In the Lord’s Army
Pastor Terry Jones has General David Petraeus worried. Jones, and his congregants at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida intend to hold an old-fashioned book burning. The bonfire is intended to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attack on 9-11, and, most importantly, to ignite a faith in Jesus among Muslims.
This is not the first time fire has been used as a tool by combatants in the Lord’s Army. Petraeus, who’s got no beef with Jesus, is rightly concerned about Jones’s plans to burn copies of the Koran as a means ministering the true message of Christ.
Petraeus said Monday that if Jones and his posse follow through with their plans to host a burning of the Holy Word of Islam, they could incite acts of violence toward U.S. Troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban will use such a demonstration for propaganda purposes, Petraeus predicted.
“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” he warned. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”
But Jones remains resolute – he isn’t budging. “We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats.”
It’s a good old-fashioned case of tit-for-tat. We refuse to be controlled and dominated by the fears and threats of radical Islamics; instead, we’ll be controlled and manipulated by the fears and threats of our own choosing, thank you very much. “Islam is of the devil” t-shirts can be purchased on the church’s website, along with a book Jones penned himself titled with the same catchy phrase.
To his credit, Jones insists that he loves Muslims – he just takes issue with their religion. It is Jones’s sincerest hope that burning the Koran will hopefully persuade those Muslims he loves to see that the Koran is a “book of lies and that the only true salvation is in Jesus.”
Yeah, buddy, because acting the fool and ticking people off has always been an effective evangelical tool. Dove World Outreach considers itself a New Testament Church, which is odd, considering: Where exactly is it in the Scriptures that Jesus urged his followers to intimidate and demean others?
But lest you discount Jones as another backwoods Southern preacher, you should know that he is fully aware that his methodology isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking. In fact, Jones expects that burning the Koran will rile some folks up. Petraeus may very well be right — those offended by Jones’s actions may come looking for a fight.
“Islam has proven itself to be a violent religion and Mohammed promoted violence in the Koran,” Jones said.
Granted, all this posturing can be a tad confusing. It’s downright discombobulating, trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys when the good guys are the ones carrying the gasoline can. You kind of expect it to be the other way around, don’t you?
A good rule of thumb to remember is that the good guys carrying the torch always claim that Jesus has got their back.
Amen.
And if Jones actually goes ahead with the book burning, I’m wondering if the likes of Sarah Palin will refudiate him.
I just re-read my post. I must have either been in a hurry or half asleep. (Talking about the typos)
AF Roger,
Yep, love Wink. Great stuff, his trilogy on the powers. Isn’t it always the case, the only way to peace is by being peaceful. The only way to overcome evil is through love.
Pastor Jones needs to read Matthew 5:9, methinks.
Steve,
Thanks for your service, first of all, and your continued clear thinking most of all. I don’t suppose any of those 40K concert-goers put money in an offering box, filled out a revised Form W-4 doubling their taxes to pay for the wars or signed a petition asking for reinstatement of the military draft as they left the venue.
Pr. Terry Jones’ plans call to mind Matt. 5:39a, “But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer.” The most learned English translations fail to get to the heart of this verse, and popular thinking often colors it through the ensuing “turn the other cheek” statement, another posture also misunderstood. No, folks, Jesus is not asking us to roll over and play dead. Jesus is not commanding us to a posture or inertness. Quite the contrary.
Best exegesis of 5:39a I’ve read was done several years ago by Prof. Walter Wink. The Greek word often translated “resist” or “oppose” is an infinitive, ANTISTENAI, that can be literally translated “stand against”. Wink sees the use of this term and its historical understanding coming out of the paradign of Greco-Roman wrestlers or warriors about to engage one another, both showing their most aggressive postures. Once these postures engage, there can only be more conflict, tit-for-tat, retaliation. Jesus is calling not for more of the same but for adopting a posture that throws the enemy off-balance, not one that directly engages the perceived evil.
Much more to be said here, but what we can distill out of the passage is this (in my undrstanding) much better rendering of 5:39, ff: Don’t face an enemy by becoming him, don’t become the evil opponent’s mirror image. Don’t oppose and enemy by using the same tactics.
This requires faith, boldness, courage, sacrifice, anything but inertness. Rom. 12:17 and 1 Pet. 3:9 also make a lot more sense through the lens of this understanding of the Matthew text.
