"Calling other Christians and pastors “cowards” because they did not rally with him, he confessed, “I can understand if somebody said that the burning of the Quran is ‘too much for me’ … I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But the Christians … should have said ‘okay, we’re not really for the burning, but what he’s saying [that] Islam is evil, Sharia Law is wrong, radical Isl...more

"Calling other Christians and pastors “cowards” because they did not rally with him, he confessed, “I can understand if somebody said that the burning of the Quran is ‘too much for me’ … I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But the Christians … should have said ‘okay, we’re not really for the burning, but what he’s saying [that] Islam is evil, Sharia Law is wrong, radical Islam is wrong,’ they should have stood with us but they just didn’t have any guts.”

Thanks to CP for posting this article.
Pastor Jones is right. More Christians should have stood with him in principle.

But now all communities, religious or secular, radical or otherwise, who thought that Pastor Jones was weak and backed away in the face of such unprecedented international attention, have been shown otherwise.

Nevertheless, as well pointed out by JRCP, we have yet to see any representative of the Muslim community condemn the attack on the UN in Afghanistan just as strongly, if not more strongly, than the UN themselves have.

It becomes more evident that any Pastor or church leader, in the United States, who only speaks against Islam is being watched very closely. It will not be long before the blame for the deaths of brothers and sisters around the world becomes focused on mere Islamic hate speech instead of the rhetoric or actions of national governments.

Psa 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then Jehovah will take me up.
Psa 27:11 Teach me Your way, O Jehovah, and lead me in a plain path, because of my enemies.
Psa 27:12 Deliver me not over to the will of my enemies; for false witnesses have risen up against me, and he that breathes out cruelty.
Psa 27:13 I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living.
Psa 27:14 Hope in Jehovah; be of good courage, and He shall make your heart strong; yea, hope in Jehovah.less

evangelistluthe, we do not suggest any inconsistancies in the scriptures. We do suggest that we may be misunderstanding the messages. For example, do we say that God was breaking His own commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" when he sent Israel into war against the heathen nations in the Old Testament? God, at times, gave Israel instructions that no one amongst the enemy was to be spared.

evangelistluthe, let us consider then what the purpose is for having the wife attend church. Perhaps she is only to be seen in the glory of her husband, and care only for the children. Perhaps she is to remain silent while the husband offers praises to God in the sacrifice of song and the lifting of hands. Perhaps he offers this on the behalf of both of them as a Priest offers for the entire...more

evangelistluthe, let us consider then what the purpose is for having the wife attend church.

Perhaps she is only to be seen in the glory of her husband, and care only for the children.

Perhaps she is to remain silent while the husband offers praises to God in the sacrifice of song and the lifting of hands. Perhaps he offers this on the behalf of both of them as a Priest offers for the entire flock.

And perhaps the wife is greater to the Body of Christ when she serves outside of the church assembly.

I would truly question that this is the message from the Apostles.less

evangelistluthe, please consider the following.... The unmarried woman is not subject unto any man. She is not bound to the laws of a husband. And if a married woman became a widow with children, she is then the Spiritual head of the family until such a time as another husband is provided according to God's will. And there is no scriptural requirement for the woman to remarry.

"As burdened and overwhelmed church leaders listened on, Brady identified that the real object of ministry was not gathering people to oneself but taking others to Jesus." And perhaps when reform came to the Catholic Church 500 years ago, it was truly about gathering people to Christ instead of the Catholic Church. Have Protestant leaders now done the same? Has it become more important to ga...more

"As burdened and overwhelmed church leaders listened on, Brady identified that the real object of ministry was not gathering people to oneself but taking others to Jesus."

And perhaps when reform came to the Catholic Church 500 years ago, it was truly about gathering people to Christ instead of the Catholic Church.

Have Protestant leaders now done the same? Has it become more important to gather souls to the Protestant Church moreso than to Christ?

Christ did not die just for the nation of Israel. He died for all.
Joh 11:49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being the high priest of that year, said to them, You do not know anything at all,
Joh 11:50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation perish.
Joh 11:51 And he did not speak this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;
Joh 11:52 and not for that nation only, but also that He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.less

"I came to put every devil on notice ... I'm getting my dream back, I'm getting my prophesy back, I'm getting my vision back, I'm getting my anointing back, I'm getting my strength back." Perhaps her time for "conversion" has come just at it was for Simon Peter. Luk 22:29 And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father has appointed to Me, Luk 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in M...more

"I came to put every devil on notice ... I'm getting my dream back, I'm getting my prophesy back, I'm getting my vision back, I'm getting my anointing back, I'm getting my strength back."

