Needed: An Islamic Challenge Study Bible

What is the connection between Islam and study Bibles?
First, I love study Bibles.  They make it easy and inviting to understand the Bible in a number of ways.  They typically provide explanations of Bible text via copious footnotes on the same page as the text.  They have substantial introductions to books of the Bible and often significant introductions or discusson about individual chapters or themes of one or more chapters.  They not only explain the text in the context of time, place, people, culture, and issue involved, but often include personality and word studies and key lessons or application to current moral, cultural, religious, and political challenges.
Most study Bibles are written by and for conservative/orthodox protestants meaning that they focus on interpretations of traditional Christianity, although there are nuances of more liberal or conservative interpretations noted by the really well-informed.  In other words, study Bibles are written by and for Christians who take their faith seriously – who take the Bible seriously.  So seriously, in fact, that they really want to understand with as much accuracy as possible what it says, what it means, and how it should affect their lives and the culture around them.  They take it as truly the Word of God.  
My first study Bible was acquired about 26 years ago, the NIV Study Bible.  Since that time I have acquired and used:

• The MacArthur Study Bible
• ESV Study Bible (on Kindle)
• NET Bible (on Kindle)
• The King James Study Bible
• The Life Application Study Bible
• The NLT Study Bible
• The Apologetics Study Bible
• The Holman Study Bible

Why so many, you might ask?  They each have slightly different features, strengths, and weakness.  Take for example the rider on the White Horse in Revelation Chapter Six.  Does the rider symbolize Jesus or the Anti-Christ?  If one or the other, why?  Any one study Bible gives a partial answer.  All explanations taken together provide a more thorough explanation and understanding.  By the way, check out MacArthur's explanation which makes the most sense to me.  But the others help provide a fuller picture.
The Patriot’s Bible (that I don’t own but have skimmed through) is not actually a study Bible.  It is more of a traditional Bible with numerous articles about American patriots and founding ideas and documents interspersed that undeniably demonstrate America’s Christian heritage.
The Life Application Study Bible makes the best connection between Scripture and the application to today’s life issues.  However, such application is centered on moral, personal behavioral, and attitudinal issues.  For the most part it avoids discussion of conflicting interpretations, conflicting cults and religions or governmental/political issues.
The Apologetics Study Bible on the other hand does get into distinctions between orthodox Christianity and the unorthodoxy of various Christian sects, Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well Eastern religions and Islam.  However there are fewer than 60 explicit examples of differences with these other belief systems sprinkled throughout the 66 books of the Bible.  We know that there could be dozens if not hundreds of differences from conservative, orthodox Christianity pointed out for each of these belief systems. 
Especially lacking are Christian refutations of the legion of distortions and contradictions of the Bible and Christianity promoted by Islam.  All of the Christian sects combined do not pose the challenge to Christianity and our Bible-based liberties to the degree posed by Islam.  And most Christians remain ignorant of these distortions.
The Bible is for all time.  However, appropriate application of Bible truths and principles to the changing human condition and cultures vary virtually decade by decade, or certainly century by century.  In this decade and through the next several, resurgent Islam will be a growing challenge to Christianity.  Study Bibles are well-suited to address such challenges by focusing on passages and doctrine designed to overcome contradictory, un-Biblical, and potentially Satanic cultural and belief systems.
Muslims and the majority of secularists as promoted by the main stream media provide a continuing flow of disinformation about the relationship of Islam to Christianity.  Their obsfucationist, taqiyya-infected propaganda mills lead the ill-informed to believe that Islam is peaceful, that Christianity is corrupted, and that Islam is merely an extension of Christianity – indeed that Christ was Muslim!
There are hundreds of specific instances of Islamic corruption of Bible passages and Biblical themes that need to be made easily available and digestible to Christians.  An Islamic Challenge Study Bible is needed.  It might even be more inclusive, becoming an Islamist/Secularist Challenge Study Bible since Islamists and Secularists are in bed together in opposition to Christianity.
The most obvious areas for footnotes, special articles, introductions, timelines, and “You gotta be kidding” inserts in such a Bible are these:

