New Found Respect

I have long been a critic of one of the most influential men of evangelicalism. The reasons for this are many and I won't rehearse my qualms with Rick Warren before you now. I will, however, say that today I gained a new respect for him.

In a world that is full of relativism and tolerance, few dare to speak truth in the public sector. Pastors who approach secular speaking engagements are commonly warned to avoid certain topics that are considered intolerant or close-minded toward those who would not share the same viewpoints. But today, Rick Warren spoke in a way that hasn't been condoned -- and not just to a crowd but to the whole nation. May God bless his openness. Check out the video below.

The Problem of Christianity vs. Science

Within the realms of science, they will tell you that there is no room for God. No, they won't necessarily call you stupid for believing there is a God but they will not allow you to play in their field if you bring Him with you.

What's wrong with this picture?

Why is it that in God's universe men have the audacity to tell Him, the Maker what they study and claim to understand, that He's not allowed within the realm of science? Am I the only one who sees how obsurd that is? Surely not.

I would like to suggest that it is the fault of the Christians just as much as it is the fault of the scientists. Though the scientists tell us that we can't study science because we drag God into it, Christians are too timid and passive to stand up for the Truth -- which by the way, does belong in all of the sciences.

Why are we so quiet? Are we afraid that they are right? Do we fear that we might possibly prove that God is a lie just like they say?
Have we no sense at all? We are better suited than anyone to explore God's universe and study it. We have our eyes opened to the truth of the Gospel. This allows us to see the world for what it is: God's. If we can see it in view of the Gospel we will see even more clearly that faith and reason aren't two seperate worlds. They belong together unified.

Craig said, "We treat them like their right!"
I agree with him. There is no place for timidity and passivity within the christian life. If we don't stand up for what is Truth, who will? The scientists? We have spent the last two hundred years "letting the scientists handle it" and we see how well they've upheld the Truth, don't we?

We have no right to be fearful.
Scripture commands us to fight the good fight.
That is applicable in all aspects of the christian life.
What are we waiting for?

A Few Thoughts on the Mosque Visit

Today we went to a mosque. We have been studying the rise of Islam for the past couple weeks in class but there's nothing like a little hands on experience, right? The goal of today was primarily to observe and thereby gain a better understanding of what Muslims believe.

We arrived in time for Friday prayers and the sermon. The sermon was really interesting. I had a little difficulty following the message but from what I can tell they do not really prepare beforehand. It appears that the aim of the message is to exhort the believers to good works and obedience to Allah by means of the Quran. They main emphasis today was that life is short and one shouldn't waste it with things like television while there are such devotions as prayer and discipleship that are far more profitable to spend time doing.

There are definately things about it that i agree with. James 4:14 tells us that life is just a vapor and as you read James it would seem that he is exhorting us to good works as well but there is a difference. James makes the distinction between believers and non believers in saying that knowledge of truth isn't enough to warrant salvation unless it bears fruit (ie. Good works). James explains that even the demons believe. What sets us apart from the demons is that we love God and out of that comes a desire to serve God and be obedient to His Word (bearing fruit).

Within the context of Islam, goodworks are a means of earning salvation. It would not be possible to live a life of sin apart from good works and still gain entrance into paradise. They do say that the primary requirement is belief in god but it is not enough to simply believe. One must earn entrance by fulfilling the five pillars to the best of their ability: prayers, alms giving, confession, fasting, and pilgrimage. And even in doing these things there is still no assurance. God does as he wills.

What I dislike the most about this god is that he seems fickle. I cannot understand how he can set forth rules and be holy and just as they say he is and yet still be able to make judgements completely apart from the decree he put forth. How can a man live a perfect life and commit one sin at the end of his life and still be cast in to hell while another man can live a terrible life and somehow he can be permitted to enter paradise because Allah wills. This god does not seem to set forth a standard and hold to it. He seems to change his mind and be blown by every little wind. For some reason my mind keeps falling back to the gods of greece...

On The Rise Of Islam...

This is the other essay from the exam. Again, I am far from an expert. I'm not even sure if all my thoughts are correct. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

The rise of Islam can be explained by a couple key factors. From the leadership abilities of Muhammed to the lack of necessity for contextualization, the religion and way of life had an advantage from the beginning.

In the time of Muhammed there was no religion that was uniquely Arab. This made it more easily spread in the long run. But when Muhammed first started to introduce his teachings they were not accepted except by a small minority of people. He and his followers were chased out of their hometown and spent ten years building his following in Medina, their new home which they had captured by force. It was an unlikely victory and created the first Islamic State. During this time Muhammed grew to be a great leader and military power. He, at last, rallied his followers and they returned to Mecca, where they quickly overtook the city and claimed in the name of Islam. Muhammed led his men across the Arabian peninsula, uniting the Arab peoples under one common rule of law and religion, Islam.

After Muhammed's death Islam continued to spread. It started to move west but the Turkish Nomads overtook it within the first 100 years and they set up their own government. But it did spread east. Christians throughout the area were more than willing to accept it for a number of reasons. First, it brought with it a local ruler. The area of southern Persia had been ruled by the Byzantines in the west. But many people felt that someone so far away couldn't possibly understand what was going on locally and therefore couldn't rule effectively. And they were somewhat oppressive toward Christians. When Muslims came into the area they set up a local government which was more effective in leadership. Secondly, because Christians and Jews were seen as “people of the book” they were treated well. They were no longer oppressed but rather there was religious tolerance for them.

Islamic Rule had many strengths. Beyond those already stated (ie. local government, religious tolerance), it brought with it good moral law that had been lacking in the area. There was more security and safety for it's followers and their “brothers,” as they called the Christians and Jews.

Even though it can be challenging to witness to Muslims today, because of their good moral law and basic foundational religious beliefs that coincide with basic Christian doctrines, it has provided us with a door to reach them with the gospel. We don't have to start at the ground level we would have had to start at for the Zoroastrian peoples that were previously ruling the area. I would say that it was a good thing Islam took over.

Not in the original essay but should be noted: the following is a response to an argument against the final thoughts of my essay -- specifically the fact that a Islam has made it easier to witness. The argument was that it is easier to witness to a heathen than a muslim.

There is a big difference in gospel presentation between a Muslin and your average heathen. But when it comes to Islam, a Muslim doesn't need to be convinced of the most basic foundational pronciples (ie. There is a God and only one, Jesus Christ did exsist - although the details they have of Him are sketchy, God is sovereign and wrathful and deserving of our attention and devotion, etc). The basic framework is there! Even a heathen has a belief. It may be that we evolved or that there are multiple gods or that all religions will take you to heaven. They can be just as hard or harder to witness to than a Muslim.

The problem is that we Americans have no idea how to approach a muslim -- especially since 9/11. We look at them like they have two heads or like any minute they are going to pull out a gun and kill us. We don't see what we have in common but rather the differences that divide us. There are so many bridges built between Christians and Muslims that if we knew enough of the Quran and what it teaches, and enough of our Bible and what it teaches, we wouldn't have such a bad attitude toward witnessing to them (I don't point the finger at you at this point. I point it at Evangelical Christendom). The American church has written off Muslims as "unreachable" for so long. But the truth of the matter is that they are only unreachable as much as we are unwilling to go to them.

Witnessing to a Muslim is no different that witnessing to your next door neighbor who was raised Catholic. We have to build a relationship with them and come to them humbly and with a culturally relevant mindest.