When refuting Islam, history is more effective than hysteria

Robert Jeffres, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, fancies himself as the next Jerry Falwell. That is, he presents himself to the media and to the world as the spokesman for fundamentalist Christianity, wrapping himself in a pseudo-prophetic mantle, warning that, absent some heavy duty repentance and turning back to obeying the laws of God, doom is imminent.

Jeffres, however, is no Falwell.

To begin with, Falwell was more of a social crusader and proto-culture warrior than a doomsayer. While he shared with Jeffres the same aberrant view of eschatology (pre-millennial dispensationalism), its excesses were muted, especially after Falwell dove headlong into American politics and actively campaigned for numerous causes, even going so far as to endorse candidates for office. Correcting the moral course of the country through the political process was antithetical to Falwell's theological orientation. He was more functionally post-millennial than pre-millennial. Whether or not you agreed with him, he was an articulate spokesman for a particular moral vision, although he did occasionally lapse into hysterics. Moreover, Falwell's enduring legacy is that of a pioneering Christian educator, having founded what has now become a well respected institute of higher learning.

Jeffres, conversely, lacks all of Falwell's virtues while possessing all of his shortcomings in spades. In his frequent appearances on cable television programs, he comes across as buffoonish and intellectually incurious, regurgitating what has been standard fundamentalist boilerplate for over half a century. Last year, he published a book in which he made the convoluted argument that Barack Obama, while not himself "the Antichrist," was nevertheless "clearing the way" for his coming. Like so many dispensationalist doomsayers before him, Jeffres based nearly all of his dire predictions on the faltering moral condition of the United States, giving no consideration to the good, bad, or indifferent conditions of other nations.

More recently, however, Jeffres has taken a more international view, setting his sights on Islam and the mortal peril it poses to its followers.

"It was Satan himself who delivered those delusions to those people to lead people by the millions away from God," Jeffress told his 11,000-member congregation. "Islam is a false religion that will lead you to hell. It is based on a false book that is based on a fraud. It was founded by a false prophet who was leading people away instead of to the one true God."

Jeffress made parallels between Islamic radicals like Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and ISIS and the antichrist. The antichrist, he explained, will work to exterminate Jews and Christians from the world just like these terrorist groups.

"Did you know that there were more martyrs in the 20th century than all the other centuries combined together? ... Jesus said, 'These things are going to be like the birth pains of a woman. They will increase in intensity and in frequency,' he warned.

"Christians will be slaughtered by the millions for their faith in Jesus Christ. You say, 'Wait a minute, during the tribulation? I thought all Christians were going to be raptured and we were going to get out of here and that there weren't going to be any Christians. It's true, the church will be raptured before the final seven years of Earth's history, but during that final seven years, many people will come to faith in Christ but they will pay a terrible price to do so."

Jeffress made clear that the Quran is a fake, noting over 35 verses that command Muslims to murder Jews and Christians who get in the way of Islam's jihad.

The Quran is filled with phony stories and includes over 35 commands to kill Christians and Jews and those who stand against the expansion of Islam.

"These terrorists are Islamic terrorists, doing what they're doing in the name of their faith," said Jeffress. You cannot find one single verse in the New Testament that calls for violence against non-believers. Jesus said to love your enemies. Muhammad said to butcher your enemies."

Set aside, for the moment, the references to the "rapture" and the seven year "tribulation," a dispensationalist "end times" scenario developed from a misinterpretation of a patchwork of unrelated biblical texts. That is to be expected from a preacher of Jeffres' theological bent. Weeding all that out, his harangue against Islam certainly points out some of its obvious dangers and rightly condemns the despicable practices of its most radical practitioners. But the argument is undermined by a lack of historical perspective. Simply calling Islam "Satanic" and labeling it a "false religion," without explaining the circumstances surrounding its origins, makes for nothing more than an hysterical rant.

