A Fascinating Juxtaposition
Just a quick post here. I encourage you to read this opinion piece by Seventh-day Adventist Pastor and author Shawn Brace, which appeared in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News. Then, take a listen to this War College podcast. Taken together, the two are fascinating and provide a compelling counterpoint. At least, that is what I think. What do you think?
Scott Christiansen
Planet in Distress 
Please correct me if I am wrong. I have been led to believe that the Koran teaches that all ‘infidels’ (non Islam believers) must either convert to Islam, be heavily taxed, or be killed. All true Muslims believe in the Koran. As such, granting them freedom to practice their religion appears at first as peaceful, protected by the 1st Amendment, with co-existence and assimilation into American culture, UNTIL they are numerous enough to exert their sharia law, creating confusion and frustration, and ultimately jihad extremism. A true, committed Muslim will never assimilate. Therefore, I see no positive future for Islam: it’s nothing but Satanic, the end of civilization, unless exterminated.Please help me understand a different outcome. Thank you. Richard Pfeiffer, Yreka, CA
Richard,
Thank you for your excellent comments and for the opportunity to engage in an exchange of ideas.
My experience with Muslims and with those who care about their souls goes back to my high school days. That is to say, it goes back some 40 years. Early in high school, I befriended a kid who had just returned from the mission field — in this case, Lebanon — and was forced to return to escape the war there. His father had been a conference president there. I was frequently a guest in their house and was fascinated by discussions of Arabic politics and of the challenges of converting Muslims to Christianity. In regard to this latter category, I was surprised by the difficulties of working in Muslim countries but was simultaneously impressed both by the sincerity of many Muslims in their spiritual seeking, and by the tenacity and creativity of our missionaries. I learned a tremendous amount from this returned missionary and, in doing so, chipped away at both my own ignorance and cultural arrogance.
The picture you paint of Muslims is at odds with many interactions and experiences I have had with Muslims over my own life. It is true that Muslims are steeped in their own culture and that there can be a heavy overlay of cultural arrogance, but the same is true of almost any American. This being the case, let’s make sure that we are not discussing cultural perspectives, but are discussing things from a Christian perspective. In the Christian perspective, Christ died for all who will accept Him and it is the job of his followers –those who have taken His name — to spread the word of Christ to the whole world. And we are to do this while demonstrating the character of Christ through our actions. In this context, it is unconscionable to write off more than a billion people as Satanic and therefore unworthy of hearing the message of Christ.
But probably this is not what you were saying. Probably you were saying that the religion, Islam, is a false religion and is of the devil and therefore has no future. If this is the case, then it seems to me that what you are asserting is that we, as Christians, should not grant religious liberty to any group whose religion is false and does not have a future. Pursuing this line of thought with scripture as our guide, then we would have to ay that the bulk of religions that exist in the world today are false and that we would then aggressively deny them the right to pursue their religion. Is that the argument you are making? If that is the case, then I must disagree with you, because we were not called to disagree and condemn and forcefully limit, but to lift up Christ, who will draw all men to him.
My own conversations with stealth missionaries working in Muslim countries (and these are extremely devoted, risk-tolerant people who I very highly respect) tells me that there are legions of Muslims actively investigating Christianity or, more specifically, Seventh-day Adventism. A simple review of reports from a religious broadcaster, Adventist World Radio, corroborates this perspective. As Christians, we must be careful that we do not diminish or compromise our primary mission — reaching people with the message of Christ, His love, and salvation through Him.
In your correspondence you underline the First Amendment and then outline a scenario in which Muslims attempt to take over cultures in which they exist (specifically America in your example). In my travels around the world, including heavily Muslim countries such as Indonesia, I so not see the scenario you outline being played out. Are Muslims ethnocentric and insular? Yes. Are there extremists among them? Yes. Are there terrorists among them? Yes. But the same is true of every country in western society, including America (look at how Americans conquered the Indians from a “terrorist” perspective). This being the case, it seems that Christians should not try to pursue their ministry from a nationalistic perspective, where “American” Christians are somehow better than, say, Christians from Malaysia or Jordan or Iraq. We should not be for nations, we should be for Christ.
I mention all of this nationalistic framing because the article that you commented on –which advocates for religious liberty for Muslims — was written by an Adventist pastor. Adventists are a global church, with less than 10% of their membership in the US. And Adventists the world over advocate for religious liberty, both for themselves and for other religious groups — it is a core value. In this case, the framing of the discussion to the political opinions and mood of any one nation is inappropriate, because Christians are Christians before they are Americans or Japanese or Mongolian.
