Halloween is NOT for Christians!!!

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 (New Living Translation)

The world continues to immerse itself in a dangerous and foolish “holiday” called Halloween. I am amazed that people who know and perhaps even have experienced the evil that exists in this world, have an unholy fascination with Halloween.  They engage in various forms of celebration that honors demons, witches and all things of the demonic spirit world that are in opposition to the Living and Holy God.  This year the world will pay its homage to the “god of this world” tomorrow, Friday, October 31st. 

For the unbeliever who does not know the Lord, they have no idea what they are doing.  However, some who know the truth – would be professing Christians, evidently have been duped into thinking that Halloween is nothing more than a harmless tradition, enjoyable for children and adults. 

The word of “God is true and let every man be a liar” (Romans 3:4). There is only one conclusion as to why people are wearing costumes, buying candy and even putting up gravestones and ghoulish figures in their yard. Their eyes have been blinded to the truth of its dangers. 

The entertainment industry continues doing its part to excite the morbid and the demonic as almost every movie, even older scary movies are standard fare for three or four weeks leading up to Halloween.  Real true and honest Christians should feel sadness for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and especially for those who ignore their Christian identity and so-called allegiance to Christ during this time of year.  Persons gearing up to celebrate this homage to Satan’s world, are inviting the devil into their homes, into their lives and their attitudes about things of this world that offend the Holy God.   For those of you who think Halloween is nothing more than a harmless celebration... are you not concerned that you might be entering into fellowship with demons and opening yourself and your family to oppression of your mind, body and soul?

GET serious about your commitment to Christ... Christians should not participate in anything that God has strictly said we should not take part in. Read your Bibles... Ephesians 5:11 says it very clearly: “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” 

Christians should be speaking out against Halloween to friends, family and especially in our churches. Are you hearing condemnation of Halloween from the pulpit, from your congregation leadership?  If not, why not? 

If the saints of the Most High God do not have the good sense to oppose what God opposes, then this world will continue to descend into darkness. The Bible says, that darkness will increase and it certainly seems it is increasing when God’s own people participate in unholy activities.   Remember what God says... Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.  2 Corinthians 6:17

Christians everywhere are the children of light – act like you know that you belong to Jesus. We don’t have to encourage our children to participate in Halloween or any of its adult revelry!  

Consider this alternative come Friday... make it a day for prayer and reflection. Pray for our Nation, for your church, for our schools, neighborhoods and this world. Pray that eyes will be opened and that the gospel of Jesus Christ will penetrate the darkness of people’s souls so they can see Jesus and give their lives to Him. We have a duty and a charge to declare TRUTH each and every day... that is a Christian’s obligation... Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  Ecclesiastes 12:13

Keep your faith strong and take a stand for Christ Jesus. Do it now.

Christ, The Reconciler of ALL Cultures

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Galatians 3:28

By both his life and his death... Jesus offered reconciliation to all cultures, to all peoples. By his teaching Christ called Jew and Gentile together; both were offered a place in God’s kingdom, with the ethnicity of the Jews giving them no advantage whatsoever. While Jesus modeled this reconciliation in his own life and ministry, it took his followers some time to put this aspect of his message into effect. When they did, however, the results were revolutionary. The Jewish disciples of Jesus were taught to reach out with love and acceptance to the Gentiles, whom they had come to think of as beasts. The Gentiles were invited into fellowship with the Jewish disciples without having to become Jewish.

Christ even more decisively brought about reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles through his death. Both Jews and Romans found themselves implicated in the death of Christ, but also forgiven through the death of Christ. One’s relationship with God was now based on the experience of God’s love through Christ as shown supremely in his death, not on one’s Jewish identity. Gentile believers came to see that the God of Israel, of the Jews, was the true God. Jewish believers came to see that their God was to be made known to all people.

Christians have certainly failed to embody the full potential of reconciliation which Christ came to bring to all cultures. Throughout most of church history the Gentile nations that have professed the Christian faith have created deep wounds of division between Gentiles and Jews, culminating in such devastation as the Holocaust. To our shame, Christians made Blacks their slaves instead of their brothers. The still largely segregated churches in America testify to the continuing need for reconciliation between white and black Christians.