It is all too easy to rage against Islam and its holy book as the work of Satan. It is a bit more challenging to buttress that claim with solid historical evidence. As Peter Leithart has noted in his review of the essay collection, The Hidden Origins of Islam, there is credible scholarly opinion that the Quran was originally intended as a lectionary of Scripture readings compiled by a heretical Syriac Christian sect. The term "Quran" itself means "lectinarium." In other words, Islam's sacred book was intended as commentary on Scripture (Old and New Testaments), not as Scripture in and of itself.

The most likely explanation for the historical origin of Islam is that it grew out of Nestorianism and Monophysitism, two ancient heresies which were popular among Syriac Christians. Islam is best understood, then, as a heresy of a heresy; not so much a false religion as an apostasy of the true religion.

None of this makes Islam any less "Satanic." Any claim which denies Jesus is the Messiah is antichrist and of the Evil One. It is important, however, when seeking to expose the falsehood of Islam, to understand its actual historical origins rather than simply hurling a-historical hyperbole and invective.

Over 40 children buried after Islamic attack on Christian village in Nigeria

Nigeria (Voice of the Persecuted) – The deadly attack on Attagara village on June 3, 2014 by Islamic militants, continues to claim more lives as the death toll raises from 168 to 202. More casualties were located in caves where insurgents found and killed the victims where they hid from the attackers.

We are troubled by an interview with an elderly woman who took part in the burial of the corpses. She recounted that, “Over 40 children have been buried so far. Five decomposing bodies of the children were found in the stream.”

“We had no other option than to stay behind and bury our husbands and children,” a witness told our correspondent “We were told by the insurgents to become Muslim and wear a veil (HAMAR), or else they would come back to kill us. But we preferred to die, than leave our brethren unburied.”

Sources proved that it will be difficult for the survivors to come down from the hills. The area is still under the control of the insurgents. All roads leading to the towns are now occupied by the insurgents. Residents are unable to return to even bury the dead, it is too dangerous.

Witnessing the grisly scene of insurgents slaughtering their families and friends weighs heavily in their minds. The gunmen dressed in military uniforms had convinced residents that they had come to provide protection. One witness of the carnage said, “No military personnel has yet to be seen. And even if they come to rescue us, we will never trust them.”

The affected villages are near the Mandara Mountains, close to the border with Cameroon. Boko Haram has many times targeted the people of the area.

It is confirmed that thousands have fled to Cameroon, Adamawa and Taraba. Survival conditions are grim, as there is virtually nothing there for them to eat.

Verifying the whereabouts of the resident pastors, our correspondent gathered that Reverend David D. Fa’aya in charge of the Church of the Brethren(EYN) in Atagara, had a terrifying encountered with the insurgents at the church compound. He narrowly escaped, but not without sustaining a devastating injury. He is presently receiving treatment in a Cameroon Hospital.

Rev. Bitrus Talaka of the EYN church in Agapalwa and Pastor John Lamisa of National Evangelical Mission church, jumped over a fence and ran bare foot for several kilometers to escape the brutal attack. Rev. Calip Mbahi of the EYN church in Angurva is still missing. Distraught, a victim said, “We don’t know whether he is dead or alive.

Villagers are still missing and the number of dead is still expected to rise. A local political figure claimed, “The killings were massive.”

Pray for the our Christian family in Nigeria. 

Pray for those suffering great loss. 

Pray for the victims needs to be met. 

Pray they will be able to forgive.

Pray for the lost.Pray for peace in Nigeria.

Article may be reprinted with credit to Voice of the Persecuted

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMXXXIXVIII

The Islamic War on (Christian) Women continues.

International outrage is mounting over the death sentence a Sudanese judge ordered for the pregnant wife of an American citizen — all because she refuses to renounce her Christian faith.

