By now, if you've been watching or reading the news, you should be aware that the pastor who was going to burn Qur'ans tomorrow has decided to call off the event. Unfortunately his reasons for canceling the event were not due to concern for his fellow Christians who are serving as missionaries over seas. Nor did he call of his plans because he saw the offense it would cause within the Muslim world and the way it would negatively impact the spreading of the gospel. His reason, according to the news, was because he claims the Imam who is building the community center and mosque at Ground Zero promised him that the mosque would be moved.
In short it appears that the right thing is being done, but the reasoning behind these actions is all based on worldly concerns. It ought to always be the goal of the Christian to glorify God and to spread the gospel. This pastor seems to confuse American with Christian.
Too much has been made of this event by the media, so that a fringe lunatic became an international sensation. But, one thing that has come out of this event is that we were able to be reminded that there is a stark differences between what concerns the world, and what concerns the church. While the world was concerned about social and political unrest, and rightly so, what they missed was the profound spiritual impact of this event. The cross of Christ truly is nonsense to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God to salvation. Let us always remember that our focus needs to be different than the world's.
Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Challenge of Justice
One of the best arguments for the reality of moral standards is, I think the argument from injustice. What I mean is that everyone seems to know when they have been wronged. No one needs to teach someone when they have been wronged. In fact, more than that, we have to be taught to reign in our emotions when we are wronged, lest we get into even more trouble.
For instance, imagine you were in medieval China, where the local lord had absolute authority over the life and death of those who lived in his territory. Imagine that you are wearing the correct colors, (yes, Chinese peasants had certain colors they were allowed to wear, and certain colors they weren't) you bowed and showed proper obedience when he went by, and you even went out of your way to show respect to the local lord by bringing the taxes you owed early. Basically, imagine if you were the perfect Chinese peasant. How would you feel if the local lord intentionally rode his horse next to you and tromped through some mud, just to get the dirt all over your face? How would you feel if you were disrespected despite the fact that you had fulfilled all your obligations and had honored your superior to the best of your ability?
I think of an example from my own life. I was fighting with one of my brothers (not an atypical event) and he was winning (also, not an atypical event). The difference was that in this particular situation I was actually entirely innocent! Normally when I got into a fight with my brothers I was at least somewhat to blame, but not this time. This time, and I can't even remember what the fight was over, I was totally innocent, and my brother knew it.
I was defeated and beat up by someone stronger than me, and I was outraged. I was also despondent, because no matter how hard I might try, there was no way I could avenge myself. I could go to my parents, but I had no evidence that I had been wronged, and without evidence I did not know any way I could get justice. There was no appeal to any higher or stronger power for justice, except that I could plead with God that my brother would admit he was wrong and apologize for what he did to me.
My point is that because we all know when we have been wronged, we also need justice. Any society that cannot convince its people that is laws are basically just will ultimately fall, because the people of that society will not support those who wield power. If people believe they are constantly being wronged, they will seek to get justice for themselves in whatever little ways they can. Justice is essential, not just for a society, but to each individual in society.
Because justice is so essential, both to society and to us as individuals, I found a recent article very interesting. Apparently, there is a judge in Saudi Arabia who has asked hospitals if they would be able to paralyze a man by damaging his spinal cord in some way. I kid you not. Read it for yourself here: "Saudi Judge Considers Paralysis Punishment." He is doing this because one man accidentally paralyzed another man, and now the paralyzed man and his family want justice, based on the concept of "an eye for an eye," which means the other man must also be paralyzed for there to be any justice.
I'm not intending to harp on how barbaric Islam is that it could be reasonable to paralyze a man because he accidentally paralyzed another man. Admittedly, the idea of paralyzing a man for the sake of justice is a pretty horrible idea. The fact that any society would think that corporal eye-for-eye punishments would result in an equitable solution for crime seems ridiculous on its face to me. What I mean is that if you cut off a man's foot because he accidentally (or intentionally) cut off yours, now you have introduced a situation where he is limited in how he can serve society, and how he could help pay for the disability he caused.