• Rewriting history:  Islamic revisionists attempts to transform 3,000 years of Judeo-Christian history.
• So you think Ishmael, not Isaac, was Abrahams sacrifice?
• No, Muhammad, Jesus was not a Muslim
• One hundred differences between the nature and character of Allah of Islam and the God of the Bible.
• Abrogation in the Bible and the Qur’an: Peace to war in the Qur’an; war to peace in the Bible
• Literalism vs. spiritualizing in the Bible and the Qur’an
• Distinctions between a fundamentalist Christian and a fundamentalist Muslim
• Love in the Bible; hate in the Qur’an
• Grace in the Bible; retribution in the Qur’an
• Distinctions between Bible writers and the Qur’an writer
• End times:  The anti-Christ and the Islamic Mahdi; Christ’s second coming and the anti-Mahdi.
• The attitude toward lying and deceit in Christianity and Islam
• How Bible principles and Qur’anic principles are typically played out in the lives of believers.  Include the lives of famous, devout Christians contrasted against the lives of infamous devout Muslims through the centuries, and highlighting those in the present day.
• Worldly alliances with evil forces: the alliance of secularists and Islamists
• The influence and dangers of Pagans in the Bible contrasted with pagans (unbelievers) in today’s culture.

These topics alone could generate a thousand informative distinctions between Christianity and Islam sprinkled throughout a dedicated study Bible.  And you can probably think of many more topics that should be revealed and contrasted.
The ICSB project would not likely have a comment on most verses in the Bible as the best good study Bibles contain.  However, I would anticipate three levels of commentary:
Level one:  1,000 or more footnote comments sprinkled throughout the 66 books noting and defending against Islamic and secular distortions.
Level two:  Several dozen short articles, one half to a full page each, going into more depth on topics such as Islam’s Jesus, Isa, or the concept of abrogation, taqiyya, grace-intolerance, love/forgiveness-hate/retribution, debunking moral equivalency, talking to a Muslim, confronting superior attitudes toward Islam or hostility toward the Bible; some basic apologetics principles.
Level three:  Several more lengthy articles; e.g. the life of Muhammad contrasted with the life of Jesus.  The character of Allah compared with God the Father.  Short history of Islamic conquests and methods.  Current events of Islamic inspired intolerance, supremacism, and terrorism. Ten or 15 others.
Effective integration of these comments in appropriate context of Bible text is critically important.  It should not appear that articles are placed randomly.  The American Patriot’s Bible appears to suffer from this. 
Include a number of timelines of Judeo-Christian and Islamic history.
Include maps of lands occupied or controlled by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic populations over the millennia.
Include Islamic word studies sprinkled about the text, plus a multi-page Islamic Glossary of Terms.
An integrated topical index would be extremely helpful; essential.
So, how about it Crossway, Zondervan, Nelson, Holman.  Can you put together a team of Bible and Islamic scholars such as Joel Richardson, David Jeremiah, Joel Rosenberg, Robert Spencer, David Horowitz, the experts at The Center for the Study of Political Islam, Dr. Steven Masood, Dr. James F. Gauss, and a number of others qualified to become a noteworthy team to build such a study Bible?

Four blogs written during my recent cruise…

The four blogs that follow were written while on a 30-day cruise this past month (October 2010).  

Only the ill-informed make excuses for Islam.

People defend and justify the vile, barbaric Islamic “religion” in a number of ways. One way is to claim moral equivalence: Claiming all religions are equally evil or that Islam is justified in what it does because of the alleged abuses of Christianity.

Here are several common, but tired, and absolutely bazaar lines of reasoning ignorant Islamic defenders throw around to convince others that Islam ain’t so bad after all:

Look at the Crusades and what the Christians did. And Hitler considered himself a Christian and many of Germany’s “good” Nazis considered themselves Christians. They killed lots more Jews than Muslims have. And in Ireland Christians were until recently killing each other over small details in religion. And look at the “witch” burnings by Christians in early America. Timothy McVeigh was raised a Catholic and took communion before he died. And really, the Islamic Allah and the Christian God are the same god. [these are all paraphrased from a variety of comments to blog postings.]

Let’s take these warped interpretations of history one by one.

First, the Crusades: What did the Christians do? Look at the timeline of events of the Islamic conquests. Over a 400 year period Islam conquered, pillaged, and occupied both pagan and Christian lands and nations including the holiest sites of Christianity. Christians and Christian nations endured 400 years of terror, killing, and subservience. It is the Christian religion that provided the long suffering restraint during this extended period of Islamic terror. After 400 years, Christians finally responded with the Crusades. How dare Muslims and Muslim defenders use the Crusades as an example against us! Will we wait as long the next time?

