message dated 10/17/2010 [email protected] writes: Fourth in the Series.
David To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.--Thomas Jefferson -------- Original Message -------- Subject: (gracEmail list) behind Muslim hostility (4) Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 03:59:00 -0400 From: Edward Fudge _<[email protected]>_ (mailto:[email protected]) To: David Block _<[email protected]>_ (mailto:[email protected]) gracEmail® Edward Fudge BEHIND MUSLIM HOSTILITY (4) ____________________________________ Click_ here_ (http://go.netatlantic.com/t/24118174/72632899/147224/0/) to view any of 1100 past gracEmails on 100 popular topics. ____________________________________ For every thousand residents of America today, eight are Muslims. A few are radicals bent on terrorism, but every indication is that most are not. Even if the Qur'an teaches the violent spread of Islam, these enlightened Muslims interpret it in a peaceful way. Our Constitution guarantees them freedom of religion, just as it does us. Whatever else we might say about Muslim Americans, they, too, are our neighbors. That means, according to Jesus, that they are beneficiaries of the second greatest command, to love our neighbors just as we love ourselves. We are obligated to practice the Golden Rule -- to treat others the way we would like to be treated. If you lived where Christians were outnumbered by Muslims 125/1, what would you wish from them? Is that too much to ask? Jesus thought not. Uhhh, in many places where Christians live among Muslims they are persecuted with no mercy. Question #1, how should Christians in Muslim countries act ? Like doormats ? For that is exactly what is expected of them. Here in the USA exactly why shouldn't Christians --or anyone else-- offer honest criticisms of Islam ? To the extent that treating one's neighbor as oneself is reciprocated, of course, it is the right thing to do. But what about Muslim arrogance, or support for groups like Hamas or Hezbollah, and all the rest ? Jesus not only spoke the Golden Rule, he also said that if, while evangelizing, you meet with opposition , rebuke, hauteur, or the like, the best thing to do is shake the dust from your feet and go elsewhere. In other words, the Golden Rule assumes some kind of reciprocity. Yes, approach others positively. This isn't always possible, but it always is desirable. But hostility in response and the best thing to do is to get the message do what you think the situation calls for, such as simply walking away. Who can fail to be inspired by the Sermon on the Mount ? But there is the rest of the NT and the whole Bible. Seems to me we are supposed to take our cues from the entire Bible, not just part of it. One again I tuned in to some of the 700 Club, just in time to hear a description of life in Iran --where something like a Christian revival is going on. Not in the millions, but in the thousands. The announcer made the point that many Iranians are sick and tired of Islam and want out. None of these new converts would have converted except someone was willing to do two things, not just one ( 1 ) speaking truthfully about the limitations and problems with Islam, and ( 2 ) expressing Christian faith whole-heartedly. Seems to me this is a pretty good plan of action. Billy In America, we also have the freedom to share God's grace with our Muslim neighbor, first by living graciously, then by telling the story of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ -- whom Muslims already revere as a prophet but do not yet know as God incarnate. We must not think that a hopeless task: the teenage son of a founder of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas eventually became a disciple of Jesus because a tourist he did not know and who did not recognize him, invited him to a home Bible study one day in Israel. Meantime, we pray "Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven," and we cooperate with God by placing ourselves and our daily lives at his disposal, to be transformed into living samples of what he has in mind for humankind. We certainly must not ever concede to despair. Instead, as Christians, we can cling to certainties that transcend politics, whether local, national or global. God--and only God--is totally trustworthy. His kingdom--and only his--will last forever. Whatever happens today or tomorrow, or the year after that, and whether we thrive or suffer, whether we live or die, we are safe in his hands. _____________ For reactions from gracEmail readers to parts 1-3 of this four-part series, go to _http://www.EdwardFudge.com/muslims.html_ (http://www.edwardfudge.com/muslims.html) You are currently subscribed to edwardfudge as: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Add [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) to your email address book to ensure delivery. _Forward to a Friend_ (http://go.netatlantic.com/subscribe/forwardtoafriend.tml?m=72632899.03789b9582b2bf600c1f46c7b85fc527&o=24118174&r=http://netatla ntic.com) | _Manage Subscription_ (http://go.netatlantic.com/subscribe/managesubscription.tml?m=72632899.03789b9582b2bf600c1f46c7b85fc527) | _Subscribe_ (http://go.netatlantic.com/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=edwardfudge) | _Unsubscribe_ (http://go.netatlantic.com/u?id=72632899.03789b9582b2bf600c1f46c7b85fc527&n=T&l=edwardfudge&o=24118174) (http://www.injesus.com/) -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: _http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism_ (http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism) Radical Centrism website and blog: _http://RadicalCentrism.org_ (http://radicalcentrism.org/) -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