Here is the real problem for each of us though: Justice is essential. If we recognize that we have been wronged, and we recognize that our indignation is real, not just a contrived construct of society, then there is some standard that serves to define justice and injustice, both. Ultimately that standard has to be the absolute moral righteousness of God, for anything less is not absolute and has no true weight when placed on the scales of reality. But, if we have been wronged then we must admit we have wronged others, and if we have wronged others, we have also wronged God, because whenever we wrong someone else we not act unjustly against them, we violate the justice of God, since he is the one who established what is right and wrong.
What can we do though? Justice, when rightly performed requires that there be a repayment, an exchange that rights the wrong performed. At the very least, in the case of a slight wrong, there must be an apology. But, an apology only works between men because one humbles himself and appeals to the other, admitting that he has acted improperly. Forgiveness, in such a case, is not really justice, it is an act of grace whereby the one who forgives chooses not to require justice, but to act as though the wrong has been repaid. The problem is that if we humble ourselves before God and ask for forgiveness, we only assume our right position before God. And, if God chooses to forgive us then he would be in violation of his own justice, choosing to act as though repayment has been made when it has not.
If we tried to repay God we would find that to be impossible also. Even if we acted perfectly for our entire lives we would never do more than we should do. Even if we to live morally perfect lives in every way, such that we even sacrifice ourselves to save others, we would still not be doing anything more than living as we should live from that moment on. Justice requires not simply that a man should stop stealing, but that he should also repay for what he has stolen. How then can man repay God, when we cannot live morally perfect lives, and even if he could, that would not be enough to make him perfect, because after one wrong act the blemish would always exist.
The necessity of Christ becomes clear when we consider the justice of man. If even those without Christ understand that perfect justice is accomplished through exact repayment, then how much more should we understand what Christ paid on our behalf? Our iniquities, our injustice, our immorality, had to be atoned for, but only one who had no blemish could suffice for such a payment. Perfect justice requires a perfect payment, and so Christ, who was perfect, suffered, endured the wrath of God, poured out upon him on a device of human torture, so that in every way our unrighteous acts might be atoned for, paid for exactly by the Son of God himself.
When my brother got done beating me up he left me alone, and I cried and prayed that God would make him come back and apologize to me, because my brother knew he was wrong, I knew he was wrong, and more than that, God knew he was wrong. I did not really expect an apology, but I asked God that he would make right what was wrong. After I had regained my composure, I sat on my bed feeling sorry for myself, and my brother came back and told me that he was sorry. He knew I was innocent, he knew that he had no right to beat me up, and he was sorry for doing it. The very words I had prayed to God were spoken back to me from the mouth of brother.
Life does not always workout like things did with my brother. Sometimes we are wronged and there seems to be no recompense. Sometimes it seems like we ourselves have gotten away with murder. The fact is though that there is a righteous God who sees all things, and who will have justice one day, because his laws demand it.
The joy of being a Christian is that we already know our payment is complete. Christ, who died upon the cross, has born our sins, and we bear them no more. God's righteous justice is matched by his loving grace, because he did not have to provide Christ for us, but that it was what he chose to do. Because we have been forgiven, we can forgive those who wrong us, and when they stand puzzled at why we do not demand justice, we can let them know that justice has already been met, and that Christ suffered even for them, if they will confess him as Lord and Savior. Justice demands repayment, and grace allows us to tell people that a perfect payment has been made on their behalf. Have you considered how great a payment Christ's death was for you? Have you considered what a blessing it might be to endure injustice, how wonderful it could be to forgive someone else, so that you can tell them of the wonderful payment Christ made on their behalf?
If we have died with him, then we have been resurrected with him. He was declared the Lord of all things by his resurrection, so who are we to deny him? If his death was sufficient to pay our debt where we had wronged God, how much more should it suffice to pay for the petty grievances we might hold against those who have wrong us? Let us endure injustice, but let us be bold to confront those who have wronged us, that we might share with them the grace of the one who died and rose again. Our egos might be bruised, our toes might get stepped on, but let us see that the real challenge is not to demand justice, but to share the mercy of God with everyone who would hear.
