According to local and international news reports, Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville, FL is planning to hold a burning of the Quran on September 11, 2010. MSNBC, on their site, asks whether or not the incident is wise or not. According to the pastor of the church, Rev. Terry Jones, he is doing it to make a statement to Muslims. Per the MSNBC.com site, Rev. Jones said, “Instead of us backing down, maybe it's time to stand up. Maybe it's time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behavior.” Personally, I don’t see the benefit in it.
The White House and the Pentagon, along with the Vatican and Muslim clerics, are concerned about retaliation from Muslim extremists if this should happen. I don’t blame them. The first thing I would have thought of ‘how might this affect our US Soldiers in the Muslim world?’ I understand the need to make a statement. I don’t understand the need to do something so extreme and so extremely provocative. It is one thing to show your disagreement with Islam and the acts of extremists. It is another thing to become one yourself.
As I wrote in my book, Reflections of the Soul, Jesus never called for military or militant action to promote the Kingdom or the Kingdom’s agenda. Christ never called for Christians to bomb abortion centers, demean aborting mothers, harass the families of Gays and Lesbians, nor burn Qurans in public. This is not a demonstration of love. Instead, it feeds into their mindset that Christians are evil and not of God and must be eradicated.
As I read the comments, many of them read like this: “isn’t like Christians to be so intolerant though they preach love,” “this isn’t following the teachings of Jesus” and “It is distressing to see the intolerance and bigotry of these 'so called Christians'. What do they want another crusade?” Is there any wonder they call Christians, “kooks” and “nut-cases?”
Another thing I don’t agree with is the extreme response of other churches. The news report goes on to say, “At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in the city have mobilized to plan inclusive events — some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services.” I can’t speak for Jewish temples because I’m not Jewish, but I can say that Christian churches have no business reading texts from the Quran during their services, unless it is to show the contrasts between it and the Bible. Reading the Quran in church to promote it as a God-recognized religion is no better than reading pagan texts and promoting witchcraft as a God-recognized religion. Paul said, “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? (1 Cor. 6:14-16)”
It is one thing to become all things to all people that you might win some; it is another thing to compromise your faith and your covenant with Christ in order to get along. The Bible says that we are to live in peace with all men, as much as it depends upon you, but we are not to compromise our doctrine for it. Remember the Church at Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17).
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