By his death Christ offers reconciliation between all peoples today. He offers reconciliation to Arabs, Muslims, Germans, Orientals, Jews, all racial groups and peoples of color.  He offers reconciliation denominations, from Catholics to Protestants.  He offers reconciliation between men and women, rich and poor, criminals and victims. There are no ethnic, national, cultural, or social barriers that Christ cannot tear down... if you let Him into your life.

CHRIST THE REDEEMER OF CULTURES

What can Christ do to bring reconciliation between peoples and cultures which have historically regarded each other with suspicion if not hatred? Christ effects reconciliation between people of different cultures by bringing redemption to those people. Only those who have experienced the redemption which Christ provides can know the reconciliation which he brings. This redemption is of multifaceted significance for the cultures of the world.

First of all, Christ offers forgiveness to people of all cultures. Christ forgave the worst sinners of his own culture; he also forgave those who professed him but then denied him. Christ teaches us to forgive others as he forgives us (Matt. 6:14-15) — and this must include forgiving the sins of the past as well as of the present.

Second, Christ offers healing to people of all cultures. Christ’s physical healing of Jews and Gentiles symbolized his spiritual healing for all peoples. He offers spiritual healing to all individuals who come to him, and for cultural institutions that honor Him. Christ offers healing of relationships between people of differing cultures — a healing that comes as people forgive each other and accept each other in Christ’s name.

Third, Christ offers cleansing to people of all cultures. He challenges all cultures to accept the transforming power of his redemptive love. Christ challenges traditionally Christian cultures to repent of their sins and to make restitution to peoples they have wronged. At the same time, he challenges cultures largely untouched by the gospel to trust themselves to Him — not to their racially centered culture. 

Fourth, in his work as redeemer, Christ offers hope to people of all cultures. He promises an eternal future for people of all tribes, nations, and languages. But the hope is not exclusively in the future: Christ offers people of all cultures spiritual power now for personal and community transformation that can impact the present world.

CHRIST THE RULER OF CULTURES

Christ’s work of reconciling people of all cultures to himself and to one another through himself, then, is effected by Christ’s redeeming work of bringing forgiveness, healing, cleansing, and hope to all who believe in him. By his death Jesus Christ brings people of all cultures together to confess their need of redemption and to place their trust in him instead of in the false self-sufficiency of their proud cultures. Part of entrusting ourselves to Christ is submission to him as the Ruler of ALL cultures.

The claim of Christ’s universal authority over all cultures is undoubtedly the most troubling and “politically incorrect” aspect of the Christian faith, but it is non-negotiable (Matt. 28:18). On what basis do Christians claim that Christ is the Lord to whom all cultures must bow — that he is for all people and not only for some? Is this not simply a bit of cultural imperialism, to exalt one religious founder over all others?

We have already discussed the radical universality of the message and ministry of Jesus. What is not often considered, however, is the importance of his cultural identity. The fact that Jesus was a Jew makes him ideally suited to bring people of all cultures together. For one thing, the Jews are a people whose numbers have always been relatively small and who have never been politically dominant — unlike the Arabs, Europeans, Chinese, and other such ethnically related peoples. 

Indeed, the Jewish people’s experience of oppression can be appreciated by people of many other cultural and ethnic histories. Moreover, by coming in a people of such distinct cultural heritage, Christ affirmed the value of particular ethnic and cultural traditions. Jesus was not a bland Everyman, representing a homogeneous ideal for humanity, but a man of distinct racial appearance, language, customs, and history. It is also striking to note that the Jewish people in Jesus’ time had lived for over a millennium at the crossroads of the three continents of the Eastern Hemisphere — Europe, Africa, and Asia. Thus, in many and surprising ways the cultural heritage of Jesus makes him an ideal figure to unite people of every culture. This is one reason why it is so important to recognize and understand the Jewishness of Jesus.

If his Jewish cultural identity ideally positioned Jesus to bring people of all cultures together, what authorizes him to be the Ruler of all cultures is his resurrection from the dead. Jesus is the only major religious figure in history who is even reputed by his followers to have risen physically from the grave. As we have seen, the evidence clearly shows that Jesus’ resurrection really happened and was not a myth that developed some time after Jesus’ death. The Resurrection makes Jesus Christ a unique figure among all the religious teachers, prophets, sages, and leaders of world history. It shows that he has the power of life and death, and is the proof of his claims to uniquely reveal the Living God (Acts 2:36; Romans 1:3-4; Rev.1:18).