For instance, imagine you were in medieval China, where the local lord had absolute authority over the life and death of those who lived in his territory. Imagine that you are wearing the correct colors, (yes, Chinese peasants had certain colors they were allowed to wear, and certain colors they weren't) you bowed and showed proper obedience when he went by, and you even went out of your way to show respect to the local lord by bringing the taxes you owed early. Basically, imagine if you were the perfect Chinese peasant. How would you feel if the local lord intentionally rode his horse next to you and tromped through some mud, just to get the dirt all over your face? How would you feel if you were disrespected despite the fact that you had fulfilled all your obligations and had honored your superior to the best of your ability?
I think of an example from my own life. I was fighting with one of my brothers (not an atypical event) and he was winning (also, not an atypical event). The difference was that in this particular situation I was actually entirely innocent! Normally when I got into a fight with my brothers I was at least somewhat to blame, but not this time. This time, and I can't even remember what the fight was over, I was totally innocent, and my brother knew it.
I was defeated and beat up by someone stronger than me, and I was outraged. I was also despondent, because no matter how hard I might try, there was no way I could avenge myself. I could go to my parents, but I had no evidence that I had been wronged, and without evidence I did not know any way I could get justice. There was no appeal to any higher or stronger power for justice, except that I could plead with God that my brother would admit he was wrong and apologize for what he did to me.
My point is that because we all know when we have been wronged, we also need justice. Any society that cannot convince its people that is laws are basically just will ultimately fall, because the people of that society will not support those who wield power. If people believe they are constantly being wronged, they will seek to get justice for themselves in whatever little ways they can. Justice is essential, not just for a society, but to each individual in society.
Because justice is so essential, both to society and to us as individuals, I found a recent article very interesting. Apparently, there is a judge in Saudi Arabia who has asked hospitals if they would be able to paralyze a man by damaging his spinal cord in some way. I kid you not. Read it for yourself here: "Saudi Judge Considers Paralysis Punishment." He is doing this because one man accidentally paralyzed another man, and now the paralyzed man and his family want justice, based on the concept of "an eye for an eye," which means the other man must also be paralyzed for there to be any justice.
I'm not intending to harp on how barbaric Islam is that it could be reasonable to paralyze a man because he accidentally paralyzed another man. Admittedly, the idea of paralyzing a man for the sake of justice is a pretty horrible idea. The fact that any society would think that corporal eye-for-eye punishments would result in an equitable solution for crime seems ridiculous on its face to me. What I mean is that if you cut off a man's foot because he accidentally (or intentionally) cut off yours, now you have introduced a situation where he is limited in how he can serve society, and how he could help pay for the disability he caused.
Here is the real problem for each of us though: Justice is essential. If we recognize that we have been wronged, and we recognize that our indignation is real, not just a contrived construct of society, then there is some standard that serves to define justice and injustice, both. Ultimately that standard has to be the absolute moral righteousness of God, for anything less is not absolute and has no true weight when placed on the scales of reality. But, if we have been wronged then we must admit we have wronged others, and if we have wronged others, we have also wronged God, because whenever we wrong someone else we not act unjustly against them, we violate the justice of God, since he is the one who established what is right and wrong.
What can we do though? Justice, when rightly performed requires that there be a repayment, an exchange that rights the wrong performed. At the very least, in the case of a slight wrong, there must be an apology. But, an apology only works between men because one humbles himself and appeals to the other, admitting that he has acted improperly. Forgiveness, in such a case, is not really justice, it is an act of grace whereby the one who forgives chooses not to require justice, but to act as though the wrong has been repaid. The problem is that if we humble ourselves before God and ask for forgiveness, we only assume our right position before God. And, if God chooses to forgive us then he would be in violation of his own justice, choosing to act as though repayment has been made when it has not.