Meriam Ibrahim, 26, was sentenced Thursday after being convicted of apostasy. The court in Khartoum ruled that Ibrahim must give birth and nurse her baby before being executed, but must receive 100 lashes immediately after having her baby for adultery — for having relations with her Christian husband. Ibrahim, a physician and the daughter of a Christian mother and a Muslim father who abandoned the family as a child, could have spared herself death by hanging simply by renouncing her faith.

"We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam," Judge Abbas Khalifa told Ibrahim, according to AFP. "I sentence you to be hanged to death."

But Ibrahim held firm to her beliefs.

“I was never a Muslim,” she answered. “I was raised a Christian from the start.”

Ibrahim was raised in the Christian faith by her mother, an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia. She is married to Daniel Wani, a Christian from southern Sudan who has U.S. citizenship, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The cruel sentence drew condemnation from Amnesty International, the U.S. State Department and U.S. lawmakers.

“The refusal of the government of Sudan to allow religious freedom was one of the reasons for Sudan’s long civil war,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees U.S. policy in Africa, said in a statement. “The U.S. and the rest of the international community must demand Sudan reverse this sentence immediately.”

Amnesty International called the sentence a “flagrant breach” of international human rights law and the U.S. State Department said it was “deeply disturbed” by the ruling, which will be appealed.

Khalifa refused to hear key testimony and ignored Sudan's constitutional provisions on freedom of worship and equality among citizens, according to Ibrahim's attorney Al-Shareef Ali al-Shareef Mohammed.

“The judge has exceeded his mandate when he ruled that Meriam’s marriage was void because her husband was out of her faith,” Mohammed told The Associated Press. “He was thinking more of Islamic Shariah laws than of the country’s laws and its constitution.”

Ibrahim and Wani married in a formal ceremony in 2011 and have an 18-month-old son, Martin, who is with her in jail. The couple operate several businesses, including a farm, south of Khartoum, the country’s capital. Wani fled to the United States as a child to escape the civil war in southern Sudan, but later returned. He is not permitted to have custody of the little boy, because the boy is considered Muslim and cannot be raised by a Christian man.

Sudan’s penal code criminalizes the conversion of Muslims into other religions, which is punishable by death. Muslim women in Sudan are further prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, although Muslim men are permitted to marry outside their faith. Children, by law, must follow their father’s religion.

Islamic Shariah laws were introduced in Sudan in the early 1980s under the rule of autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri, whose decision led to the resumption of an insurgency in the mostly animist and Christian south of Sudan. An earlier round of civil war lasted 17 years, ending in 1972. In 2011, the south seceded to become the world’s newest nation, South Sudan.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir, an Islamist who seized power during a 1989 military coup, said his county will implement Islam more strictly now that the non-Muslim south is gone. A number of Sudanese have been convicted of apostasy in recent years, but they have all escaped execution by recanting their faith. Religious thinker and politican Mahmoud Mohammed Taha — a vocal critic of Nimeiri — was sentenced to death after his conviction of apostasy and was executed at the age of 76 in 1985.

Ibrahim’s case first came to the attention of authorities in August, when members of her father’s family complained that she was born a Muslim but married a Christian man. They claimed her birth name was “Afdal” before she changed it to Meriam. The document produced by relatives to indicate she was given a Muslim name at birth was a fake, Mohammed said.

Ibrahim refused to answer the judge when he referred to her as “Afdal” during Thursday’s hearing.

Ibrahim was initially charged with having illegitimate sex last year, but she remained free pending trial. She was later charged with apostasy and jailed in February after she declared in court that Christianity was the only religion she knew.

The US-based Center for Inquiry is demanding that all charges against Ibrahim be dropped, saying the death sentence is a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which forbids persecution or coercion of religious beliefs and the right to marry.

“Religious belief must never be coerced and free expression must never be punished, through threat of imprisonment, violence, or any other means,” the group wrote in a letter to Sudan’s UN ambassador, H.E. Hassan Hamid Hassan. “This cannot go unanswered, and the world will not stand for it.”