So, in sum, my life experience leads me to respectfully reject your argument on three points: First, because it takes the worst of Muslim practices and asserts it as the norm for all Muslims. Second, because condemning Islam and denying Muslims the right to practice their religion will almost certainly harm ongoing mission efforts with Muslims, and third because you assert a nationalist argument, one where the primary concern is the protection of the US from an entire religion, as opposed to the protection of the US from radicals and extremists of all stripes.
We may not end up agreeing — we have no doubt had different life experiences. But my heart is for reaching the people of the world with the message of Christ and, in the context of this exchange, there is a place in my heart with is particularly eager to see masses of Muslims convert to Christianity and specifically to Adventism. And I actually think that that is exactly what will happen. Please join me in praying for the Muslim world, that Satan’s grasp of them will be loosed and that they will find joyous truth and salvation in Christ.
Scott Christiansen
Good morning Scott,
Wow, reading Pastor Brace’s comments on intolerance, and the need to resist it, and then listening to Professor Snyder’s piece on the possibility of a recurring holocaust induced by environmental pressures was quite an assignment!
As observed, human decency is a thin and fragile thing in all of us, subject to all kinds of fear pressures, as well as to the ubiquitous human envy for the possessions of others. Without the grace of Jesus, these pressures can/do incite normal folks to forsake ordinary prudence, and, alone, or led by a clever demagogue, to commit unspeakable acts. The references to Hitler’s using the American model of continental conquest as a rational for his genocidal invasions was fascinating. (The old, and largely discredited film, Birth of a Nation, came to mind.) Now, we witness several political demagogues, some blatant, and the others more subtle, working on real, and justified fears to incite in us the hatred of an entire people. As the pastor correctly stated, the Christian’s response to this should be easily clear, and simple. Bonhoeffer, a Christian role model of heroic stature, is correct. A silent Christian in the face of such demagoguery is guilty of the acts incited by it. To know the right, and to fail to do it is sin. We all need the backbone of Christ implanted in us for the courage to stand for what He has taught us is right. Now, with the increasing global stresses, standing for the right is likely never again going to be as easy as it is right now. In stark contrast to the hateful demagogues, we have an incredibly reassuring message to share of God’s love, of hope in Him, and of His soon return. God help us to be alert, and in the Spirit of Jesus, be at it while we can.
Rus
Bonhoeffer! Rus, I love the depth and breadth of your knowledge on display and your ability to bring it to bear in a discussion. Too few remember Bonhoffer or his example. I am glad I am not faced with his dilemma and choices. I feel I could not move to assassination, yet had his attempt to assassinate Hitler been successful, how many millions would have been saved? That kind of dilemma and that kind of action I could only take on direct and irrefutable direction from God, for it seems to be an action inconsistent with the character of Christ.
The “assignment” should have been even more extensive: it should have included the reading of Matthew 24 as the concluding study. This would have strongly brought home where we are in human history and how close we are to having triggering mechanisms deployed.
Christians, and particularly Adventists, have a very difficult road ahead of us. But by faithfully walking that road and displaying the character of Christ, our witnessing opportunities will be dramatically expanded. And that, I think, informs my opinion on this discussion: We need to do as Christ would do and not follow the temptation to easily and broadly condemn. We need to uphold core values at a time when it is difficult to do so. If we don’t, then they aren’t really core values, are they? And above all else, we need to combine our living the message with our proclaiming the message.
I preached a sermon yesterday that touched on the fulfillment of prophecy in 2015. Specifically, I talked about the increasingly palpable emergence of the mechanisms that trigger final events. Preaching that sermon leaves me with an even more urgent desire to see Christ’s message of salvation preached in a full-throated way to a distracted and angry world.
So, yes, we have a great deal to do and we must do it all as Christ would do it. God help us.
Scott
I have been encouraged by the many positive statements from church leaders and many high profile members and publications. Monte Sahlin writing for Adventists Today makes observations I myself have been thinking about and you alluded to regarding prophecy and how these current events are showing us in your words the increasingly palpable emergence of mechanisms that will trigger final events.
On the other hand we are witnessing many even within our church expressing very hard views that in my view are hard to understand. I look at many of these events taking place as wake up calls that in Gods mercy if we are paying attention will open our hearts in preparation for these final movements rapidly approaching. To me that does mean bringing the message of Christ to a world where deception and false ideas seem to be winning the day.
I moved to New Hampshire a couple years ago from Colorado and it has been very difficult for my spiritual walk. Sadly I do not fit into this conservative church mindset and have not been embraced, of course challenging ideas does not always win friends. I digress, as I witness many good minds, one who was a young man in Colorado that I got to see develop who now is a pastor in Michigan, he wrote immediately after the refuge controversy an article that the Adventist Review published. It made me cry with admitted pride presenting understandings from what I think is solid true traditional Adventism within the times we are living. I for one am hopeful as I see many showing the true willingness to reach out no matter the cost