Next, what about Hitler? Hitler was universally declared an evil man. His conquests were entirely for political, economic, and military reasons – not religious. And when did he ever claim his conquests were in the name of Christianity? Never! When did his storm troopers ever shout “Jesus Christ is greatest” as they overran cities and as they turned the gas valves of their holocaust chambers? Thousands of Christians were also murdered in the holocaust. The “nominal” Christians were the ones who went along to get along. The devout were the ones who escaped to fight or who were killed in the holocaust. Just the opposite is true of Islam. The marginal Muslims are not considered “radical” while the devout tend to be the terrorists and most vocal anti-westerners and anti-Semites. In fact, history shows that one of the greatest alliances of the Nazi’s was with a Mufti [Islamic leader of the middle east] who together promoted the elimination of the Jews. Islam was actively complicit in killing Jews; many Christians tended to be ignorant, indifferent, or too scared to resist. Much the same can be said of Christians today in the face of Islamic deception and threats. Muslims today express admiration for Hitler. Mein Kamp remains a best seller in Islamic nations.

What about the inference that the fight between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland was over “small details of religion?” A Christian doctrinal war? Hardly. It, too, was a battle for political supremacy and control. Again, Christians the world over condemned the violence. On the other hand, Islam as understood by the ummah worldwide declares Islam supreme along with their right and duty to subdue unbelievers wherever they may be found. In the meantime, playing nice in areas where they are a small minority is an Islamic doctrinal tactic useful until their numbers and strength are sufficient in a particular locale to take control with whatever political or violent tactic best meets their objective of domination.

The trials and burning of alleged “witches” was a brief and localized episode in America that lasted over a period of fewer than three years in the late 1600’s. Those events have been condemned by Christianity and by American juris-prudence ever since. Islamic violence, by contrast, has been a basic feature of Islam from its beginning in the 600’s AD to the present. The prevailing Islamic leadership continues to promote deception, intimidation, threats, and terror to further the supremacist aims of Islam.

And Timothy McVeigh – was he a “practicing Christian?” Was he even a Christian, practicing or not? The prevailing evidence indicates he was not. And he certainly did not commit his heinous act out of any command accepted by prevailing interpretations of Christian doctrine. On the other hand, Muslims who carry out their terror, deceit, wife beatings, etc. etc. are doing so based on the prevailing interpretations of their Islamic doctrine. Sorry, Islamic apologists. There is no “moral equivalence” here, either.

And one of my favorites promoted by ignorant Christians and others who are trying desperately to find some common ground with Islam:

Allah and the God of Christianity are the same god. The Pope and our last two presidents are amazingly naïve or wishful thinkers on this one because they promote this deception. Are they holding their respective noses while doing their best at being politically correct, believing their deception is better than the truth? There could be no greater difference between religious characteristics as there is between the characteristics of Allah of Islam and God of Christianity. Allah is a creation of one man, Muhammad, concocted from the pagan astrologer’s moon god (thus the moon and star atop every mosque and adorning every Muslim flag); God is not a creation of anyone but is immortal and the creator of all. Allah is unknowable; God is knowable and wants us to know Him. Allah is impersonal; God is personal and has taken human form to relate to us. Allah had no son; God had a son, Jesus the Messiah. Allah has a harsh and unloving spirit; God is love and promotes love as the best principle of Godliness. In fact, many knowledgeable Christian commentators believe that the god of Islam and the God of Christianity are total opposites to the point of Allah being of satanic origin and God’s major opponent in the final battle prior to the second coming of Jesus. Likewise, many believe that the Islamic Mahdi and Jesus Christ are polar opposites, each being the “Satan” and “Savior” in the opposing religions.

And so you have it – the various attempts at “moral equivalence” by Muslims and Muslim apologists. Beware of these and similar attempts to defend Islam while demeaning Christianity. Ignorant Christians are among the most gullible in both using and believing these warped arguments.

Observations from a 30-day cruise…

My first ever cruise, this one to the Mediterranean, lasting 30 days and involving an Atlantic crossing is drawing to a close as I write this. Despite being one who is “wealth-challenged” – one of those who suffers from the “middleclassedness that disgusts Obama’s beloved Rev. Wright - some of my experiences are worth sharing. So here is my list of the most noteworthy observations and experiences from this cruise:

There is a lot of water out there. Crossing 4000 miles of Atlantic and viewing it from 100 feet above the surface of the ocean I could see 25 miles in all directions. I expected to observe an occasional ship or at least an occasional fish during this period. I saw neither for six days.

Europe is old. They celebrate the past. This makes me appreciate America which still celebrates the future, and especially Florida which is mostly new; where even retirees celebrate their new beginnings.

The ship averages 20 miles per hour, roughly the speed of a well-tuned golf cart. The sailing experience is best compared to being in a large, floating golf cart full of food.

Speaking of food, I couldn’t help wondering, meal after meal, how much food is wasted and discarded every day. And how many pounds the average already overweight patron has gained.

