God Bless America! Best E-Mail Ever Received

Gosh you folks get passionate!! I fully support the right of Citizens to be patriotic and proud of their Nation. My only addit is that the suburb where I live has a mosque, churches, synagogue, and Buddhist temple. When I go shopping I buy tabacco from Ahmid who has just returned from his Hajj.The only folk at the shops you can easily recognise are the Mohammedans because of their clothes. We give them freedom of choice in what they wish to wear, however it is not a reciprocal deal when visiting Muslim countries. God Bless to all!

 

Yes, I have.

The very fact that you consider the LORD Jesus Christ only a prophet is blaspheming the name of Jesus Christ.
The very fact that many Muslims consider that Jesus Christ was born of a sexual union between "God and his wife" is blasphemy against Jesus Christ.
The very fact that you do not consider Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God is blasphemy against Jesus Christ.
The very fact that you do not consider Jesus Christ as God Himself is blasphemy.

Allah is demonic characiture of a false god worshiped by many deluded people who are willing to die for a lie. That is not blasphemy; it is the truth.
DHK

 

"Well, it is too bad that you are very much more about creating enemies for yourself, rather than being respectful of our beliefs and creating any bridges for dialogue with us. Perhaps the more radical elemments of those in my religion have a point after all. - Ishmail Farad"

Anthro adds: GOOD LUCK, especially in doing missions to the M.E. You will need it DESPERATELY.

 

As it has been pointed out by many on this board already, it was not the Baptists and other evangelical Christians that crashed large passenger jumbo jets into the WTC. Those acts of terrorism were carried out in the name of Islam, just like the suicide bombings are in the Middle East.
America has freedom of speech. I have the freedom of speech in this country to say the truth about Muhammed. The truth is that Muhammed himself thought that he was demon-possessed when he received those initial visions. The visions came from demons. He knew they did. He told his wife Khadija about these fears. It was Khadija that told him not to worry about the source, and reassured him that they were from God, and not from the devil. Islam was born out of demonism and Mohammed knew it.

If I said that in some of the countries that I visit it is possible to suffer the death penalty. "Please do not blaspheme our prophet," you say. You don't want to hear the truth. But you have no qualms about spreading lies and innuendos about Jesus Christ. In countries like Saudi Arabia Christians are disallowed any kind of free speech. Even gathering together for worship is banned.
DHK

 

My most important post in this thread follows:

"Very often," a missiology professor I once had said, "You have to first build a bridge strong enough to support the weight of the truth you hope to carry across it."

The professor was actually talking about Latin America, a quite friendly and relatively easy place, comparatively speaking, to seek to make the Person of Christ know in all His glory and reality.

Concerning the Islamic World, I would extend this professor's most astute observation.

I would add that important and difficult bridges frequently take a very long time to build, and that the conveyance of "heavy truth" across them must usually be deferred until such a time that the bridge is very solidly built.

Important bridge building--bridges that must cross a great expanse filled with many past grievances and misunderstandings, and that themselves must carry an exceeding amount of weight--is itself a very complex and difficult task.

It requires the greatest of wisdom, patience, grace, and Christ-like character; it requires a deep understanding of the Muslim "other"; it requires a willingness and deep life-actualization of getting down deeply into the world of the Muslim and his or her or their worldview or worldviews; it requires one to first see life sympathetically from the Islamic perspective and internal and structural and even institutional reality; it requires a very long-term strategy coupled with great perseverance. Such a thing only occurs amidst the internally experienced and externally exhibited longsuffering of God.

Such a thing requires the shedding of our nationalistic and cultural boundaries and mindset. Our nationalistic and cultural boundaries were certainly exhibited here, very clearly, even from the first post on.

But the approach I am bringing into view here requires us to be renewed in our minds on a deep-most level (see Romans 12:1-2).

It reacquires that we go about our whole life and work as Christ did, namely, incarnationally. Consider Philippians 2:5-10:

Toward that end, I, as a brother in Christ, and advocate of all the He is amidst many tribulations which are integral to any ministry of Christ, would urge you to seriously read again all that I have previously said.