Jones’ position is therefore very conflicted as he has stated “Instead of blaming us for what could happen, we put the blame where it belongs–on the people who would do it. We should address radical Islam and send a very clear warning that they are not to retaliate in any form.” Jones wants no in-kind response to what almost anyone would see as a clear provocation that could actually set back by decades the school building, diplomatic bridge building and humanitarian work of people like Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute.
My plea: Pastor Jones, don’t oppose radical Islam by becoming its mirror image. Listen to the One you profess to serve.
In the name of Your Spiritual Haughtiness, love that, Al.
We can get it so wrong sometimes.
Thanks for this Ken. I posted the video on the blog.
This is great, Gary. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak.
Arrogance is exactly right, Jim. And yes, put yourself at risk if you want but not everyone else. Geeish.
Steve: All the more reason why I avoid crowds, especially drunken ones.
I have not come to destroy the other but to save them — Gosh. Did you take that out of context? I thought Jesus was a Cowboy who wanted to kick butt.
Karen, just saw that this group is planning a candlelight vigil in response in Oak Ridge, TN. http://tiny.cc/ycikm
Al,
Wherein I would not equate defending my faith (as if God needs my defense … chuckle) with defending my country, I deeply appreciate your point. Last year I was at a Toby Keith concert where at the end, 40,000 mostly drunk folks (probably the operational point here) stood, locked arms and sang, “we’ll put a boot up your ass … etc., etc. …” you probably know the song. I surely knew that Toby would sing that song. Thought about it before I went to the concert because as a 20 year military vet, I’ve spent some time coming to grips with the reality of whose boots, how those boots get used, and for what reasons. So frankly, I was surprised not by my reaction to the song, but my reaction to the 40,000 folks who were out there issuing up their faux-bravado-patriotism-lite and acting as if somehow their actions on this night had some connection with my brothers and sisters humping a ruck and getting their collective butts targeted by IEDs, snipers, and anyone else who thought burning a Koran was worthy of killing. I wondered were they truly willing to pay the price or was it all just so much noise? I wonder that here too. Is Terry Jones willing to bear the cost … for Jesus it was a cross borne not in anger or defiance, but in love.
This kind of arrogance by this pastor is just amazing. Somehow, I think the Apostle Paul would be stunned at such this kind of behavior in a wold that has grown increasingly hostile to the Christian faith. (He certainly never did such a think when dealing with the Rome.)
Also sad to think about the way he is putting the troops in such a risky situation.
I firmly believe in taking up arms to defend my Faith, My Country, My Neighbors, My Family, My Home etc.
However…to Defend implies a specific attack.
If the Pastor wishes to defend the Faith and our Country against the attacks of the Muslim Fanatics….
Then Join the Marines or invite the Local recruiters to the Church for an Armed Forces day.
Do not poke the tiger with a stick, throw rocks at the pit bull or wave a red sheet at the bull.
Such foolishness invariably gets others injured or Killed in the name of your Spiritual Haughtiness.
Seemingly, this is an old story, wanting to deny the “Other,” wanting to name the evil “out there”, and apparently overlooking the evil “in here.” I suspect that Jesus was more than a bit frustrated along the way, maybe even horrified from time-to-time. After all, what does one do when it appears that your own peeps simply ain’t getting it?
For there they were, on the fringes of that “Other” village where those nasty Samaritan folks wouldn’t receive them. I suspect those Samaritans probably even had a few words of hatred for them. Maybe even suggested that if they entered they would pay a hefty price, perhaps even with their heads. So of course, being certain of their own righteousness, Jesus’ traveling companions responded, “Come on Jesus, let’s nuke ‘em, let’s just rain a little fire down on this collection of infidels. Let’s bring a bit of holy war to these dogs.”
You would think that Jesus would agree. He was a good Jew. He knew the issues with these “foreigners,” the hatred they had for the Jews and vice-versa. He knew the trouble they had allegedly caused in the Jerusalem Temple. Indeed, apparently they were not even worthy of the wholly derisive term of “dogs.” Why not just blow ‘em away? It surely would have increased his own popularity, brought the masses to his side, and perhaps even assuaged the growing pressure from the imperial cult.
Yet, Jesus doesn’t do it. Instead he admonishes his peeps, suggests they are forgetting who they are. But more, he reminds them of who he is. “Do you not yet know the Spirit of which you are made? For I have not come to destroy the ‘Other,’ but to save them.”