Mingling with the dress-up crowd on dress-up night in casual clothes made me feel like an illegal alien just before an Immigration and Naturalization Service raid.

The resort retirement community I live in is often referred to as a cruise ship experience. My cruise could be described as a resort retirement community experience. So why did I spend $5,000?????

Similar to retirement communities, there was very little observed on the pool decks that could be appropriately described as “sensual.”

I was amazed at the number (and apparent wealth) of cruisers who have imbibed in 20, 30, or more cruises. Many seem to spend their final years immersed in a life of perpetual cruises. Call me wickedly judgmental but I call these unbridled self-indulgent gluttons with apparently empty and purposeless lives. (Is there some jealousy here? - - - Naaah.)  I need to take into consideration that the monthly cost of cruising is very close to that of a good nursing home – a floating life care facility away from home. At least it’s not subsidized by Medicare.

A highlight was a series of daily Bible Studies which is apparently rare among cruises.  Ironically one attendee of this Study was a missionary short of resources for his mission.  Hmmm.

And finally, 30 days is much too long for a cruise for me – especially as a first timer. However, I do not anticipate cruising again for two reasons: There is too much else to do – and I am out of money.

America’s continuing blindness to Islamic threat…

Our government, especially those in high positions, higher education, our military, and in our media are ignorant or passive with regard to the Islamic threat.

What is meant by the “Islamic threat?” In a nutshell, the Islamic threat consists of the historic, orthodox doctrines of Islam as originated by Muhammad and contained in the Qur’an, and revived and promoted by the Islamic Brotherhood and similar organizations and their front groups. The “threat” inherent in these groups is the subversion of our form of government and our culture, economy, and our religions into that taught by Islam and embodied in its sharia laws. What is so bad about that, you ask? After all, we respect all religions. We are America. We have freedom of this, that, and the other. We can do, say, and promote anything we please, almost.

One interesting and key distinction between the cultural meanings we take for granted and what Islamic proponents are working toward imposing on us is the concept of “slander.” When we call something “slander” we refer to a derogatory lie said about someone. In Islam, slander is anything said about another that is offensive to that person, whether it is the truth or a lie. To tell a thief in the process of stealing something that he is a thief, and the thief is offended by that label, that is slander. The person who shouted “thief” committed slander and is subject to punishment by Islamic (sharia) law. This is an extension of the Islamic taqiyya toolbox: the doctrinal permission to lie to protect or not to offend.

We call such actions “being blunt,” “telling the truth,” “informative,” and “free speech.” Even our definition of slander is free speech if no damage can be shown in court. Consider the chilling effect the Islamic definition of “slander” has on free speech. The truth cannot be told about anyone or any organization or any action if that truth is thought to be offensive to that individual or organization.

This takes us to one of our greatest weaknesses that enables the advancement of Islam in this country: Our sensitivity to criticism of minorities. Muslims are milking every ounce of misguided compassion they can from America’s propensity to defend minorities. They do that by coupling their definition of “slander” with our sensitivity to criticism of minorities. This results in the “perfect storm” of America’s obliviousness to the seditious Islamic doctrines and intentions. Muslims can cry “slander” even when the truth is told about their ideology and the intent of their subversive front groups. And much of America falls in line, believing that even the truth about the evils of Islam is slander. This explains why some of the most seemingly kind-hearted, well meaning, but clueless liberals are taken in by this effective Islamic strategy.

The result is two-fold. Not only are the oblivious, taqiyya-ignorant Americans protective of Muslim inroads into the subversion of our culture but in addition, even those who are aware of Islamic doctrine and tactics are cowed into keeping their mouths shut.

One example is the tiptoeing around the truth of the root problem of Islam by one major “’Radical’ Islam” awareness group, ACT! For America. This organization, while doing much good work to expose some horrific aspects of Islam, refuses to publicly recognize “Islam” as the source of the deception, sedition, and sharia law that both American and foreign Muslims are in the process of imposing on our country. ACT! publicly refers to “radical” Islam as the root of the problem when in fact the root extends deep into Islam itself. ACT! refuses to publicly identify Islam, just plain Islam, as to root of this problem. Why? They don’t want to appear to “slander” or disrespect Muslims. The organization is influenced by their politically savvy leadership (the sort that tends to sacrifice truth for temporary gain) while being cowed by the Islamic version of slander. They bought into the deception: The truth is slander. It dare not be expressed.

It is likewise hard to believe that all Islamic apologists and facilitators in the United States government are ignorant of the Islamic threat and the methods of Islamic deception. Like ACT!, they persist in their narrow defense of the Islamic religion/ideology by singling out “radicals” or “Al Qaeda” or “Hamas” as the culprits, as if Islam itself is blameless and must be protected.  Isn’t it amazing how many “moderate” Muslims who are “assisting” our government turn out to be radicals.  Liberals remain oblivious to this fact.