If we tried to repay God we would find that to be impossible also. Even if we acted perfectly for our entire lives we would never do more than we should do. Even if we to live morally perfect lives in every way, such that we even sacrifice ourselves to save others, we would still not be doing anything more than living as we should live from that moment on. Justice requires not simply that a man should stop stealing, but that he should also repay for what he has stolen. How then can man repay God, when we cannot live morally perfect lives, and even if he could, that would not be enough to make him perfect, because after one wrong act the blemish would always exist.
The necessity of Christ becomes clear when we consider the justice of man. If even those without Christ understand that perfect justice is accomplished through exact repayment, then how much more should we understand what Christ paid on our behalf? Our iniquities, our injustice, our immorality, had to be atoned for, but only one who had no blemish could suffice for such a payment. Perfect justice requires a perfect payment, and so Christ, who was perfect, suffered, endured the wrath of God, poured out upon him on a device of human torture, so that in every way our unrighteous acts might be atoned for, paid for exactly by the Son of God himself.
When my brother got done beating me up he left me alone, and I cried and prayed that God would make him come back and apologize to me, because my brother knew he was wrong, I knew he was wrong, and more than that, God knew he was wrong. I did not really expect an apology, but I asked God that he would make right what was wrong. After I had regained my composure, I sat on my bed feeling sorry for myself, and my brother came back and told me that he was sorry. He knew I was innocent, he knew that he had no right to beat me up, and he was sorry for doing it. The very words I had prayed to God were spoken back to me from the mouth of brother.
Life does not always workout like things did with my brother. Sometimes we are wronged and there seems to be no recompense. Sometimes it seems like we ourselves have gotten away with murder. The fact is though that there is a righteous God who sees all things, and who will have justice one day, because his laws demand it.
The joy of being a Christian is that we already know our payment is complete. Christ, who died upon the cross, has born our sins, and we bear them no more. God's righteous justice is matched by his loving grace, because he did not have to provide Christ for us, but that it was what he chose to do. Because we have been forgiven, we can forgive those who wrong us, and when they stand puzzled at why we do not demand justice, we can let them know that justice has already been met, and that Christ suffered even for them, if they will confess him as Lord and Savior. Justice demands repayment, and grace allows us to tell people that a perfect payment has been made on their behalf. Have you considered how great a payment Christ's death was for you? Have you considered what a blessing it might be to endure injustice, how wonderful it could be to forgive someone else, so that you can tell them of the wonderful payment Christ made on their behalf?
If we have died with him, then we have been resurrected with him. He was declared the Lord of all things by his resurrection, so who are we to deny him? If his death was sufficient to pay our debt where we had wronged God, how much more should it suffice to pay for the petty grievances we might hold against those who have wrong us? Let us endure injustice, but let us be bold to confront those who have wronged us, that we might share with them the grace of the one who died and rose again. Our egos might be bruised, our toes might get stepped on, but let us see that the real challenge is not to demand justice, but to share the mercy of God with everyone who would hear.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Peace Making 101
Have you ever done something stupid? Have you ever done or said some stupid thing that hurt someone else by accident? How about on purpose? I'll bet if you think hard enough you can probably come up with an idea of sometime when you did. I know I can.
I have two older brothers, one about 2 years older and one about 4 years older. Because we grew up as three boys, and because we basically grew up in an area where there were no other children until I was 8, we did stupid things that got each other hurt. I remember one time emptying out a 2 liter bottle of some kind of soda, then I held it up to my eye and acted like I could see something really cool in it. When one of my brothers took it and looked into it I hit it. Now, I meant to knock it so he would be surprised, but I didn't think about the fact that bottles have little openings, so instead of just hitting around his eyes, I basically hit the bottle right into his eye. As you can imagine, he didn't think it was funny, and it ended up hurting him a bit more than I thought it would. (As you can also imagine, I got into trouble for it. Lesson to all you kids out there: stupid actions do not make you immune to the consequences.)
My point? Well, apparently even adult Christians are not immune from doing stupid things. I came across an AP News Article that reports that a church in Gainesville, FL plans on burning copies of the Quran on September 11. Now, I'll grant you that I'm not entirely up to date on exactly why they plan on burning copies of the Quran, I have an idea but I haven't actually talked to anyone from the church about it, but I'm going to state that this is a categorically stupid idea. Not only is it stupid, it is unchristian.