The near-universal appeal and attraction which Jesus Christ has evoked even outside Christianity confirms the claim that only He can truly unite people of all cultures. It is notable that the three largest non-Christian religions all have sought to come to terms with Jesus in some way. 

Islam, which numbers roughly a billion people, views Jesus as a great prophet and miracle-worker. Hinduism, numbering roughly 750 million, often views Jesus as an avatar of Vishnu — one of many incarnations of one of the many Hindu forms of God. Buddhism, which accounts for about 300 million people of the world, typically regards Jesus as an enlightened one for the West. What these religions unwittingly attest by extending such honors to Jesus is that he is the one religious figure in history that simply cannot be ignored.

What does it mean to honor Christ as the Ruler, the Lord of all cultures? It means, first of all, to accept him on his own terms, as he has revealed himself. It means to accept the revelation of Christ given through his own disciples. We should not be embarrassed to say that Christ calls upon all people to become Christians. This does not mean, that everyone should culturally assimilate into the Anglo cultures wherein Christianity is dominate, any more than in the first century all Christians had to become culturally Jewish. If other cultures are to be influenced for the better by acceptance of Christ as Lord, it does not mean they must despise or reject all things oftheir own cultural heritages.

Honoring Christ as Ruler of cultures means to accept his rulership over every aspect of one’s life, including one’s culture and one’s relationship to people of other cultures. It means to accept his offer of redemption — forgiveness, spiritual healing, and hope — and to place our hope for redemption in him only. It means to accept his teachings on all subjects on which he speaks in the Gospels (Matt. 28:18-20).

Thus, if we honor Christ as Ruler of cultures, we will do as Christ taught and place our faith in God as Creator, Provider, Father, and King over all cultures. We will love and respect people of all cultures. We will critically examine the beliefs and practices of our own culture to see if they conform to the teachings of Christ. We will seek to submit every area of life, including culture, to the will of the God revealed to us in Christ. This God, according to Christ himself, has revealed his will definitively in Scripture (Matt. 5:17-18).  

And so it is on the basis of the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Ruler of cultures, that Christians must call upon all cultures — including our own — to submit itself to the will of God as revealed in Scripture.

Jesus and the Cultures of the World

I ended last week’s article with this question... is Jesus Christ relevant to a world in which so many cultures coexist in close proximity, a world weary of conflict between peoples and nations of disparate cultures?  To really grasp the fundamentals to answer that question we need to examine Jesus in his cultural setting.

  

Who was Jesus? Let me try and provide an unbiased answer to that important question First, Jesus was at the most obvious and visible level a Jewish rabbi and prophet. He spoke in parables (as did the rabbis) and interpreted the Jewish Torah, the first five books of the Bible. He taught disciples and debated Jewish authorities, including other rabbis.

Although Jesus was a rabbi, he was no ordinary one. Jesus was in almost every respect a religious and cultural revolutionary.  He taught that although God had revealed himself uniquely to the Jews (John 4:22). Jewishness alone was no guarantee of favor with God (Matthew 8:10-12). He taught that the temple would be destroyed (Matthew 24; Mark 13) and that worship of God would be centered in the heart, not in Jerusalem (John 4:21-24). He taught that a kind Samaritan or a repentant tax-collector was better than a pious but proud or heartless Pharisee (Luke 10:29-37; 18:9-14). He invited women to be his disciples (Luke 10:38-42).  He granted healing to Gentiles (Matthew 15:21-28) and ate in the homes of outcasts Luke 19:1-10).

Jesus was remarkable in everything he said and did. He taught like no man ever had or has since — an evaluation that has been voiced by Christians and non-Christians alike who have read the Gospel accounts. Jesus spoke with absolute authority — “but I say to you” — yet few find his words or manner to be arrogant. He spoke to the sick and the sinner with compassion yet without sentimentality. He spoke in terms that challenged the factions of Judaism of his day that might be loosely described as the “fundamentalists” and “liberals” of that culture. His own perspective and worldview was theologically unique and his teaching defied simple categorization.  You cannot compare him, in terms of what he said or did, to any other person, then or now.