The Islamic Brotherhood and their front groups, sharia law, radicals of every stripe – all have their roots in Islam, the source of their ideology, strategies, tactics, and subversive aspirations. The sooner we as individuals and as a nation get a grip on this reality, and face it courageously and truthfully, the more likely we will be able to maintain our government, culture, religion and freedoms. Otherwise, we have successfully demonstrated that we don’t appreciate what we have enough to defend it and we deserve whatever change we get.

Is it Multi-culturalism or is it Princess?

Multi-culturalism has it good points, I suppose, like providing a variety of foods, amusing us with cultural oddities, and a cause to help make liberals and elitists feel superior.  But multi-culturalism is not all it’s cracked up to be. This revelation became apparent during a recent cruise on the Princess line – my first ever.

Both the crew and the passengers were comprised of people from several dozen nations and languages. My experience within this milieu revealed to me how wars are started – the simple matter of failure to communicate.

The first hint came when my wife left the cafeteria dinner table for the lady’s room, with explicit instructions for me to protect the remains of her cherished dessert. Twenty seven seconds after she left, a waitress came over and as she reached for the half-full dessert plate, in a barely intelligible tongue asked if we were done – I guess. I held out the palm of my hand and spoke “no” while she began to pull the plate away. In a slightly louder tone I repeated “no”, further outstretching my “no” hand signal learned from being a safety patrol in elementary school. As she inched the plate further from the table, my next “no” was raised several more decibels. I guess that final effort startled her and she got the message.

We experienced a lovely guide on a tour bus in Barcelona. As she spoke, every other comment ended with a “yes” or “no.” “You see that monument over there, yes?” “That is one of the finest examples of sculpture in the 17^th century, no?” Does “yes” mean “no” and “no” mean “yes?” I’m not sure, but I am glad I didn’t try to answer because I wouldn’t know whether to agree or disagree with her.

The Euro-exchange vending machine. Oh yes, the money grabber from hell. It made the slot machines seem like Mother Teresa by comparison. There was not one shred of verbiage on that piece of hardware that hinted at the cost of conversion. At least with attempted Christian conversions they explain you need to give your life. This machine was mute. After painfully discovering that we put many more dollars in it than we needed to, I felt a puff of smoke escaping from my ears as my feet propelled me to the Purser’s desk. I don’t recommend trying to explain a complex problem concerning the operation of a confusing mechanical device to someone who considers your language as foreign as you do theirs. Remember the “yes”/ “no” problem with the tour guide? Apply it to this scenario: Two ships passing in the night.

A few days later when I resolved to resolve the Euro problem, I encountered a breath of fresh air – a freshly minted Purser, an American girl on the job less than a month. Yes! Problem resolved, painlessly. Communication is a wonderful thing, as is uni-culturalism.

I’m not quite sure what problem God had with Babylon, but I can attest that having a common language and intelligible means of communication is a beautiful thing. Where can I sign an “English is our official language” petition?

Send the security bill to the reactionary Muslims…

It appears that if a church, or any other organization or individual does anything to offend any easily offended Muslim, they will have to pay for their own security.

Given that Muslims are psychotically reactionary and so easily offended, a lot of us could receive a hefty security bill.  If the actions of Gainesville, FL, are any indication, it appears those who offend or express the truth about Islam will be billed for security.  Muslims don’t need to engage in terror acts to stifle free expression.  Their psychotic reaction to insults works wonders.  Fear of  receiving a $200K security bill is more than enough to chill first amendment liberties. 

Someone needs to pay for security when Muslims feel that Muhammad or Islam is insulted. It’s either the taxpayers or those exercising their free speech.  Wait!  How about those who threaten life and property who are too easily offended?  How about billing them?

News flash:  The problem is not free speech.  The problem is reactionary Muslims egged on by their hate-filled, intolerant, Qur’an-inspired Islamic religion.  From ABC News “Money”…

Gainesville Will Bill Terry Jones at Least $200K; Preacher Says Church Will Move

By RAY SANCHEZ

Sept. 21, 2010

The controversial Florida pastor who threatened to burn Korans on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is expected to be billed at least $200,000 by the city of Gainesville for costs associated with the stunt.

Pastor Terry Jones, who got international attention with his on-again, off-again plan to burn 200 copies of Islam's holiest book, said the costs would essentially bankrupt his 50-member church, the Dove World Outreach Center.