Why is it unchristian? Well, what does it accomplish? Does it present the gospel to a lost and dying world? Does burning copies of the Quran engage with Muslims in the area or abroad and present to them the reality of their sins and their need for redemption? Basically, this move in no way exalts God, because all it does is burn pieces of paper.
Okay, it isn't just pieces of paper, its copies of the religious holy book of another religion. So what? Will burning those copies of the Quran prevent the spread of Islam? Will burning copies of the Quran have any effect on Islam in any way, shape or form? Of course not. Burn ten copies, burn a thousand copies, burn a million copies of the Quran, it won't change a thing, because more can be printed and will be printed. Unless everyone who is enslaved by Islam around the world embraces the freedom that is offered to them in Jesus Christ, destroying copies of the Qur'an is a meaningless event at best. At worst this event will simply harden the hearts of people who desperately need to know about Jesus, and thus this church will be helping Satan lead these people to hell.
Maybe this church figures that because bibles are routinely destroyed in Muslim countries they are simply doing what Muslims have been doing for years. But that isn't what Christ commanded us to do. He told us to do to others what we would have them do to us. That means despite the fact that we are insulted, we do not insult back Despite the fact that Christians are wronged, our Scripture is insulted and our people are murdered, we do not respond in kind, because we are called to love those who hate us, and to bless those who curse us.
I had a whole rant prepared for how we are God's Israel, and how our battle is against spiritual powers and a sinful system that enslaves and oppresses those who do not know Christ. But I don't really need to do that rant. I don't need to provide an argument for what we are called not to do, because there is a simple statement that tells us what we should do in situations like this: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)
If we are called to be peacemakers, is this church being obedient to the Word of God? Is burning the Qur'an going to help spread the gospel of Christ so that his peace will reign in the hearts and souls of men? Anyone who honestly looks at this can only say, "No". Instead of being peacemakers this church is quite intentionally stirring up controversy.
I'm not saying that we should not confront Islam. I think we should. But I think we need to do it in the same way Christians are commanded to confront any false religion, any sin: through biblical, personal outreach. We need to demonstrate that what we are doing is being done from love, and that we want to rescue the hurting. Speaking gently, confronting with compassion, and standing on the authority of God's Word are the means of confronting any sin, not burning effigies and screaming at people.
I wonder if this church realizes how much harder they might be making things for Christian missionaries in Muslim countries. I had a friend who was going to go and be a missionary in Indonesia, he told me that he sometimes had people come to him and say they wanted to know what it would take for them to go with them. He told me that his response was that they shouldn't bother to pack suitcases, but instead, buy a plain pine coffin, pack their clothes in it, and have it sent with them as their luggage because most likely they would need it if they came with him. He went knowing that it was entirely possible, if not probable, that he would die sharing the gospel with a lost and dying people who were at war with God.
That is what being a peacemaker means. Being willing to accept that the gospel of Christ is of more importance than material possessions, your own life, or even your own anger and venom. I do not doubt that this church that wants to burn Qur'ans believes that Islam is evil and dangerous. I believe Islam is evil and dangerous. But what if, instead of burning Qur'ans, this church did a joyful, peaceful servant project to a local community that had a high population of Muslims, and tried to develop personal relationships that would allow them to speak truth into the lives of those enslaved by lies? What if on 9/11, and every day, instead of throwing fuel on the fires of hatred and resentment, we reached out to a dying world with love?
I have two older brothers, one about 2 years older and one about 4 years older. Because we grew up as three boys, and because we basically grew up in an area where there were no other children until I was 8, we did stupid things that got each other hurt. I remember one time emptying out a 2 liter bottle of some kind of soda, then I held it up to my eye and acted like I could see something really cool in it. When one of my brothers took it and looked into it I hit it. Now, I meant to knock it so he would be surprised, but I didn't think about the fact that bottles have little openings, so instead of just hitting around his eyes, I basically hit the bottle right into his eye. As you can imagine, he didn't think it was funny, and it ended up hurting him a bit more than I thought it would. (As you can also imagine, I got into trouble for it. Lesson to all you kids out there: stupid actions do not make you immune to the consequences.)