Perhaps her time for "conversion" has come just at it was for Simon Peter.
Luk 22:29 And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father has appointed to Me,
Luk 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired you, that he may sift you as wheat.
Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not. And when you are converted, strengthen your brothers.less

steveh20, perhaps a different perspective is needed here. Mere words, whether written or spoken, against Islam are considered provocative by many Muslims. And verbal provocation can instantly translate to the deaths of many. It is more likely that this so-called radical Muslim strike against the UN personnel was meant to send a message to the UN regarding the current coalition military respo...more

steveh20, perhaps a different perspective is needed here. Mere words, whether written or spoken, against Islam are considered provocative by many Muslims.

And verbal provocation can instantly translate to the deaths of many.

It is more likely that this so-called radical Muslim strike against the UN personnel was meant to send a message to the UN regarding the current coalition military response in Libya. So be it, not unexpected. We know that the Muslim world has its divisions just as Christians do.

And it should be expected that radical Muslims would include the condemnation of an Islam book burning.less

"This was an outrageous and cowardly attack against UN staff which cannot be justified under any circumstances and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said to reporters while visiting the Kenyan capital Nairobi. This statement, coming from the UN Secretary, is expected. But we are not seeing similiar statements coming from ranking Muslim leaders or cl...more

"This was an outrageous and cowardly attack against UN staff which cannot be justified under any circumstances and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said to reporters while visiting the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

This statement, coming from the UN Secretary, is expected. But we are not seeing similiar statements coming from ranking Muslim leaders or clerics who claim to represent the "peaceful" side or true Islam.

We should be hearing from the Muslim leaders here in America who say that Muslims are misunderstood.
If they do not speak against this event in Afghanistan, or similiar events around the world, then the claim to a true or false Islam based on being peaceful or radical is hypocritical.

Pro 11:9 A hypocrite corrupts his neighbor with his mouth; but through knowledge the just shall be delivered.
Pro 11:10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked are destroyed, there is singing.
Pro 11:11 By the blessing of the upright the city is lifted up, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.less

"The 5,000 released but “defaced” Bibles that will be preserved as museum pieces will serve as a reminder of the dispute between Malaysian Christians and the government, said Wong of the Bible Society of Malaysia, according to AP." An interesting way to witness. 1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God which He has testified a...more

"The 5,000 released but “defaced” Bibles that will be preserved as museum pieces will serve as a reminder of the dispute between Malaysian Christians and the government, said Wong of the Bible Society of Malaysia, according to AP."

An interesting way to witness.
1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God which He has testified about His Son.
1Jn 5:10 He who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he does not believe the record that God gave of His Son.
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God has given to us everlasting life, and this life is in His Son.less

Lakeshorechurch, thank you for your feedback, and your prayers in support of this kind of blogging. Just some notes on your comments. 1) Many on this blog criticize comments that use a specific bible verse out of context to support an argument. So it is nice to see what the surrounding scripture is saying. 2) The word "world" replaced the original Greek word Cosmos. This refers to the earth...more

Lakeshorechurch, thank you for your feedback, and your prayers in support of this kind of blogging.

Just some notes on your comments.
1) Many on this blog criticize comments that use a specific bible verse out of context to support an argument. So it is nice to see what the surrounding scripture is saying.

2) The word "world" replaced the original Greek word Cosmos. This refers to the earth, habitation, and human creation. We know that Christ died for all of humanity even though most of humanity will reject Him.

3) The true definition of a Muslim is one who follows Islam, whether "peacefully" or "radically". In like manner, the true definition of a Christian is one who follows Christ, whether "peacefully" or "radically".

Then we would argue the clear diffences between being peaceful and radical for any given faith.less

"Graham’s son Franklin Graham speaks out for Christianity worldwide and leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the nonprofit charity organization Samaritan’s Purse. But he has yet to overcome a bad reputation earned for political incorrectness when he called Islam “evil” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks." A special anointing of the Holy Spirit was upon Billy Graham to fulfi...more

"Graham’s son Franklin Graham speaks out for Christianity worldwide and leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the nonprofit charity organization Samaritan’s Purse. But he has yet to overcome a bad reputation earned for political incorrectness when he called Islam “evil” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks."

A special anointing of the Holy Spirit was upon Billy Graham to fulfill his calling of God. Time will tell if the same anointing has fallen to his son Franklin.

The author of this article needs to remember that any faith which does not hold to the truth of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not with God but against God. It is evil. And this includes Islam.

But just as Christ did not come to condemn but to save, so those who are true believers in Christ follow likewise.