"That would be impossible for us to pay," Jones said. "That would bankrupt us, of course."

Jones, 58, vowed to fight the security bill in court and said he plans to move his church to Tampa because of what he called a lack of support in Gainesville.

The maverick preacher eventually called off his protest after increasing pressure from Washington and beyond.

New insights into liberal churches…

“The true opposite of love is not hate but indifference. Hate, bad as it is, at least treats the neighbor as a thou, whereas indifference turns the neighbor into an it, a thing. This is why we may say that there is actually one thing worse than evil itself and that is indifference to evil. In human relations the nadir of morality, the lowest point as far as Christian ethics is concerned, is manifest in the phrase, I couldn't care less.’”

Joseph Fletcher

So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  Revelation 3:16

Curious about my friend’s church’s politically correct teaching about Islam (it teaches that Islam is to be respected like any other religion), I asked him this question:  “Does your church teach anything about Islam’s Mahdi being the Christian anti-Christ and the Christian Messiah being the Islamic anti-Mahdi?”  He answered “Oh, no, we don’t get into that sort of thing because that pits one religion against the other – that brings about religious wars.”  Incredulous, I asked whether the Gulf War, Vietnam War, Korean War, World War II, World War I, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, or the American Revolution were “religious wars.”  Of course the answer was “no.”

To the mind of the church he represents, the “religious” wars of 1,000 to 2,000 years ago justify ignorance of Islam today, the greatest threat to Christian and American liberties in the 21st century.  This indifference to the Islamic ideology and the real threat it poses is typical among the great majority of Christian churches.

Indifference is caused by two things:  Lack of information (ignorance), and a lack of love – in this case lack of love for the historical teachings of the church.

Knowledge of Islam leads one to clearly understand that it is as much or more a political ideology as it is a religion.  A good number of the “religious” wars of the past have been fought on the basis of the political/ideological aggression of Islam – its doctrine of intimidation, aggression, conquest, domination, and submission.  Failure to understand the historical ideology and doctrines of Islam are more likely to embroil us in a so-called “religious war” than efforts to understand Islam.  With understanding we can act appropriately short of war to safeguard and preserve our freedoms.  Without understanding we will find ourselves in an untenable defensive position where war is the only option to preserve whatever freedoms we have left.

Lack of love for the teachings of the church is caused by several things:

• Self-absorption.  Leave me alone.  Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do.
• Cultural taboo of discernment, aka taboo of “judging” ourselves or others.
• The abolition of moral absolutes; the new sin of of believing there are any moral absolutes:  right and wrong; good and evil.

The common denominator of these three things is “rebellion.”  From what?  From the self-discipline that enabled us to get to the point of feeling rebellious.  We lost the balance between Godly self-control and ungodly rebellion against self-discipline.  And without God’s standards, there is no measure or criteria for our self-discipline.  We, and especially our churches, have untethered ourselves from Godly standards of discipline.  This loss of discipline has brought about a loss of respect for diluted church teachings.  That loss of respect has in turn brought us to the point of indifference – an absolute loss of love for the teachings of the church – even of Christ himself.

The result:  We no longer have convictions of the truth.  The church, the former repository of truth, is no longer worth defending.  We should not even think of who the adversary might be or what forces may destroy the church.  Our primary goal rather than defending convictions we no longer possess becomes avoiding controversy, not offending anyone and avoiding the red herring ‘religious war.’ 

What happens when we discover that our tolerance and avoidance of controversy (as is the case with Islam) have backed us into a corner we can’t escape from?  Will it be too late?

One answer:  Seek a church that teaches about Islam, the differences between the doctrines of Islam and Christianity, and how these differences are manifesting themselves.  Become aware of the alternative outcomes of ignoring and of acting on these differences.  Such churches exist.  They may not be as comfortable as the lukewarm feel-good churches.  But they teach the truth.  And get engaged with that church and its people.  Your love will be revived.

Slandering “truth” and perverting “tolerance”

This may sound a bit too “Christian” for some people, but “the truth shall set you free” - you, me, and the rest of the folks in our nation.

Lest any narrow interpreters of Scripture suggest that the John 8-32 truth admonition applies only to the truth of the person and teaching of Jesus Christ, it does in fact apply to all truth.

The truth is, truth appears to be the new hate speech.  Truth is not just politically incorrect, but socially and morally as well.  Whether expressing facts about Christ, Judeo-Christian morality, or facts about Islam, truth is considered to be bigoted hate speech.  Out of ignorance truth is slandered.  That is exactly what happens when I talk with my liberal friends about the truth of the Islamic ideology.  They will say, “oh, you’re being hateful.  That’s just what you believe.  They [Muslims] are entitled to their own beliefs.”  To the blind and ignorant, truth has indeed become the new hate speech.

