Recently the battle betweem Muslims and Christians took a turn for the worse. It has been the giant elephant in the church and the Mosque since 9/11 but it is no longer the elepant, it is now a main topic of conversation. However, due to Terry Jones there has been a piece of news that has been virtually overlooked in the mainstream media.
Four Christians were arrested in Michigan for evangelizing during an Arab Festival. The intent was to convert Muslims to Christians. At least that is what it would seem. The group is called Acts 17 Apologetics Ministries. But according to eyewitnesses they were being very abrasive and rude. Not to mention they did everything while holding a video camera in their hands.
They were arrested in charges of breach of peace. It is an ironic charge because I do not believe that peace exists in the world between these two varying religions. However, I am certain that what these four "preachers" were doing is not in line with the way we should be representing Christ.
I am not able to judge someone else's intentions, but judging from their actions alone, I would conclude that they were not acting with sincere motives. I have a hard time understanding when people think that aggresively arguing Jesus to non-beleivers is the approach to take. I am of the mindset that the way people come to Jesus is through Christians exhibiting the love of Christ to them through their lifestyles.
While I admire the fact that these four men want to reach the Muslim community for the cause of Christ, I would hope that in the future they choose their tactics a lot better than they did this time. If we are to reach this world then we must be salt and light, not gunpowder.
In Response to the Article: Street Preachers at Arab Fest to Face Court
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
What we should learn from Terry Jones
Terry Jones has fueled an international debate in such a short amount of time. It is amazing how the Pastor of a church of 50 can be known by so many different people. But to me what is even more amazing is that 50 people actually would want to attend his church.
Pastor Jones had decided to create a platform based on an incomplete view of the Bible. Anyone can take a verse of the Bible and skew it to back their agenda, but to be the type of Christian that God wants us to be, we must take a wholistic view of the Bible before we make any decisions.
If this Pastor was actually operating in the Spirit then he would have been led to the conclusion that Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to turn the other cheek. The hatred and contempt that is portrayed in even threatening to burn someone else's Holy book is not something that glorifies God.
Furthermore, in a time of such religious conflict, he should know that to burn a Koran would not only be a slap in the face of people we should be loving, but it will also lead to people burning our Bibles.
If we burn Korans, others will burn Bibles. If we protest the building of a Mosque, others will protest the building of a Christian church. If we protest atheist groups at schools, others will protest Christian groups. We are a nation that was fouded on freedom of religion. We have been given amazing privileges in this country that Christians in other countries would love to have. Pastor Jones and others like him should not be risking our religious freedom with such parlor acts.
Bottom line is this: We are to love others as we love ourselves. That means Muslims... but that also means Pastor Terry Jones. Let's lift this man up in prayer, that God would change his heart.
A Resonse to the article: Pastor Terry Jones: How he went from nobody to international villian
Pastor Jones had decided to create a platform based on an incomplete view of the Bible. Anyone can take a verse of the Bible and skew it to back their agenda, but to be the type of Christian that God wants us to be, we must take a wholistic view of the Bible before we make any decisions.
If this Pastor was actually operating in the Spirit then he would have been led to the conclusion that Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to turn the other cheek. The hatred and contempt that is portrayed in even threatening to burn someone else's Holy book is not something that glorifies God.
Furthermore, in a time of such religious conflict, he should know that to burn a Koran would not only be a slap in the face of people we should be loving, but it will also lead to people burning our Bibles.
If we burn Korans, others will burn Bibles. If we protest the building of a Mosque, others will protest the building of a Christian church. If we protest atheist groups at schools, others will protest Christian groups. We are a nation that was fouded on freedom of religion. We have been given amazing privileges in this country that Christians in other countries would love to have. Pastor Jones and others like him should not be risking our religious freedom with such parlor acts.
Bottom line is this: We are to love others as we love ourselves. That means Muslims... but that also means Pastor Terry Jones. Let's lift this man up in prayer, that God would change his heart.
A Resonse to the article: Pastor Terry Jones: How he went from nobody to international villian
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)