Burning Korans and Admitting Danger

I think that a very good point has been made by Abraham Piper concerning the proposed Koran burning taking place this upcoming weekend.

Here's the argument in a nutshell: if Islam is a religion of peace like so many of our leaders are claiming, then why are we scared of the potential fallout if a few Korans get burned?

Photo courtesy of www.csmonitor.com

Don't get me wrong; I think this guy in Florida is a crazy who is ready to do something really stupid. But the level of uncertainty regarding the plausibility of a violent Islamic reaction that is being communicated by our leaders says to me that they are not ready to let their Islam-is-a-religion-of-peace mentality govern their true actions or concerns.

Piper sums up the whole deal nicely by writing,

How can we condemn Jones’s actions without also condemning the religion that makes his actions so dangerous? Sure, Jones is not being kind or prudent–He’s an absolute fool.–but the fact that he is causing legitimate worry about the safety of our soldiers, missionaries, expatriates, etc., is not his fault. It’s Islam’s.

Or…

Islam is a religion of peace and Obama, along with America at large, is unfairly concerned. In that case, there’s nothing to worry about.

One final thought.

President Obama tweeted earlier today,

Burning a Quran is contrary to our values—this country was built on the notions of religious freedom and tolerance.

Indeed, religious freedom is an intricate part of the foundation of our country; but isn't the President's tweet working against him on some level? Our values include freedom, yes, and toleration, yes.

But does President Obama hold Islam to the same standard? No. Not by my estimation. He says that Islam is a religion of peace (which I assume connotes both a level of freedom and a level of tolerance) but is concerned with the reaction of Islam when a whack-job in Florida burns a Koran. If there is a violent outbreak, then is it not true that Islam, on some level, is intolerant? The answer must be yes.

I think that it is silly to call Islam a religion of peace. I refuse to paint the religion with a broad brush though. I think that there are many peaceful Muslims. But is Islam a religion of peace? This country's leadership has answered that question for us with their true concerns.

T Pain and the President

Auto-tuning stuff is sweet.

A Thought On Bishop Robinson's Prayer

At the opening inaugural event on Sunday, Bishop Robinson prayed,

"Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be 'fixed' anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah."

Robinson then went on to spell out that his messiah consists of "freedom from mere tolerance" and a "a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences..."

Bishop Robinson doesn't think that Barack Obama will save us, but he does think that "anger at discrimination...against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people" and a "warm embrace of our differences" will.

Obama's Choice

With the day close at hand, I have for you three noteworthy items concerning the appointment of Bishop Gene Robinson by Barack Obama to pray at the inauguration ceremony.

1. "How Barack Obama Will Make Christ a Minister of Condemnation" by John Piper
   
2. "The Idol of Our Many Understandings--Bishop Robinson at Prayer" by Albert Mohler
   
3. "This Honestly Upsets Me" by Josh in response to Mohler's article.

With these in mind, now is the time for the Christian to ask, "By what means am I justified?" The answer is not tolerance, acceptance, or understanding. The answer is Jesus Christ.

In light of that answer, it is also imperative that the Christian ask, "What am I a minister of?" The answer is reconciliation. And, "How is reconciliation possible?" Through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

-2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Failure to acknowledge this truth is the true folly of Bishop Gene Robinson and, unfortunatley on this day before the eve of the inauguration, appears to be the folly of our President-Elect as well.

Obama and a Three-Legged Dog

Let's hope this photo is not a manifestation of the stability of the impending Obama administration.

Read more about the photo at Animals & Politics.

The Importance of Scripture As Shown by President-Elect Obama

In a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani, now President Elect, Barack Obama, was asked who Jesus was to him. Here is how he responded:

Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he's also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he's also a wonderful teacher. I think it's important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.

A couple of other interesting quotes were generated in the interview.

I'm rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there's an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived.

And:

There's the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven't embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they're going to hell.

I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

I can't imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity.

That's just not part of my religious makeup.

When asked about the consequences of sin in his own life, Obama answered:

[I]f I'm true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I'm not true to it, it's its own punishment.

The interview is interesting to me not because of his beliefs; they would seem to be in step with a lot of Christians in the United States. It is the reason why he thinks this way that fascinates me. When asked if he has read the Bible, he answered: "Absolutely. I read it not as regularly as I would like. These days I don't have much time for reading or reflection, period."

Christians should take heed of that. An absence of Scripture leads to a world-view shaped and molded by culture, as is the case here with President-Elect Obama. The Word of God needs to be the lens through which we view all things. Senate and Presidential campaigns are not more important than a Biblical world-view for Christians.

Running For More Than President?

When people say that Obama is the antichrist, I usually just laugh.

Nevertheless, people are hanging on his every word and this blog has me thinking twice...