Closely aligned with the slandering of truth is the perversion of tolerance.  Tolerance used to be defined as “the power or capacity of enduring; or the act of enduring.”  “I tolerated his bad behavior” was a common usage.  Tolerance did not mean “accepting”, “enabling”, or “respecting” as it is applied today.  We do not “accept”, “enable”, or “respect” bad behavior.  We “tolerate” bad behavior until we do all we can to make it go away.  Applied to Islam, we endure (tolerate) it until we can make it go away.  We do not “accept”, “enable”, or “respect” Islam as Islamic apologists command.  We endure it.  That’s what tolerance used to be.  We need to tolerate Islam like we would tolerate the Black Plague – until we can make it go away.

C. K. Chesterton saw the distortion of “tolerance” coming a number of years ago when he correctly observed that “tolerance is a virtue of a man without convictions.”  We are convicted of nothing except rejection of moral absolutes.

Our culture has perverted the meaning of key words in our vocabulary.  To get Biblical again, Isaiah 5:20 comes to mind: 

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet bitter!”

The consequences to society are very ugly when reversals of God-given morality occur.  Truth is called bigotry and tolerance is called acceptance.  Phooey!  That is self-deception out of ignorance.  If not ignorance, then out of some unstated vile purpose.

Most of this perversion is the consequence of our society’s rebellion against absolutes, moral or otherwise.  But what makes the situation really peculiar is that the absolutes of Islam are infinitely more strict and harsh than the absolutes of Christianity.  Why would those who disbelieve absolutes defend an ideology like Islam that is raging with absolutes?  Suggested answer:  Christians are applying truth (which involves absolutes) to reveal Islamic ideology and intentions while Muslims defend Islam with lies claiming how tolerant (devoid of absolutes) Islam is.  The lie is easier to believe and accept than the truth.

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.   Romans 1:22-26a (NIV)

We no longer recognize or acknowledge what is shameful and what is honorable – what is the truth and what is a lie.  And even if we did, we wouldn’t care.  This is the direction our nation has chosen.

The intimidation and dhimmi response continues…

The evil of Islam and the stupidity of America’s response is never ending.

Here are two back-to-back examples.

First, 22-year-old Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris, the originator of “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” has fled from her former identity at the urging of our FBI.  Why?  Because the FBI has received credible evidence that her life is being threatened by Muslims who have taken offense at her cartoon below: 

(courtesy of Molly Norris)

Norris was intimidated into recanting her idea for everyone to draw Muhammad and into changing her identity and going into hiding after threats from various Islamic sources.

Fox News on September 16th reported: 

In her cartoon, Norris mockingly proposed making May 20 "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day!"

Soon after, a fan page popped up on Facebook, but Norris wrote on her since-shuttered website that said she had nothing to do with it.

"I did NOT 'declare' May 20 to be 'Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,'" she said, adding that her idea was satire that was "taken seriously, hijacked and made viral."

"I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off," she said.

Sounds a lot like the “burn the Qur’an” Gainesville pastor declaring that he will “never burn a Qur’an.”  Yes, boys and girls, your first amendment rights are being eliminated as a result of Islamic psychosis.

Ain’t a reputation for carrying out psychotic, reactionary death threats wonderful?   It creates such glorious submission.  I’m sure Allah is smiling.

And, on the same day, we have Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer claiming that burning the Qur’an might not be protected by the first amendment.  He said it is akin to shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre.  Well, I must disrespectfully disagree with dhimmi Breyer.  Burning a Qur’an is more like shouting “fire” in front of a pyromaniac, or shouting “drugs” in front of an addict.  Or shouting “food” in front of my dog.  It is not the shout that’s the danger.  It is the psychotic, uncivilized, foolish reaction that is the problem.  Islam teaches that reaction.  Islam promotes that reaction.  That psychotic reaction is ingrained into a huge unknown number of Muslims across the globe – brought to you by Muhammad.  Muhammad is the one who should not be protected by the first amendment, along with his Satanic verses known as the Qur’an and the satanic places for promoting that insanity known as mosques. 

Did I insult anyone?

Govt. employment: Back door suppression of free speech

Derek Fenton, an employee of the New Jersey Transit Authority, was fired because he expressed himself by burning several pages of the Qur’an during a 9-11 demonstrations in New York City.  No charges were brought against him by police for his exercise of his right of free expression.