Jesus was not “all talk” or a man who said much but his words proved to be hollow and shallow. He performed miracles of healing, restoring health and even life to children and adults, men and women, Jews and Romans. Even most critical scholars of a skeptical bent today acknowledge that Jesus at least performed some works of healing, however they might try to explain them. Rather than parading the healed before the public as faith healers do today, Jesus usually healed people in relative privacy and discouraged people from looking to him merely for miracles. His miracles were profound signs of God’s power, love and mercy that were remembered by his disciples as proof, not merely that he was a wonder worker, but that he was God’s empowered and beloved Son. (John 1:1-14)

Surprisingly, despite the tremendous inspiration of his teaching and the impressive power of his miraculous works of healing, Jesus is remembered as much for the way he died as for the way he lived. All four of the Gospels focus on Jesus’ death, with his teachings and miracles serving more as preludes leading up to the main point of his life. Jesus’ death itself was unusual: he died on a Roman cross, convicted of treason by claiming to be the King of the Jews. Crucifixion was viewed universally in the ancient world with such revulsion that the Christians would never have made Jesus’ crucifixion part of their faith if it had not really happened, and if they had not understood its transcendent significance. The New Testament implicates everyone in the death of Jesus — Jewish religious leaders, Roman political authorities, even one of Jesus’ own followers. Thus, to use the Crucifixion as a pretext for anti-Semitism contradicts the New Testament, which implicates all groups of people and whose authors were, with only one exception (Luke), Jewish. Indeed, by implicating all groups of people in Jesus’ death, the Gospels present his death as redemptive for all humanity.

The story of Jesus does not end with his death, however. The unanimous witness of all of the New Testament writers and of the church from its earliest days was that Jesus had risen from the dead. Since the traditional Jewish expectation was that all people would be resurrected at the end of history, the notion of an individual being raised from the dead in the midst of the historical process would hardly have occurred to the disciples, even as a myth. That the story was not a myth is made plain by the fact that all four Gospels report that the first ones to see Jesus alive from the dead were women. Being female and the first to witness his resurrection was an honor that Jewish men of the first century were not likely to bestow on women even in a fictional story. Nonetheless, this is how it really happened. By appearing first to women, Jesus affirmed their worth, their dignity and once again challenged traditional first-century cultural prejudices. 

Of course, Jesus made several appearances to men as well, appearances that are reported in independent sources in Scripture — to individuals (Peter, James), to the eleven men disciples, and to even larger groups. Jesus’ resurrection, a documentable historical fact, established the truth of his claim to be the Son of God and the meaning of his death on the cross was a redemptive work of God.  Who else among the leaders of the world’s religions can make such claims?  Who among the founders of the worlds religions was ever resurrected from the dead with eye witnesses as proof?  No one has ever matched Jesus the Christ, in achievement and purpose.  No one.

He is significant then to all of humanity, unlike any other founder of a belief system.  What then is the relationship between Christ and Culture?  Does Christ transform culture? Does Christ stand against all culture? Does Christ reveal himself through culture?  Does Christ have multicultural significance in the world today?

In an increasingly multicultural world, we must understand Christ and human cultures: How does Christ relate to the diverse cultural traditions and expressions in our world? And how do these diverse cultural traditions relate to one another in the context of Jesus Christ?

The relationship between Christ and humanities plurality of cultures is probably best understood from at least three perspectives. First, Christ is the Reconciler of cultures — he is the one who can bring people of different cultures together. Second, Christ is the Redeemer of cultures — he brings wholeness and hope to people of all cultures. Third, Christ is the Ruler of cultures — he is the one who establishes the standards by which all cultures are ultimately to be judged. 

I will elaborate on each of these three perspectives... NEXT time.

Why can’t we all just get along?

The oft-quoted phrase, ‘why can’t we just all get along?’ is a cynical reference to seemingly intractable conflicts of all kinds.  Implied in the question is the idea that people stake out positions that can never be sufficiently modified to reach the goal of ‘getting along’.

No conflict seems more unlikely to find a basis for peaceful co-existence than Christianity and Islam.

While its true that they share a historical and traditional connection, there are deep theological differences. The two faiths do in fact share a common origin in the Middle East and are considered Abrahamic religions.  Muslims project a wide range of negative and hostile views about Christianity, often considering Christians (and Jews) to be People of the Book [the Bible] but mostly they see Christians as heretics. 

