Why I Defended a Muslim

I recently wrote a post about Christians being racist and today I got to see the evils of such a reality on a very real and personal level. As I have mentioned before, I once spent a summer in the Middle East and while I was there I taught English to locals.

I have the privilege of still being in contact with many of my students, and I get to have conversations with them from time to time. Today, one of my former students posted a picture that contained a quote from the Qu'ran concerning the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. I had decided that I might respond to this and explain first that Christian belief in the Trinity is in fact a monotheistic belief. Before I could even start writing my comment I had my attention stolen at the site of a comment from that said student asking "what is a durka?"

My stomach dropped and I frantically began reading the other comments. I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of disbelief as I read the comments of these two men that raged against him and made comment after comment loaded with racism, poison, and ignorance. I left a comment for my friend and asked him to forgive the two racists for their comments and for being so blatantly disrespectful. Next thing I knew I found myself defending my Muslim friend against these supposedly "Christian" individuals.

Where ever there is hatred, ignorance, persecution, darkness, or chaos we must stand up and say "NO! This is NOT permissible!"

If I come across a Christian attacking anyone for the color, ethnicity, or religion I will ALWAYS stand up AGAINST them. This is NOT Christ-like in any way, shape, or form! This is evil and ungodly! It is taking the name of God upon oneself in utter vanity and misrepresents the Holy One. It is an affront to the Gospel and worthy of wrath and ruin! Lest they repent, God will most certainly silence them Himself.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself! These things are neither love nor service to God or man! What I saw today was the darkness of humanity and the evils that even those who claim Christ are capable of conjuring. They attacked an innocent man and counted him a murderer and a villain. They struck him with their words and sought to deprive him of dignity and value over his religious devotion. May Christ have mercy on them and forgive them!

God, forgive ALL of us for all of our foolishness and for all we do that dishonors Your Name and leads men astray! Correct Your children and makes us more like You and let us be found above reproach; that we would be Light where there is Darkness, Truth where there is Deceit, Knowledge where there is Ignorance, Peace where their is Chaos, and Life where there is Death!

 Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Ignorance and Pride

Last night I was sitting with a friend of mine and we were discussing the Church, talking about how different Christians and/or denominations get fixated on a certain theological issue and that "denominations cause division". Our conclusion on the issue was that people are so divided in the Church because of ignorance and pride. Ignorance results in them performing actions that are unbiblical or results in a severe disdain and "protest" of another doctrine or even form of worship. For example, I think that the Protestant Church is primarily ignorant of the things within the Catholic Church. I've learned this from time spent in research and in deep discussion with my friend Tiller. Additionally, our pride locks us up in our ignorance and keeps us from admitting error in our theology or even exploring other traditions of thought! It's really quite sad.

When I got to Bryan College as a freshman, I dreaded telling people that I was a member of the Church of God. Immediately, their pride rose up and began to oppose me. I had people thinking that that I didn't believe in the Trinity and that I handled snakes on a weekly basis. I was told that I didn't know how to read the bible (which wasn't untrue, but not for the reasons they claimed) and accused of being extremely prideful (again, not untrue but not for the reasons they stated). Every Calvinist I came across wanted to attack what I believed, and everyone wanted to prove that tongues doesn't exist anymore.

I am more or less a Calvinist now, but I still believe in tongues. Quite frankly I probably would have come to my theological standpoint a lot sooner if it hadn't been for the pride and ignorance of those people who tried so hard to change the way I thought. I was sickened by them and I even told my friend Myles, "how can they be right when they are so prideful and malicious?" If such lines of thought led to that insensitivity to the Spirit and a lack of spiritual change, then I didn't want it. Thank God that He has led me away from my own pride and helped to set up within me the wonderful ability to love and to be sensitive to others paradigms and histories and so forth.

I pray that God will eliminate pride in the Church...so that maybe ignorance can begin to be obliterated.

Peace be upon you all,

Stephen