But what good is the right of free expression if your employer fires you for exercising it?  He apparently violated New Jersey Transit’s “code of ethics.”  Can we all say “sue the bast—ds?”  Assuming he was not on the clock, he has every right to express constitutionally protected speech that breaks no law.

Having worked for various governmental agencies during my 35-year career, it is true that government employees are under a magnifying glass insofar as public expression goes.  I refrained from any political activity in equal parts because of that microscope as well as not feeling that motivated to participate or demonstrate.  But employees right of free expression should not be suppressed when such expression has nothing to do with the functioning of their job. 

As a larger and larger proportion of workers become employed by public agencies, there will be an increasing tendency for the rights of such employees’ exercise their free speech to be suppressed.  Government employers tend to be much more sensitive to employee free expression than private employers.  Employee loss of this right seems to come with the territory of public employment.  Increasing public employment is the road to our nations’ employees losing their first amendment rights.  We need to rethink the current limits of pubic employee rights of free expression.

Derek didn’t demonstrate to have longer trains or to cram twice as many riders into them.  Perhaps his employer thought he might incite Muslims to blow up trains?  Sane people don’t blow up trains because their book is burned.  Free speech should not be suppressed because a certain group of people react to any provocation in a psychotic manner.  If that was the reason for his firing, then New Jersey Transit is a dhimmi inappropriately intimidated by Islamic threats.  Our government and media are way way too sensitive to Islamic intimidation.  At this rate, Islam will intimidate our nation out of our first amendment rights without needing to impose Sharia law or blowing up another building.

Let us hope the courts will see the danger of government suppression of free speech in this case and New Jersey transit loses the lawsuit that is sure to be filed.

Seeking a church home

Here are several factors I have in my mind when seeking a church home. I group these in three categories: essential, high priority, and nice-to-have. These factors are subject to change, refinement, and reordering as additional thought and prayer are applied. I recognize few churches, perhaps none within 15 miles of home, meet all of these preferences. Compromise is required. These preferences are unique to me. Most Christians will have different priorities. This explains why there are thousands of different Christian denominations – fortunately or unfortunately.

Essential:

Bible-believing, i.e. “conservative”: Not only promote the Bible as the Word of God, but teach that moral commands and prohibitions must be literally applied to our lives today and not treated as artifacts of an old culture (e.g. homosexuality); understand history and recorded miracles are historic fact, not symbolic fiction; and parables and symbolism are taken seriously and applied as essential spiritual lessons, not options for the prudishly devout. Recognize that these are all high ideals, we all fall short, and require forgiveness.

Relevance to current problems, events and issues: Church culture/teaching/sermons should not focus on the academic, i.e., do not merely interpret the Bible as if we are living 2,000 years ago and trying to define Hebrew and Greek words and culture. More importantly, presentations should draw specific analogies to what is going on in our lives and nation today, including reference to unGodly cultural temptations, over-indulgences, wrong priorities, government lapses, threats from other religions (Islam), and Biblical guidance and mandates on how to overcome. Recognize that a major portion of scripture discusses governance, politics, and their influence on the people. Throw in some eschatology.

Church leadership: The church or denomination follows the Biblical, first century pattern for church leadership concerning moral purity and gender.

High priority:

Preaching/sermons: Dynamic, compelling, engaging style integrating current events, situations and behaviors as examples for lessons being taught.

Enthusiastic congregation: Participants don’t come to church to primarily socialize, but come to primarily worship, learn and encourage others. Presence of a sense of excitement and urgency.

Friendly/welcoming: Seek an intangible feeling of being a part of the group and proceedings. Natural unscripted greeting by members is preferred over someone being “assigned” to greet. Be offered opportunities in subsequent meetings to discuss or discern spiritual gifts and interests and counseled about opportunities to serve.

Respect and reverence: Prefer a pastor who goes by his last name (Rev. Smith or Dr. Smith), not his first (Rev. Bill); who wears a suit, if not vestments, and not merely a shirt with open collar. Expect reverence and prayer within the sanctuary, with areas for socializing in ample facilities outside of the sanctuary.

Traditional service: Traditional hymns with choir and organ; no amplified instruments, or music with a heavy beat or mimicking pop music of our decadent culture.

Nice to have:

Ministry opportunities: Wide variety of ministry opportunities and openness to consideration of new ones.

Good music program: Professional sounding presentations; potential opportunities to participate in instrumental ensemble.

Congregational singing: Two, occasionally three songs, max. except for special occasions.

Physical building: Churchy, reverent feel, clean and well maintained buildings and grounds. Good acoustics; clear sound amplification.

Children: Not allowed to run around in the church building. Younger children go to another activity during the bulk of the service, perhaps after an early children’s sermon.