Joh 3:14 But even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
Joh 3:15 so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
Joh 3:18 He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.less

online....well said. But the church has to be better prepared for the challenge. We need to learn that Ceasar really is different from God.

JohnBartlett, interesting answer. Except for Pawlenty, the other candidates mentioned in this article are specifically Tea Party favorites. Even without knowing the Democratic candidates being considered for 2016, it is your belief that the current Republican considerations cannot stand against any Democrats.

JohnBartlett, interesting view. And come 2016, given the same Republican candidates, would your view be the same?

"Since then I’ve been warning you that the Manhattan Declaration was just the first target of gay-rights groups. Now they have another: Exodus International, a Christian ministry that aims to free people from homosexuality. Apple has now removed the Exodus International app from its app store." While I agree with the general argument Mr. Colson is making, focusing so much attention on Smartph...more

"Since then I’ve been warning you that the Manhattan Declaration was just the first target of gay-rights groups. Now they have another: Exodus International, a Christian ministry that aims to free people from homosexuality. Apple has now removed the Exodus International app from its app store."

While I agree with the general argument Mr. Colson is making, focusing so much attention on Smartphone applications is a little confusing.

While Apple did take steps to support these specific applications, the Android Market has been silent. This of course does not lessen the argument that Apple gave the Manhattan Delaration app such a high supportive rating and then made excuses when they pulled it. This part of the argument does stand out.

But the Manhattan Declaration maintains its website, as does Exodus International. And these sites are accessible through the browsers on the iPhones and Droids.

We should be encouraged to download a pdf of the Declaration and read it over before signing it. But we know that iPhone does not support Adobe Reader which made having the application a real advantage. Nevertheless, we can still browse when it's that important us.


Joh 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.less

"Three GOP presidential primary debates are scheduled to occur in June, and the source said that Bachmann will likely establish her committee in time to participate in the debates. Currently, there only two potential candidates with exploratory committees – businessman Herman Cain and former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty." And let the 2012 election season begin. And may all who call themselves Chri...more

"Three GOP presidential primary debates are scheduled to occur in June, and the source said that Bachmann will likely establish her committee in time to participate in the debates. Currently, there only two potential candidates with exploratory committees – businessman Herman Cain and former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty."

And let the 2012 election season begin. And may all who call themselves Christians be as one voice. For a kingdom divided within itself has too many voices and cannot stand.

Neh 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers.
Neh 9:3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the Book of the Law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day. And another fourth part they confessed and worshiped Jehovah their God.
Neh 9:4 And stood upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to Jehovah their God.
Neh 9:5 And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God forever and ever. And blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.less

It is interesting that the English word prosper is used very little in the New Testament. But the following describes a very balanced and non-abusive application for Christians to be prosperous. 3Jn 1:2 Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. 3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified of the truth that i...more

It is interesting that the English word prosper is used very little in the New Testament. But the following describes a very balanced and non-abusive application for Christians to be prosperous.

3Jn 1:2 Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified of the truth that is in you, even as you walk in the truth.
3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than these things, to hear that my children walk in the truth.less

"But since that isn't the case, the only benefits that the XXXChurch pastor can see is that the .xxx domain will make it easier for parents to block child access to inappropriate adult material and that the land of .com is "likely to become cleaner." Amen, and Amen. Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the ...more

"But since that isn't the case, the only benefits that the XXXChurch pastor can see is that the .xxx domain will make it easier for parents to block child access to inappropriate adult material and that the land of .com is "likely to become cleaner."

Amen, and Amen.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Jas 1:13 Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one.
Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.less

“When we pray for the Middle East, we should be praying mainly for conditions to prevail that sustain freedom and peace…so that the gospel would run and triumph, and millions would turn to Christ and be saved for his great glory," said evangelical pastor John Piper." And perhaps this prayer is being answered now. And we should all remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Joh 16:13 ...more

“When we pray for the Middle East, we should be praying mainly for conditions to prevail that sustain freedom and peace…so that the gospel would run and triumph, and millions would turn to Christ and be saved for his great glory," said evangelical pastor John Piper."

And perhaps this prayer is being answered now.
And we should all remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.less

Thank you Mr. Colson. Excellent summation. Christ gave His disciples some prophetic insight some two thousand years ago. And we also know that we should not tempt God. Luk 21:9 But when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for all these things must first occur, but the end is not at once. Luk 21:10 And He said to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom aga...more

Thank you Mr. Colson. Excellent summation.

Christ gave His disciples some prophetic insight some two thousand years ago. And we also know that we should not tempt God.

Luk 21:9 But when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for all these things must first occur, but the end is not at once.
Luk 21:10 And He said to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in different places, and famines and plagues. And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven.less