Recently a friend of mine asked Ken
and me a very thought provoking question.
She wanted to know "Since Jesus always preached non-violence, how
Christians are to protect ourselves and our religion against a violent,
ruthless aggressor such as ISIS?" It was
a very good question that I felt was worth sharing here as well as the reply
given by Ken.
"Your question is one of some
complexity, and should really be answered both with respect to our response as
Americans and our response as Christians.
They are not necessarily the same. First, let me address the question
from the American perspective. Our government bears the constitutional mandate
to protect our sovereign borders as well as defend its citizens from attacks,
both domestic and foreign. While being vilified in the press and abroad,
Trump's call to halt Muslim immigration is both constitutional and prudent.
While not a fan of Trump, this moratorium is the only real option we have until
we can get a handle on the known subversives entering our country. It has both
statutory and historical precedent, with too many of each to list here. These
measures are not being sought out of fear or prejudice, but rather common sense
and responsible security measures. Obama's (et. al.) attempts to claim otherwise
either show a sore lack of historical and legal knowledge, or worse, are
tantamount to aiding and abetting the enemy. While we have always rightly been
a shelter of refuge for the oppressed and war-torn nations, not every situation
calls for a wholesale rolling out of the welcome mat. I believe we could both
protect American citizens and more effectively help provide relief for fleeing
refugees over there rather than within our own country. Refugee status is just
that anyway. Its goal is not long-term immigration, but rather protection from
the current situation. The large number of Muslim men of fighting age fleeing
the area creates great concern from a historical perspective as well. A lesser
known tenet of Islam is conquering by immigration (called Al-Hijra). Couple
that with ISIS's admission of using the Syrian refugee crisis as a way to
infiltrate the West with ready and well-trained operatives, and any lesser
measures seem patently foolhardy. Other presidential candidates have called for
varying degrees of this policy, though without the blanket application called
for by Trump. This follows suit with their attempt to distance themselves from
the massive deportation of generally illegal aliens Trump has espoused as well.
In my opinion, we should seek to work with allies to create a "safe
space" within the Arab world for these refugees, before deciding to bring
them, if at all, to America. We do not want to become another Sweden, as it is
clear that refugees do not move halfway around the world to assimilate into
their host country's culture, and all that implies.
http://www.glennbeck.com/2015/12/08/is-sweden-on-the-brink-of-losing-its-culture/
Now to the cause for my desire to
respond in particular. The question of defending our religion (faith) is a
great one from my perspective as a minister of the Gospel.
My heart breaks for those who are facing the atrocities and
downright demonic wrath of ISIS and their sympathizers. They are constantly in
my prayers. I plead for God to protect them, to grant them justice, and give
them a chance to hear the Gospel of hope, to know that they have a Maker who
not only loves them dearly, but wants them to truly know Him. Not only that,
but the Bible tells us to pray for our enemies, a uniquely Christian teaching
(Matthew 5:43-45). Hatred is never the answer for cruelty and savagery, even if
it required much dying to self to do so. I find my heart filling with rage when
I hear of these things being done in the name of their god, but I must realize
that in the spiritual realm, the real enemy is not ISIS, al-Queda, Hamas, Boko
Haram, nor any of the other countless Islamist groups committing these
atrocities. The real enemy is, has always been, and always will be till God
deals with him, Satan. Their religion, their god, is a counterfeit of true
God-worship, and is the handiwork of the Great Deceiver. Satan has always used
counterfeits to deceive and damn those he seeks to destroy. His lies started in
the Garden of Eden, and continue to this day. If he can bring out hate in us,
he has won. He has managed to neutralize us in our tracks and destroy our
witness before men. This is some of his easiest work. The most striking
difference between Christianity and other religions is the way our God relates
to us. Every other religion seeks to reach God through good works and piety,
with its adherents never knowing with any degree of confidence if their efforts
are good enough to make the grade. Islam even goes so far as to teach that the
only sure path to paradise is through martyrdom. With that kind of
hopelessness, it is little wonder that so many choose to punch their eternal
card in that manner. Theirs truly is a cult of death.
On the other hand, our devotion to
Christ is based entirely on what He has already done for us, and in our place,
before we could ever begin to seek Him. Though we may be forced to die for our
faith rather than deny Him, he does not call us to seek our salvation through
death. Instead, He is the one who died for us. Think how foreign that must
sound to a Muslim steeped in a warped sense of mercy and justice, where such
scandalous love is divorced from the equation. It is dangerous to believe that
our religions serve the same God. They are two very different beings when you
study their natures. All of that being said, I do not believe we need to defend
our religion in the standard sense of the word. God needs no defending, but
rather obedience, obedience to His Word in accordance with the love He has
already shown us, guaranteeing His disciples a life that no man can really take
away.
As a Christian, I carry a gun for self-defense
and defense of my home and family. I take prudent measures to protect and watch
over them as well as my possessions. There is no conflict with Scripture in
that. While I am quick to share my faith with anyone who would listen, I do not
seek to offend or provoke anyone. I know that my God goes before me and guides
me in this, and no amount of witnessing or preaching would come to any good
without the Holy Spirit speaking into the heart of the listener first. I am not
that good at persuasion, nor would I want to be. I am confident that God is in
total control of history, and all will be for His glory. For centuries
Christians have sought to reach the lost around the world with the Gospel,
placing their own safety and comfort second to the necessity to see people not
die without eternal hope. Now, many Christians have championed a mass migration
of refugees into the U.S. in the name of spreading the Gospel, having the lost
literally coming to us in droves. As a missionary I can see how that would be
desirous. However, I think that it is an oversimplification of matters, and
pushes the Church's responsibilities onto the government, much like sending
your kids off to Sunday School to learn about Jesus because we cannot model our
lives as disciples for our children and teach them ourselves. Besides, Muslim
immigrants to our shores are not wowed by our nation's piety and devotion to
Christ, but rather appalled by our disregard for them. We are called the Great
Satan not because of our churches and houses of worship, but rather our open
embrace of all manner of evil and immorality. Having them come see that for
themselves is no recipe for spiritual revival. The Church's (Christians') roles
and the government's roles are not at all the same. While governments must
protect their citizens, Christians should be willing to put their Lord and
Savior above all else. What we are seeing in these arguments is a confusing of
the two. One day I may find myself like those Syrian Christians, right here in
my own country, forced to deny my Savior or face death, or worse, watch my family
die before my eyes for refusing to do so. If that day comes, I pray that both I
and my family hold the convictions and a closeness with the Holy Spirit
necessary to see it through. But until then, I see no need to swing wide the
gate to the henhouse when there is another way. I find the ease at which this
administration tries to do just that quite scary. Whether we are willing to
admit it or not, we are at war with a vicious and conniving enemy, and we have
to see it for what it is. We must act accordingly, or perish by our own
misguided sense of political correctness. All of these words with regard to the
role of Christians could be summed up in Jesus' own words in Matthew 10:7-22. Be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.