Christian views on Islam are almost as diverse. They are less hostile and range from considering Islam a related religion worshipping the same God. to an extreme heresy or unrelated cult born from violence. 

Christianity and Islam both consider Jesus to have been sent by God. However Christians see Jesus as the Son of God.  while Muslims consider the Trinity a division of God's Oneness and a grave sin (Shirk).  Both religions consider themselves monotheistic[followers of one god].

Christianity and Islam have different scriptures, with Islam using the Quran and Christianity the Bible.  Both texts offer an account of the life and works of Jesus. Belief in the Injil (the Islamic account of Jesus) is an important part of Islamic theology, and Muslims view the Christian Gospels as altered and corrupted, while Christians consider the Quran to be Apocryphal uninspired writings of a man. 

Historically, Christianity and Islam have both peacefully co-existed and engaged in extended periods of warfare. Western (secular and Christian) and Islamic histories offer differing accounts of both periods of tolerance and violence.

The question that demands an answer... How can humanity determine which of these religions is real, true and of the true God both claim to be aligned with?  It is the ultimate quest for what is true and destined to be everlasting, eternal. 

The foundations of Christianity argue that all morality must be based on absolute truths.   These truths are determined by the fact of our creation by God as beings designed for relationships with God and one another.  Furthermore, Christianity has claimed that a reliable, definitive expression of these absolute moral truths is to be found uniquely in God’s inspired revelation to humanity preserved only and exclusively in the Bible.

Absolute truth, the notion of moral absolutes based on absolute truths is, to coin a familiar expression... politically incorrect.  It irritates people to think that truth could be unchangeable, immoveable, irrevocable... absolute.  Anyone who dares to suggest that there are absolute truths that apply to “all people in all cultures” are usually deemed narrow minded and culturally imperialistic.   

For the non-Christian world, the Biblical–Christian world view is offensive.  Non-Christians see the belief in Jesus Christ as the only way to God as a cultural mindset that exalts the perspectives and achievements of Europeans and their descendants in North America, as the rejection of other cultures and traditions. As Islam and the Eastern religions have come into greater cultural prominence and acceptance in the West, belief in the absolute truth of the religious and moral teachings of Christianity is now commonly viewed as arrogant, intolerant, and unrealistic in today’s so-called pluralistic society.

How do we respond to this increasingly common sentiment? How can we call on all people to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to embrace the faith and values of Christianity in a pluralistic society zealous for cultural diversity, flexible truth and secular humanistic ideals?

Enter the concept of Multiculturalism.   Multiculturalism can be thought of as a reality or as an ideal. As a reality, multiculturalism is a historical phenomenon that emerged in the last half of the twentieth century. As an ideal, it is a highly controversial view of human society that become a source of contention and conflict in the last decade of the twentieth century and continues.  Its ultimate objective is to create an environment where “we can all get along” by harmonizing our differences by discarding our social-cultural-religious ideals that promote division and hostility.

Multiculturalism is today a reality –– enhanced by the increased ethnic and religious diversity of Western society. American and European society has been transformed through the immigration of millions of people from all over the world, especially from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast and East Asia. These people have brought with them their religion, philosophy, music, art, dress, and food.  At the same time, the computer and advances in communication forums like Twitter and Facebook have brought us into increasingly close contact with the rest of the world. We can now interact with other peoples and cultures anywhere in the world in moment-to-moment realtime.

In this rapidly changing and shrinking world, the idea that one culture is inherently superior to all others has all but disappeared. Certainly the notion of a monolithic culture in the West based on a single stream of tradition is no longer viable. We live in a multicultural world — one in which peoples of disparate cultural heritages and traditions live and work together. In this sense, multiculturalism is a reality — a present fact of life.

Multiculturalism can also be thought of as an ideal — as a goal toward which we ought to be moving and progressing. This is the controversial meaning which has become a focal point of conflict in our society — the focal point of what has been called the culture wars. 

An unrealistic ideal to say the least.  The multicultural “ideal” projects that all individuals, families, and institutions may be free to express whatever cultural heritage they choose, or to mix and match different elements of various cultures, but all cultural expression will be seen merely as a matter of taste.  We can all get along... becomes the mantra of a world coming together on the basis of humanistic beliefs in the inherent goodness and self-sufficiency of humankind — a not so subtle repudiation of the Christian worldview of humanity as God-created and corrupted by sin. Yet this utopian-like ideal of human goodness cannot completely hide the darker reality of human nature, a reality brought vividly into view on September 11, 2001 when one culture on earth said NO, we will not be part of a multicultural collective of humanity.