Michael Rubin: It's about Christianity, not the girls

The atrocities being committed by the Boko Haram in Nigeria are part of a brazen campaign against Christianity, as Michael Rubin makes clear in a must read article for Commentary. The real question is why Western media, politicians, and celebrities are overlooking this important detail, unless they are doing so deliberately.

Commentators from across the political spectrum have chimed in on the horror of Boko Haram’s abduction of more than 300 school girls. And, certainly, the fact that the victims were young school girls has made a difference in the Western world’s interest in the story. But, while #BringBackOurGirls has become a trending hashtag, it may be missing the point.

Reading the speech of Boko Haram leader Abubakr Shekau, it is clear that for him, the target may have been the girls, but the motivation was not simply to prevent girls from receiving education or a desire to attack Western education more broadly, but rather to launch a much broader attack on Christianity.

He begins:

My brethren in Islam, I am greeting you in the name of Allah like he instructed we should among Muslims. Allah is great and has given us privilege and temerity above all people. If we meet infidels, if we meet those that become infidels according to Allah, there is no any talk except hitting of the neck; I hope you chosen people of Allah are hearing. This is an instruction from Allah. It is not a distorted interpretation it is from Allah himself. This is from Allah on the need for us to break down infidels, practitioners of democracy, and constitutionalism, voodoo and those that are doing western education, in which they are practicing paganism.

He continues with a diatribe against tolerance and multiculturalism:

Suddenly you will hear somebody coming and be saying that there are no religious differences, where did you have that talk that there are no differences? Where did you get this talk because of Allah? Who told you there are no differences when Allah said there are differences in religion…?

Selling the girls—or better yet converting them—is but one part of the plan:

I am selling the girls like Allah said until we soak the ground of Nigeria with infidels blood and so called Muslims contradicting Islam. After we have killed, killed, killed and get fatigue and wondering on what to do with smelling of their corpses, smelling of Obama, Bush, Putin and Jonathan worried us then we will open prison and be imprisoned the rest. Infidels have no value. It is [Nigerian President Goodluck] Jonathan’s daughter that I will imprison; nothing will stop this until you convert. If you turn to Islam then you will be saved. For me anyone that embraces Islam is my brother.

Indeed, he appears obsessed with the idea that Christians are simply unclean. “In fact, you are supposed to wash and re-wash a plate Christian eats food before you eat as Muslims,” he warns, and continues:

We are anti-Christians, and those that deviated from Islam, they are forming basis with prayers but infidels. All those with turbans looking for opportunities to smear us, they are all infidels. Betrayers and cheats like them. Like Israeli people, Rome, England– they are all Christians and homosexuals. People of Germany like Margret Thatcher. Ndume are all infidels.

As he concludes his speech, he leaves no room for doubt:

To the people of the world, everybody should know his status: it is either you are with us Mujahedeen or you are with the Christians… We know what is happening in this world, it is a Jihad war against Christians and Christianity. It is a war against western education, democracy and constitution. We have not started, next time we are going inside Abuja; we are going to refinery and town of Christians. Do you know me? I have no problem with Jonathan. This is what I know in Quran. This is a war against Christians and democracy and their constitution, Allah says we should finish them when we get them.

There can be very little doubt about what is motivating Shekau and his followers. What is truly amazing is the extent to which the focus on Boko Haram’s hostages has overshadowed a very clear statement about motivation. No, the problem is not simply girls going to school. It is much, much broader and the fact that Western journalists, diplomats, and the first lady of the United States are ignoring this aspect of the Boko Haram outrage really does suggest the extent to which the West simply does not understand the ideological motivations driving terrorism against it.

Bishop Bill Atwood: Willful blindness vs. social media traction with the abducted Nigerian girls

Boko Haram is a group mainly in Nigeria that is linked with al Qaeda. The name means “Western Education is Forbidden,” or “Western Education is a Sin.” It is inadequate to describe them as terrorists or extremists. They are better understood by the technical psychotherapy designation as “Wingnut Wackjobs.” They view attacks on unarmed innocents as their vocational pursuit.

