I just read an article written by JR Vassar the lead pastor, Church at the Cross, Grapevine, Texas. He claims, “I am saddened by the tendency of some Christians to call for the sending of missiles upon our nation’s enemies more than to pray for the sending of missionaries to the hardest places.” When is he leaving for Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan? I am capable of praying for both.
He admits, “The
Islamic State is a horrific evil and must be stopped. The destruction it is
bringing on innocent life and human civilization is heartbreaking and should
fill us with righteous indignation. Likely, it will take the international
community to defeat the Islamic State, and it will almost certainly mean
military conflict.” Who does he expect to volunteer for the military conflict
non-Christians?
He is, “…
grieved that some influential pastors and Christian leaders eagerly call for
the bombing of regions that will inevitably lead to the destruction of human
life (innocent image-bearers who suffer as collateral damage), and do so
without tears and a broken heart.” I do not know of any Christian leader that
would call for the bombing of ISIS if they thought there was another way. I also do not think any Christian leader has ever
called for the destruction of ISIS without having a heavy heart when doing so.
He suggested
we, “Pray for our enemies and desire their salvation.” He claims God would want
us to show them mercy and give them an opportunity to repent. He knows that is what God would
want us Christians to do. If he believes in the literal translation of the
Bible he must know that God called for the destruction of innocent women,
children and animals of the Israelites enemies. I do not believe in the literal
translation of the Bible so I think it was more the men of Israel that wanted
their destruction, rather than God, but they may have thought that was what God
wanted them to do. The same as Reverend
Vassar thinks he knows what
God wants us to do as it pertains to the terrorist. If God wanted the enemies
of the Israelites destroyed, but does not want our enemies destroyed
does that mean God loved the Israelites more than He loves us?
He went on
to write, “Our call is to follow the command and example of Jesus who
told us to love our enemies and pray for them, and who himself laid his
life down for his enemies, even praying for their forgiveness as they killed
him. Again, if we are calling for missiles, but not praying for missionaries,
we have lost touch with the heart of God.” I am sorry, but I am not prepared to
have my throat cut by the followers of ISIS and honestly I do not think he is
either. It is easy for him to write or say the things he does from Grapevine,
Texas. I guess if his wife and children were caught in a terrorist situation he
would prefer to allow them to be slaughtered than try to kill his enemy.
Jesus was
not fighting a foreign enemy He was trying to reform His own people –
the Jews. Jesus did not have a military, but he had no problem displaying his
anger in the temple turning over the tables of the money changers. King David
had a military given to him by God and he certainly used it. If we are going to
use Biblical comparison King David and his enemies are more like our enemy ISIS
and Muslim terrorist than Jesus and His enemies. If it was Protestants and
Catholics (Ireland) fighting over differences I would agree with Reverend
Vassar, but it is not. It is good versus evil!
He admits
that as we pray to God we know there will never be peace on this earth,
“…we know that ultimately complete peace and justice are a world away, in the
new heavens and new earth.”
He says, “We
do not need to fear Muslims, but love them, befriend them, and seek to
share the good news of Jesus with them.” I do love some Muslims, those
that are not trying to kill me, my caregiver is Muslim.
I probably
have more experience dealing with Muslims than he does, since I have lived on
the Island of Mindanao in the Philippines for the past ten years. I live in
Davao, but I am not about to travel to Cotobato or Sula where Muslim terrorist
are kidnapping foreigners regularly. I welcome him to come to Southern Mindanao
at any time and love the Muslim terrorist and the Communist insurgents to the
peace table. The Philippine government has been trying to do it for thirty
years and have failed.
“We are not Americans first, but Christians
first. We belong to a kingdom that is not of this world — a kingdom with no
boundaries or borders. We may disagree on policy or diplomacy, but infinitely
more important is that we agree on Jesus, his rule, and his great love for his
people and for this world. We don’t have to be divided by our lesser loyalties
when we are united by our greatest loyalty.” This all sounds good, but it is
not realistic when it comes to dealing with terrorist in 2015. I do not think
God intends for us to let Islamic terrorist cut our heads off, destroy our
religion, invade our country and not resist.
I think a diplomatic
solution would be impossible with groups like ISIS or other groups of Islamic
Muslim Terrorist. Reverend Vassar wrote Jesus faced radicals and He did not try
to kill them if I am not mistaken Jesus was killed. Jesus knew pain, suffering, persecution and
terrorism first hand is Reverend Vassar willing to do the same, is he willing
to sacrifice his family without a fight, I am not.
If men like
Reverend Vassar had reached out to the young men that make up ISIS and other
terrorist groups a decade ago maybe we would not be in the mess we are in
today. I think Reverend Vassar should consider that perhaps the church failed
in reaching out to the Arabs in the Middle East.
Paul was
once a terrorist killing Christians just at ISIS is doing today and he came to
accept Christ as his Savior so there is hope. But, who is willing to go today
and try to convert ISIS members. Is Reverend Vassar willing, if not he should
not be so asking someone else to.
Jesus’ way
of putting His enemies in their place was by shaming them. How does Reverend
Vassar propose that we shame ISIS?
Christian
leaders should have taken more seriously education reform, business
opportunities, economic reforms and employment opportunities in Iraq, Syria,
Pakistan, Africa and Afghanistan and maybe there would be no ISIS today. Was
Reverend Vassar pushing for those reforms prior to now?
I am not
Reverend Pat Robertson and I do not say, “Convert or die”. I would like to see
them convert to Christianity, but that is not a requirement for me to have
peace. But, I do not think it is possible for us now to love the members of
ISIS to a negotiated peace. I say that because they are telling us, “Convert or
die”.
The Iraqi
Christians since 2003 until about 2014 were known for being passive. They
finally realized they could no longer be passive and stay alive. Unfortunately
they began to stand up for their religious liberty and their freedom too late.
Are Americans being ask to do the same by religious leaders like Reverend
Vassar? Are we going to wait for ISIS to tell us to convert, pay a tax or die
as they did the Christians in Mosul? Did not Obama take the passive role and
allow ISIS to grow stronger, accomplish more evil and kill more Christians?
I am not for
the destruction of ISIS only because they are killing Christians. I am
for the destruction of ISIS because I am against any group of people that
practice genocide against a weaker group of people.
ISIS is
nothing more than a gang like those in any large city in the United States that
kill people in order to expand their territory.
They both are criminals (terrorists) who are determined to murder people
in order to gain control. They must be stopped and I truly believe God condemns
their actions.
I do not
believe God expects us to only pray and take no defensive action against
them. Most of us do not sit back and refuse to work and expect God to feed us.
Most of us do not refuse to take preventive action to maintain our health
simply because we believe God can heal us. Most of us would not sit down on the
couch and watch while a robber took our belongings and possibly raped our wife
and do nothing but pray. Why do some Christians expect us to only pray and take
no military action to protect our families, neighbors, country and us?
I believe in
prayer and I have no doubt that pray is powerful, but I also believe God
expects us to take action along with prayer. Why don’t we just stop being
charitable and pray to God to take care of the poor, orphans and widows?
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