I have taken the approach I did in this thread so that the "yukkies" within us would come clearly to the surface, so they could be self-judged by us and shed, this so that we ourselves do not fall under a judgment from God for not being as we should toward the Muslim world.

We are Christians first and foremost, and being a Christian is itself, and as a matter of first principle, a "national identity." We are a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9).

Compared to that, we are Americans as a far, far distant second. And as mentioned prior, we must stand ready to follow Christ's example--we must stand ready and actualize the shedding of anything we might consider "gain," so we may gain Christ and make Him known to others.

And, I would urge you all to take the following book deeply to heart.

Rest assured, brothers and sisters in our risen Lord and Shepherd, Jesus Christ. There is indeed a method to all my "madness." That it has not been immediately recognized here is a cause for reflection concerning our possible shirking of our intended world role and calling to make Christ known to the nations, and concerning the ethos we typically do that in--including toward the God-loved Islamic world.

I would urge all toward the notion that it is well past time for us to mature in the Parson of Christ, and all that He is, and no longer be culture-bound by or own national and church culture traditions.


`

[ March 23, 2003, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: Anthro ]

 

quoted by Anthro:

Australia warns of expected terror attack in Indonesia

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian foreign ministry warned Saturday that terrorist groups may be planning an attack on Westerners in the Indonesian city of Surabaya in coming days.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises that it has credible information that terrorist groups with a history of targeting Westerners and Western interests may be planning terrorist activity on or about March 23 in Surabaya, Indonesia," the ministry said in a statement.

The government has warned Australians not to travel to Indonesia since Oct. 12, when bombings on the island of Bali killed more than 200 people, including 89 Australians.

In the latest bulletin, Australians were warned not to travel to Surabaya and those already there were advised to stay home and exercise extreme caution.

They should avoid commercial and public places frequented by foreigners, including clubs, restaurants, bars, hotels, schools, fast food outlets, shopping centers, places of worship, public transport and any buildings associated with foreign interests, the foreign ministry said.

The statement noted that Surabaya, on Indonesia's main island of Java, has been the scene of street protests over U.S.-led military attacks in Iraq. Australia has contributed 2,000 troops to the war in Iraq.

The statement did not say which group might launch an attack.

Muslim Mob Invades Christian Village in Western Nigeria
More Than 100 Dead in Retaliation Attack

by Obed Minchakpu

Yola, Nigeria, March 14 (Compass) -- More than 100 persons died when a Muslim mob attacked a Christian community in western Nigeria’s Adamawa state apparently in retaliation for the deaths of 16 Muslims three months ago.

The February 28 attack on the Christian community of Yugur in Dumne village in the Song local government area is the latest clash in the “age-long” dispute between Muslims and Christians in the region.

Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, president of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, told Compass the death toll now stands at 110, with 500 injured; 50 are in critical condition. He added that 130 houses and some churches were razed, and 21,000 persons have been displaced. An unknown number of Christians are still missing.

Shortly after the attack began, Nigerian army and police personnel were sent to regain control over the area, but they were also attacked by the Muslim mob. Two soldiers and six policemen died.

Peter Mamman, a Christian victim of the attack, said the Muslims overwhelmed the soldiers and the policemen. “The well-armed Muslim militants possessed magical powers which they used to bewitch them,” Mamman said.

In December last year, a religious conflict engulfed Dumne village that also pitted Muslims against Christians. During that clash, 16 Muslims and two Christians were killed. The recent attack by Muslims on the Christian community is seen as an attempt by Muslims to retaliate for the 16 deaths.

Eyewitnesses said houses and churches in the village were burned to the ground by the invading mob. They blamed the government for not having enough policemen to protect the village.

Joshua Atiku, special advisor to the governor of Adamawa state, expressed sympathy with the victims of the attacks and said steps were being taken to curtail further attacks.

Meanwhile, police officials in the state have reported the arrests of 13 Muslim extremists from the Republic of Chad. The extremists are being accused of assisting in the attack on Christians in Dumne.

“Our men engaged the Muslim militants in a gun battle in which the leader of the group, a woman on horseback, was killed while 13 of them were arrested,” State Police Commissioner Muhammed Shu’aibu told journalists in Yola on March 4.