In the desolate far North Eastern part of Nigeria, Boko Haram has grown in influence and infamy over the last five years. It’s foothold is partly due to the harsh conditions in that part of Nigeria, partly due to the sieve-like borders with Chad and Niger, and the difficulty of bringing development projects to life that demonstrate compassion and increased quality of life. It is difficult for a militant who longs for the brighter day of 1400 AD to appreciate medical technology or economic development projects that empower people.

In the last several years they have mostly targeted Christians and Churches. Last September, they attacked a temporary police station that had been set up in Yadi Buni Town in Yobe State just to the West of Borno State. More than 160 were killed. Civilian fighters, members of a “Joint Task Force” whose focus is battling Boko Haram, were targeted, captured, and beheaded.

Shortly after that, soldiers were attacked on the Baga-Maiduguri Road in Borno State. In that ambush, fifteen soldiers were killed.

Emboldened by bloodshed, on April 15th Boko Haram members armed with AK-47s abducted almost 300 high school girls who were gathered to take exams. In the confusion, some fifty escaped, leaving some 230 still in captivity. Recent reports indicate that they are being smuggled across the borders to Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram leader Abubaker Shekau said (by way of a shaky home video), “”I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah.” ”There is a market for selling humans,” he continued, “Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women,” he continued.

Reports are coming in that these girls are being sold to militants in Chad and Cameroon for 2,000 Naira (about $12).

It is almost incomprehensible that a caravan of some 230 young women and a host of Kalashnikov bearing Boko Hammers could move through the desolate of Northern Nigeria and cross the borders into Chad and Cameroon without being spotted by satellites, reconnaissance aircraft, or traders.

Now, the story which has been almost completely ignored for the last two weeks is beginning to gain traction in the media. It’s not because the mainstream media have suddenly gotten either religion or conscience, it is because every day crowds of demonstrators are marching in front of media outlets and government offices carrying placards in places like Lagos, Abuja, and London that say things that read, “Our girls are not for sale,” and “Bring them home.” Twitter and Facebook and other social media sites are starting to explode with references. That is putting great pressure on the “news” outlets.

The silence about this atrocity is most remarkable from a number of fronts. First of all, Christian leaders have been slow to call for fasting and prayer. That is changing, but we are still behind the power curve! The realization that we have failed there is humbling. We need to repent and get praying.

Second, it is a stunning omission that news outlets have all but ignored it for three weeks! Very few have covered it up to this week. Now, FINALLY, stories are appearing, thanks to social media and other pressure.

The third group that has been, and remains silent, are Muslim leaders. I have not been able to find even one Islamic leader who has denounced this kidnapping, the violence, or the added horror of these young girls being sold for “marriage.” If Islamic leaders want to be perceived as leaders of a “Religion of Peace,” at some point they need to speak like it and act like it. As it is, the broad, violent strokes from those who act in the name of Allah powerfully and dramatically portray what kind of religion Islam is.

In the meantime, the girls are still missing. They are being sold off like goats and cattle into brutish, backward, poverty and oppression, where they will be stripped of learning, dignity, and likely even life itself. That descent will continue unless each of us begins to speak and act. These innocents cannot be forgotten or abandoned.

Bishop Bill Atwood is Bishop of the International Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America and a contributing author to the American Anglican Council.

On homosexuality and Christian persecution, Justin Welby drops the ball again

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, so it seems, never misses a good opportunity to miss a good opportunity. Yesterday, he took to the airwaves, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury to take calls from listeners. Predictably, the topic which drew the most attention was homosexuality and, also predictably, he dropped the ball again. The Church of England cannot accept "gay marriage" at the moment, the Archbishop said, because it would lead to persecution of Christians in other parts of the world.

