Posted on 05/15/2015 1:24:05 PM PDT by Biggirl
At PJM today I discuss the widespread reaction to our free speech event in Texas — yes, you can do it, but you shouldn’t. Franklin Graham articulated what many Christians (and others) are thinking about the now-notorious Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest that Pamela Geller and I organized in Garland, Texas, and that was attacked by jihadis.
"Spencer, PJM: Some Christians Object to Our Muhammad Cartoon Contest, Here’s Why They’re Wrong"
There was a handful of Germans that did not like Hitler.
There numbers grew in 1945.
Next question?
I’ve long lost any “respect” I may have had for islam before 9/11.
How could anyone respect a “religion” founded by a pedophile, thief and murderer?
Then they have their heads buried deep in the sand.
The Protestant Reformation began in Germany, and made extensive use of visual propaganda; the success of both Martin Luther’s socio-religious reforms and the discipline of political cartooning depended on a level of civilization neither too primitive nor too advanced.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3289017/posts
Here’s why they are not wrong. Robert Spencer can do what he thinks best in the fight against false religions, but Christians don’t have that option. We are to be like our Savior, dead to self but alive to him and his purposes and his METHODS. Jesus told his disciples that wanted to call down fire from heaven, that they did not know what manner of spirit they were of (i.e., they were not hearing from God).
In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, the Apostle Paul states his method for sharing the gospel with the lost. I don’t see holding a cartoon contest in there to mock the Jews or one to mock the false gods of the Greeks. What makes the difference is that his concern is for the gospel - that it might find a place in the heart and mind of a lost person. He identifies with them where he can - he does not compromise in essentials. He would never compromise his message or the Word of God. But he is not intentionally rude or out to provoke a fight. Will the majority of Muslims listen or have a rational conversation with a Christian trying to convince them of the truth claims of Christ and the error of Islam? Some will, perhaps, but probably most won’t. But for the few that will and the few that might “watch how a true believer in Christ lives” we Christians should be the salt and light that the Bible tells us to be. Wise as serpents but harmless as doves. Yes, we are in a war, but the Bible states that we do not wage warfare the way the world does. Our weapons are spiritual. Witness Daniel and his 3 friends in the book that bears his name. They each had their faith tested. God delivered them. Isaiah was sawn in half and Steven was stoned for his witness. The first church did not immediately hold a “draw a Pharisee or your favorite Sanhedrin member contest.” They fled Jerusalem. The prophetic scriptures state that in the end, the world will get increasingly evil and persecution of Jews and Christians will increase. The antichrist (whoever he turns out to be) will wage war against the saints and overcome them. That means he’ll kill the majority of them. Part of the problem is that the majority of people are so invested in their own personal lives that they do not care what is happening in our country until it effects them personally. How could over 50 million babies be aborted in the U.S.? Easy... most people don’t care because they are not the baby that’s being murdered. But they may be the people who made the baby. Doing the right thing or doing what’s convenient - that’s often the decision? Our president said he didn’t want to “punish” one or both of his daughters with a baby. We are at the point in this country that even if there was not one single Muslim that would cut off the head of a Christian or a Jew there are plenty of university professors, media personalities, Hollywood types and (I saved the best for last) politicians that would love to. That is what is in their heart. They might not want to do it themselves but they will be glad to hold the cloak of others that are doing the stoning (or head cutting). Christians are to speak the truth in love. We are instructed not to throw our pearls before swine but we are to be ready to give an answer to those who ask us of the reason for the hope we have - with humility and love. Hard to show or demonstrate humility while you’re doing the cartoon contest. Others can but we can’t. Our job is to hold up the standard and to be faithful unto death. Many in the middle east are doing that. Coming here soon. Cartoon contest won’t stop it. Repentance might.
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