Islam has always been intrinsically monoculturalist –– from moderate to radical, Islamic societies tolerate only one religion with one god as defined by their complex belief system and oppressive rules that govern their societies... Sharia Law.  The treatment of women in countries ruled by Islamic regimes, particularly in the Middle East, demonstrates this fact in disturbing fashion. 

The growth of Islam and its unceasingly militaristic approach to expansion and control, using violence and barbaric acts, makes Islam, not Christianity, the main enemy of global multicultural cooperation and appreciation.

What about Jesus and Multiculturalism?  Is the claim that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of the world relevant in a world in which so many cultures coexist in such close proximity, a world weary of conflict between peoples and nations of disparate cultures?  Not only should Christians not be embarrassed to make this claim, we should see in this cry for a multicultural ideal, a tremendous opportunity to present the gospel of Jesus, the Christ to all people.

Next time... Who IS Jesus and IS He relevant in a hostile world?

The Clash of Titans

The unending conflict in the middle east is once again at a boiling point and looming large over the entire world. ISIS or ISIL, the Islamic State is rumbling across Iraq and Syria and presents a serious threat to global security. In spite of the barbaric brutality of their onslaught, some imagine the conflict is rooted in minor religious differences between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. They also imagine that some new level of tolerance and acceptance can resolve it. 

The conflict is not about political ideologies. An understanding of what the Bible says about being a Christian and what the Qur’an says about being a Muslim clearly demonstrates that these two faiths will always clash.

Those who believe that peaceful co-existence can be found in the idea that Christianity, Judaism and Islam are representative of “one God and three faiths”  are missing the deeper seeds of this age old conflict. The premise and idea promoted is that these three religions have a lot in common and only relatively minor differences. Such ideas show a deep misunderstanding of each religion.

A Christian is, by any reasonable definition, a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin, his birth instigated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, he was both God and man, as the name Immanuel suggests (Matthew 1:23). Further, the Bible teaches that Jesus lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15) and died a torturous death on the cross for mankind’s sins (Romans 5:6-8). Scripture records that Jesus accepted worship from men while on earth (John 21:28) and today serves as the sole mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

While Jesus and the first disciples were Jews, and while Jewish scriptures foretold the Christ’s coming, there is little [but history] that connects Judaism and Christianity today. Jews may accept that Jesus lived, but they deny his deity, his sacrificial death for sin and his present mediation from heaven.  However, many Jews and professed Christians don’t take their beliefs very seriously, reducing religion and worship to a social event, thereby managing to find common ground and a relative peace among their respective religions.

Islam is a different story in several respects. First, like the Jews, Muslims deny that Jesus is the Son of God. They deny Jesus died on a cross for our sins and that he was resurrected. They reject the Bible’s statement that Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation of His will (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus is viewed as merely a good teacher, whose teachings after his death were corrupted by the apostles who followed him.  More importantly, Muslims fundamentally reject the entire foundation of both Christian and Jewish faith systems. Since they claim both Jewish scriptures (Old Testament) and Christian scriptures (New Testament) are corrupted, neither is accepted.

Instead, they follow the teachings and example of Mohammed, reputedly recorded in a holy book called the Qur’an. Other writings and traditions, such as the Hadith, help guide them as well.

To understand Mohammed is essential to understanding the current conflict. The faith of Islam centers on Mohammed. This man was born in Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia, about 570 AD. Muslims say that in about 610 AD Mohammed was visited by the angel Gabriel and told that he was to be God’s apostle. They say Gabriel visited the founder of Islam many more times with messages that were verbally handed down for decades and then recorded in what became the Qur’an.

When Mohammed began teaching in Mecca he was rejected and ridiculed. So, in 622  he is said to have traveled to Medina in Saudi Arabia, where his teachings found acceptance. Thus, the Islamic calendar is dated from 622 AD.

