In some cases this means moving thousands of Muslim families into a foreign land-by building mosques and changing the culture from the inside out, and by refusing to assimilate or adopt the beliefs or values of that nation--to conquer the land for Islam. This is an invidious doctrine, but it’s …being carried out in some places today by followers of this type of Islam.” (pp.285-6)
“[They] won’t be stopped by appeasement. They are not interested in political solutions. They don’t want welfare—their animosity is not caused by hunger or poverty or anything of the sort. They understand only one think: total and complete conquest of the West and of anyone who does not bow to them and their dangerous and out-of-date ideology of hate and revenge.” (p.289)
“What I want to say next is not easy for me to say but I think I must say it anyway. One of the nicest things about the American people is that you are generous and friendly people, and because of this you are sometimes naïve and overly trusting. You want to be friendly, so you open up to people and then you’re surprised when they stab you in the back. Many brave young soldiers have died in Iraq for this reason, but I think this is also a big part of the problem with the State Department and others in government who fail to understand the true nature of this enemy” (p. 289-90).
(I know that this event has now been canceled but I thought I’d go ahead and post it anyway just for the insight it presents.)
A Bad Idea - International Burn a Koran Day: by Chuck Colson, Breakpoint.com, September 8, 2010
Remembering the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is something we should do. But there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do it.
Pastor Terry Jones’s thoughts about Islam are simple and direct. The title of his book says it all: Islam is of the Devil. The same thought is on a sign outside of his church, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, and on the T-shirts and coffee mugs the church sells. In order to raise greater awareness of the dangers of Islam, Jones has designated 9/11 as “International Burn a Koran Day.” According to their Facebook page Jones hopes, and I quote, “To bring awareness to the dangers of Islam and that the Koran is leading people to hell. Eternal fire is the only destination the Koran can lead people to so we want to put the Koran in its place—the fire!” End quote.
Every Christian believes that no man can come to God but through Jesus Christ. That’s not a bigoted remark, that’s simply the truth claim that underlies Christianity. And I would expect that Muslims would tell me that my religion, Christianity, is a false religion. The unique thing about the United States is that we are prepared to fight for and defend every single individual’s right to his or her choice to practice the religion of their choice. We learn to respect our differences in a free, pluralistic society. I have also referred repeatedly on BreakPoint to the dangers of the Islamist movement, which is an ideologically extreme perversion of the Islamic faith. And this is why so many armed conflicts around the world involve Muslims—often fighting other Muslims.And the attempts to inject parts of Sharia Law in the United States and Britain are a hazard to our constitutional order.
All that being said, I find Jones’s plan to burn the Koran foolish and contemptible. It poses dangers Jones has either overlooked or chooses to ignore. As Dr. John Rankin, president of the Theological Education Institute correctly notes, if Jones burns the Qur’an, “the images will reverberate on the Internet internationally, and this could lead to unparalleled fury in the Muslim world.” And most of that fury will be directed into violence against Christians in Muslim areas throughout the world. If Jones goes through with this horrid plan, people—Christian people—will suffer and some will die. General Petraeus has even expressed fear for our troops in Afghanistan.
Second, Rankin comments, “The Gospel would thus be slandered.” The Apostle Peter tells Christians that we are to be good apologists, but as we give people reasons for our hope in Christ, it has to be “with gentleness and respect.” Burning the Koran will be taken as the height of disrespect by the Muslim world where copies of the Koran are treated as sacred objects and are handled with the utmost care and reverence. Nothing in the Bible encourages us to treat Muslims or any other religious group with this kind of contempt. Rankin concludes, “The stakes are high in terms of the reputation of the Gospel and protection of innocent lives in tinderbox sections of the Muslim world.”
My most fervent prayer is that Jones will reconsider and cancel the Koran burning in the name of the Gospel of Peace. Part of a Christian worldview is the ability to articulate what we believe and why we believe it in the face of competing worldviews like Islam. But we detract from our witness if we allow anything except the Gospel to offend our unsaved neighbors.
Further Reading and Information
Far From Ground Zero, Obscure Pastor is Ignored No Longer, Damien Cave | The New York Times | August 25, 2010
Gainesville church plans to go ahead with Qur'an burning, James A. Smith, Sr. | Florida Baptist Witness | September 7, 2010
John Rankin Blog, Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Seven Questions for the Pastor Who Wants to Burn Copies of the Koran on 9/11, Fox News | Rev. John Rankin | September 3, 2010
[http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/09/03/rev-john-rankin-pastor-terry-jones-dove-world-outreach-center-bureau]
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