Maybe we all might remember as well. Perhaps if we remember well enough, it might even touch the lives of those who are sure they have the truth.
Butch: I hadn’t considered the idea of a stupid gas but you might be right.
I am convinced that we have been successfully attacked with a chemical that has made us STUPID. this stuff would not even make the Jerry Springer show. These people are nuts,and they want everyone to know it. Somebody please tell me what happened? God help us. But don’t worry I completely understand if you don’t answer this prayer.
Pastor Terry Jones has been a controversial figure for many years. Jones’ Christliche Gemeinde Koln (Christian Church of Cologne) was once raided and investigated by the German tax police for tax evasion. The German authorities accused the group of being a dangerous cult. Jones’ group solicited furniture donations which they sold for profit. Exposed and discredited, Jones moved back to the U.S. After relocating to Florida, his group still engaged in selling donated furnitures, and has been under investigation by American officials. http://bit.ly/bDEjF1
Thinking that Muslims will turn to Christ from this act is like … I have no metaphor. It’s beyond the pale.
Jesus said there’s one way the world (Muslims included) will know that we (believers in Christ) will know that we are His (Jesus’) disciples in John 13:34-35.
Hint: It’s not by burning books of other faiths.
“..trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys when the good guys are the ones carrying the gasoline can.” Well said. How could anyone in their right mind think that this kind of act would lead someone to see that they are wrong and Jesus is the way? This is not the way Jesus acted and not the way we should treat people either. Just another example of idiots making Christians look bad. Thank you so much dude, cuz we really needed more of that. :-/
Ray Bradbury: “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist/Unitarian, Irish/Italian/Octogenarian/Zen Buddhist, Zionist/Seventh-day Adventist, Women’s Lib/Republican, Mattachine/Four Square Gospel feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse.”
Scot Peck expands on that thought in his classic — People of the Lie.
Those are great thoughts, Don. I wish I thought that Pastor Jones would give them a careful read. What bothers me is the disregard for the danger it puts our troops in.
Gary, you know me too well.
I know, right? I mean if you want to act the fool, do it without putting others at risk.
Thanks for writing about this. I can’t believe the name Dove World Outreach is the name of their church. How does that even make sense? Aaarrgghh!
I knew you’d write something on this! It’s got the whole town of Gainesville “fired” up – pardon the expression. This is so crazy! It’s been all over the national news. I can’t understand how they think this is a good idea?
Since they are a New Testament church, I wonder if they are familiar with the 9th chapter of John’s gospel? These words from my favorite theologian and thinker of the 20th century, the lat Joseph Sittler, come to mind:
Evil is never more quietly powerful than in the assumption that it resides elsewhere.
I sent the following email to Dove Outreach Center. These are my thoughts on the subject.
As one who has experienced the love and grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, I am beseeching you to rethink this plan to have a Koran burning on September 11, 2010. Will this be a genuine display of the love of Jesus Christ to the world and to Muslims worldwide? Or will this simply further tarnish the name of Jesus Christ in the world as it is correlated to the Crusades? Would you not accomplish more by sending and supporting missions who are working in the Middle East? I can recommend several missions agencies. You will do what you will do, but are you willing to take responsibility for your actions. Does this truly reflect the Spirit in which the first century church operated? May the Spirit of Jesus Christ truly be your guide.
Sincerely,
Don Feazelle
Janet:
In this day and age it doesn’t take national media to make a story — it takes one video posted to You Tube.
I spent a few minutes trying to see where this guy was coming from because as a non-theist, I try not to jump to conclusions about deists.
I think this has nothing really to do with Islam or wanting to spread the philosophy of Jesus. It’s about a fame-hungry American who wants to see his face on CNN, whether for good or bad.
If the media had dismissed him as a crack pot, this wouldn’t have made it beyond the local news and the Taliban hopefully would have never heard about it and there would be no increased risk or propaganda opportunities.
The media’s main focus is on entertainment, the more juicy and scandalous, the better. The more “hits” registered on their comment sections, the better.
This man is wrong in his motives, but the national media was wrong in giving him a larger platform that his pulpit.
Going to get a lot sadder if he carries this out.
Get no argument from me on that
I wondered the same thing
Is this guy a distant cousin of Fred Phelps? Just wondering.
Dumb dumb dumb.
But you know what else endangers those troops? Sending them there in the first place. Also dumb dumb dumb.
This is just a story full of dumb!
So freakin sad!