Shu’aibu said 50 sets of bows and arrows, three guns and other weapons were recovered from the extremists. He added that they were dressed in military uniforms.

Mr. Femi Oyeleye, police public relations officer for the Adamawa State Command, confirmed the arrests, saying, “Some foreigners, suspected to be Chadian mercenaries, are in the police net facing serious interrogation.”

Indonesia Nigeria

 

Hey, Anthro !
Your kind of "schizophrenic" posts are just excellent !
Hopefully, you put some quotation marks when you were speaking "in the name" of Ishmael smo.
You just stress smth that often lacks among us christians: enough intellectual honesty in trying to understand those who do not believe the same things as we do. If we don't care about what others believe and don't try to put ourselves in their place, we'll have difficulty in sharing the Gospel with them, because they won't care about what we believe in either...

 

"It is nothing new that Western interest-based groups and news editors love to report these sorts of unfortunate accounts. What is even more unfortunate is that they so greatly ignore the non-sensational; the news that might give a more complete or even very different overall picture. These ommissions appear very transparently to most Muslims.

"Perhaps you might read some of the Islamic world's excellent English language newspapers. I am certain they will give you a more balanced perspective on our affairs.

Regards,

Ismail Farad"


Anthro adds:

My dear friend Ismail is very right on about the lop-sidedness of mainstream Western media and interests groups. Fair-minded fellow as I try to be, I am thankful to him for helping me to see this, and again, he is right.

I have also been able to point out to Ismail that English language news from the Arabic world and material from Islamic interest groups is lopsided in some ways. Courageous and fair-minded man as he also tries to be, he has accepted this.

So we have come to see that listening to each other's voices is just a very, very good thing.

I have come to see that if one incorporates news voices from the Arabic world into their overall diet, it DOES very much give one a more accurate overall picture. Ismail is still very leery of taking any similar step, which is something he has helped my heart-eyes to very much see as to the underyling reasons. So I continue to extend understanding to him.

[ March 23, 2003, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: Anthro ]

 

Anthro,

I'm not sure if I would agree with the tactics you have employed on this thread, but I want to thank you for the best post I've read during my time on the board.

The same principles can be applied to those who seek to witness to Roman Catholics (Nationalists) here in Ireland.

God Bless you in your efforts to reach those within the Muslim world.

Your Brother in Christ

Enda

 

Oops. Can't cross-post.

 

Please show me in the gospels where Jesus had people say "a sinner's prayer." Did He use a "one-size-fits-all" approach?

Or did He use unique, contextualized approaches contingent upon His audience or hearer, their culture and background, their life-situation, religious background, etc., with some conversions that took a long time, and some which occured straightway? Was it the Holy Spirit who led Him to do things that way?

The Jesus Film is one tool, but my experience on the mission field, even using the Jesus Film, and the experience of many even in Campus Crusade for Christ, indicates that most of the "conversions" do not "take." "Decisions for Christ" mean very little in and of themselves. As I am fond of saying, I can lead a parrot to say a sinner's prayer. In some contexts, bridge building is utterly vital. Otherwise, spiritual abortions can occur.

The gospel is a lot, lot harder, and much more costlier than trite little prayers would make it seem, especially in certain contexts where becoming a Christian means things like being disowned by your family, and marked out for social stigmatization, the likes of which most in the U.S. have and will probably never see.

Though the following is a bit abrasive, you might consider reading the following, and being challenged by its message:

What's Wrong With the Gospel? - Section One: The Missing Parts

What's Wrong With the Gospel? - Section Two: The Added Parts

 

Finally Anthro, You write something with which I agree.

 

It is not good to have zeal without knowledge.

 

SheEagle,

If willingness to die for one's faith prove's its authenticity (and the presence of God in the person's life) shouldn't we all become Muslims?

Joshua

 

Try this link for a somewhat more sensible view on this than some of the posts expressed here and also this for the gratifying response. It supports what I think Anthro has been trying to say re effective evangelism.

YOurs in Christ

Matt

 

"Oh bother" said Pooh, "neither of the links came up". Try again:-

Comment on Falwell and others

Muslim reply

Yours in Christ

Matt

 

...Therefore, let us treat them like the enemies they are so we can win them for Christ.