I am steaming mad today. Normally the actions of lunatic attention whores don’t move me much beyond a shake of my head and quick thank you that the Lord has protected me from my own craziness. But this guy is pushing my buttons. Before I go further, let me be very clear. I believe very strongly in the Freedom of speech and he is exercising that right. That doesn’t make it a wise decision.
My beef with him is twofold. First, as a self-professed Christian, with this attention-getting, self-aggrandizing act, he is clearly mocking the values and foundation of true Christianity. Again, let me be clear, I believe Islam is wrong and I am in no way defending or promoting the truth of the Quran. But as believers, we are called to speak the truth of the gospel in love. Christ clearly states that we love the sinner, hate the sin. This act in no way reflects the care and compassion Christ bore for the lost. By the very nature of its claims, the gospel will anger people and has the potential to separate believers from the world BUT the delivery of the message SHOULD NOT be the catalyst for hatred and violence. Again, I don’t believe in milquetoast Jesus. He got righteously angry – and rightfully so – but often his anger was directed at those who falsely proclaimed the truth. I can’t help but make the comparison to the moneylenders inside the temple-using the righteous for their personal gain. Jesus was furious at these men. This self-proclaimed leader of the faithful is using this act to promote himself and gain media attention. It in no way honors Christ and all that he taught.
Secondly, and on an extremely personal note – the prospect of this book-burning of has increased the level for potential violence against Americans around the world. My husband is currently on the ground in a Muslim country working his butt off to bring aid and relief to the people there devastated by floods. There is still a terrorist threat and he and his unit are facing a deeply suspicious and anti-American sentiment among the people they are trying to help. I don’t even have the words for how angry I would be if the actions of one sorry lunatic were responsible for the injury or death of my husband or any other person in his unit. Don’t get me wrong, P. signed up willingly knowing the risks, but if those risks are exponentially increased because of this guy and something happens to him or anyone else, I swear I am hopping the next plane to Florida so I can push my pregnant self and a boatload of photographs right in his face and give the consequences of his actions a face and a name. As I read over that statement, I realize that I am not being very Christ like myself but I am steamed up and angry at the thought of the people I love and soldiers around the globe potentially in more danger because of one idiot and the media attention he is receiving. My final caveat is this-I do believe in fighting terrorism and that we as a nation should refuse to be bullied and manipulated by Islamic fundamentalists. But we approach that fight with wisdom and strategy, rather than with inflammatory and (pointless) symbolic acts.
I’m done ranting, now I am going to go pray that I can forgive this man.
~M.
P.S. In reading the comments surrounding many of the news articles about this story, a lot of people make the point that Christians have been consistently tortured and killed by Muslims for their faith, the Bible and its teachings routinely mocked and desecrated by not just Muslims but also by the popular culture in the United States, and there has been nary a peep of outrage at these actions. True, yes, the double standard is demoralizing and disheartening to Christians, but that does not give us the right in turn to act the same way.
Take comfort in John 16:23 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”