My point? Well, apparently even adult Christians are not immune from doing stupid things. I came across an AP News Article that reports that a church in Gainesville, FL plans on burning copies of the Quran on September 11. Now, I'll grant you that I'm not entirely up to date on exactly why they plan on burning copies of the Quran, I have an idea but I haven't actually talked to anyone from the church about it, but I'm going to state that this is a categorically stupid idea. Not only is it stupid, it is unchristian.
Why is it unchristian? Well, what does it accomplish? Does it present the gospel to a lost and dying world? Does burning copies of the Quran engage with Muslims in the area or abroad and present to them the reality of their sins and their need for redemption? Basically, this move in no way exalts God, because all it does is burn pieces of paper.
Okay, it isn't just pieces of paper, its copies of the religious holy book of another religion. So what? Will burning those copies of the Quran prevent the spread of Islam? Will burning copies of the Quran have any effect on Islam in any way, shape or form? Of course not. Burn ten copies, burn a thousand copies, burn a million copies of the Quran, it won't change a thing, because more can be printed and will be printed. Unless everyone who is enslaved by Islam around the world embraces the freedom that is offered to them in Jesus Christ, destroying copies of the Qur'an is a meaningless event at best. At worst this event will simply harden the hearts of people who desperately need to know about Jesus, and thus this church will be helping Satan lead these people to hell.
Maybe this church figures that because bibles are routinely destroyed in Muslim countries they are simply doing what Muslims have been doing for years. But that isn't what Christ commanded us to do. He told us to do to others what we would have them do to us. That means despite the fact that we are insulted, we do not insult back Despite the fact that Christians are wronged, our Scripture is insulted and our people are murdered, we do not respond in kind, because we are called to love those who hate us, and to bless those who curse us.
I had a whole rant prepared for how we are God's Israel, and how our battle is against spiritual powers and a sinful system that enslaves and oppresses those who do not know Christ. But I don't really need to do that rant. I don't need to provide an argument for what we are called not to do, because there is a simple statement that tells us what we should do in situations like this: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)
If we are called to be peacemakers, is this church being obedient to the Word of God? Is burning the Qur'an going to help spread the gospel of Christ so that his peace will reign in the hearts and souls of men? Anyone who honestly looks at this can only say, "No". Instead of being peacemakers this church is quite intentionally stirring up controversy.
I'm not saying that we should not confront Islam. I think we should. But I think we need to do it in the same way Christians are commanded to confront any false religion, any sin: through biblical, personal outreach. We need to demonstrate that what we are doing is being done from love, and that we want to rescue the hurting. Speaking gently, confronting with compassion, and standing on the authority of God's Word are the means of confronting any sin, not burning effigies and screaming at people.
I wonder if this church realizes how much harder they might be making things for Christian missionaries in Muslim countries. I had a friend who was going to go and be a missionary in Indonesia, he told me that he sometimes had people come to him and say they wanted to know what it would take for them to go with them. He told me that his response was that they shouldn't bother to pack suitcases, but instead, buy a plain pine coffin, pack their clothes in it, and have it sent with them as their luggage because most likely they would need it if they came with him. He went knowing that it was entirely possible, if not probable, that he would die sharing the gospel with a lost and dying people who were at war with God.
That is what being a peacemaker means. Being willing to accept that the gospel of Christ is of more importance than material possessions, your own life, or even your own anger and venom. I do not doubt that this church that wants to burn Qur'ans believes that Islam is evil and dangerous. I believe Islam is evil and dangerous. But what if, instead of burning Qur'ans, this church did a joyful, peaceful servant project to a local community that had a high population of Muslims, and tried to develop personal relationships that would allow them to speak truth into the lives of those enslaved by lies? What if on 9/11, and every day, instead of throwing fuel on the fires of hatred and resentment, we reached out to a dying world with love?
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