In Medina, the movement headed by Mohammed began to change from simple teaching to a political and social crusade. Mohammed died just 10 years after his first success, in 632. But his followers say that while alive he performed miracles, such as multiplying food, causing stones to speak and splitting the moon. He is purported to have made a miraculous “Night Journey to Jerusalem” and the “seven spheres of heaven.” For this trip he rode a winged, human-headed beast, they say.

Mohammed is viewed as the successor to Jesus. And while Muslims contend Jesus’ teaching has been corrupted, they are adamant that Islam’s scriptures remain undefiled through the centuries. Mohammed is to Islam what Jesus is to Christian faith. In fact, one Islamic writer has described the founder of Islam as “the most favored of mankind, the most honored of all apostles, the prophet of mercy, the head or Imam of the faithful, the bearer of the banner of praise, the intercessor, the holder of high position, the possessor of the River of Paradise, under whose banner the sons of Adam will be on the day of judgment. He is the best of prophets and his nation is the best of nations…and his creed is the noblest of all creeds.”

Let’s compare Jesus and Mohammed.  When you set Jesus and Mohammed side by side, the contrast is startling and illuminating. Jesus was meek and gentle. He spread his message of repentance, faith in God and impending salvation by teaching. He ultimately gave up his life for humanity. He declared that his kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36).

Mohammed, on the other hand, was a warrior. He conquered by the sword, starting with raids on merchant caravans.  How is that not simple thievery and aggression?  Those who opposed his teaching were physically conquered and often given the option of conversion or death. Mohammed’s kingdom is definitely “of this world” as the quote above illustrates, because “his nation is the best of nations” in Islamic thought.

Anywhere Islam becomes the predominant religious conviction, the government becomes an arm of Islam and is used to enforce religious law and punish any teaching or practice contrary to Muslim teachings. It is illegal for Christians to evangelize or even openly read a Bible in Islamic countries.  Such activity usually results in a sentence of death.

If Mohammed’s example were not sufficient, the Qur’an advocates “holy war” or “jihad.” The so-called “militant Muslims” of al Qaeda, Hamas and the emerging Islamic State are really just Muslims who take Mohammed and their Qur’an seriously and at face value. The Qur’an teaches, “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them…lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way…” (Sura 9:5).

The Encarta Encyclopedia says this of the history of Islam... “The remarkable speed of (Islam’s) religious expansion can be attributed to the fact that it was accomplished primarily through military conquest, [i.e. violence and intimidation]. Mohammed drew Arabs…to Islam by his forceful personality, the promise of salvation for those who died fighting for Islam, and the lure of fortune for those who succeeded in conquest. The caravan raids of the early years of Islam soon became full-scale wars, and empires and nations bowed to the power of this new religious, military, political, economic and social phenomenon.”

An Islamic website largely confirms this... “Islam was spread by proof and evidence, in the case of those who listened to the message and responded to it. And it was spread through strength and the sword in the case of those who stubbornly resisted, until they had no choice and had to submit to the new reality” (www.islam-qa.com).

Islam is quite a contrast to the Christian faith rooted in the teaching of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul averred, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The armaments of the Christian soldier are described in Ephesians 6:10-17. The only armor described as offensive is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

No doubt some of the present conflict is rooted in economic and political issues. Like Hitler did in Germany in the late 1930s, Muslim leaders have made “the west” the scapegoats just as the Nazis blamed the Jews for the problems in Germany. That said, the fundamental core of the conflict is one of religious ideology.

Gentle teaching and preaching of the gospel spreads the Christian faith. Belief and acceptance is always voluntary.  Belief and commitment forms in the human heart, touched by the message of God’s love, magnified in the death of Jesus on the cross.  That is the core of Christianity.

But Islam forces its message on humanity and seeks to dominate the entire world by violence, intimidation and acts of barbarism. Today, what we see unfolding in Iraq and Syria, are radical Islamists seeking to impose Islamic rule on the world through terrorism and violence.

The two religions – Christianity and Islam –– have two very different founders and two very different holy books. Their views of God, salvation and the future are very different... radically different.

If there are peace-loving Muslims in the world, they are peaceful in spite of Mohammed and the Qur’an, not because of them. Such Muslims are the “liberals” of their faith because they do not seek to imitate their founder or follow strictly the teachings of his book.

Much more to come on this topic in the next installments.  Next week we will begin to explore the concept of Multiculturalism.  Can it work to ease and eliminate conflict among peoples?