Yes, you read that right. But let's allow His Grace to speak for himself here.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, stressed the need for a global focus when considering reform within the Church of England, specifically with regards to gay marriage, according to The Guardian.

As support for same-sex marriage grows in the West, Welby warned during an LBC Radio phone-in that if the Church of England were to accept gay marriages, it could lead to "catastrophic" consequences for Christians elsewhere, particularly in Africa.

"I have stood by gravesides in Africa of a group of Christians who had been attacked because of something that had happened far, far away in America, and they were attacked by other people because of that, and a lot of them had been killed," said Welby.

"We have to listen to that. We have to be aware of the fact," he said, according to The Guardian. "Everything we say here goes round the world."

Were the Church of England to accept gay marriages, he commented, "the impact of that on Christians far from here, in South Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria and other places would be absolutely catastrophic."

Nonetheless Welby condemned homophobia and said, "to treat every human being with equal importance and dignity is a fundamental part of being a Christian." He shared his particular concerns about the devastating impact of homophobia on gay teenagers, and reiterated the importance of a loving approach.

Welby said that he has been wrestling with the issue of protecting Christians abroad while still having a loving approach to gay Christians for a long time, but stressed the very real dangers that he had personally experienced.

He explained that the reasoning behind the massacre of Nigerian Christians was essentially, "If we leave a Christian community here we will all be made to become homosexual and so we're going to kill the Christians."

"The mass grave had 369 bodies in it," he said. "And I was standing with the relatives. That burns itself into your soul, as does the suffering of gay people in this country."

That the titular head of the worldwide Anglican Communion can be this naive about the plight of the persecuted church is truly mind-boggling. Christians in Africa and the Middle East face death every day because they embody precisely the kind of authentic Christian faith which Justin Welby's Church of England has abandoned in favor of cultural accommodation. To say that Christians in Nigeria were slaughtered by Muslims who feared being "made to become homosexual" (accepting without question an insulting piece of Muslim propaganda) is to trivialize (excuse me, trivialise) the very real persecution such Christians face every day for the very real reason that they are very real and faithful followers of Jesus Christ. A church that accommodates the culture need never fear persecution. A church that takes seriously Jesus' call to be salt and light, however, is a constant irritant to the culture (be it Muslim, atheist, or what have you) and will quite often be sanctified by the blood of martyrs.

Moreover, as the "gay rights" movement continues to push its agenda, faithful Christians in the U.S., England, and elsewhere are being made to pay a heavy price for resisting its advances. Rather than losing sleep over "the suffering of gay people" in his own country, Archbishop Welby needs to wake up to this very real crisis for the church in the West.

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMCLXXXVIXLVIII

JOS, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)-- Islamic fighters have shot dead Christians in a roadside ambush near Nigeria's central city of Jos, church representatives said Monday, September 2.

Those killed in the attack, four kilometers (2.5 miles) off the Jos-Barkin Kadi Highway, were members of a Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) congregation in the nearby town of Foron, according to church officials.

The Christians had been ordered out of a minibus and forced to lay on the ground before being shot last Thursday, August 29, because of their faith, the COCIN denomination leadership and a witness said.

Those killed were identified as Pam Gyang, 33, Felix John, 32, as well as Jimmy Tiger, 28, Ishaku Gyang, 40, and Dachung Monday, 20.

Christian news agency Morning Star News quoted the local pastor Pam Jang Pam as saying that the assailants "were a combined band of ethnic Fulani herdsmen and Islamic extremist mercenaries."

CHRISTIANS INJURED

Also wounded, he added, were two other as yet unidentified Christians, including a pregnant woman.

Technical school student Emmanuel Sunday, who said he rode his motorbike near the murder scene, told media that he had seen the Christians and that gunmen stopped him to ask about his religion.

“When I told them I was a Christian, they asked me to join a group of people already ordered to lie down by the side of the road. I did as I was ordered to do, and then one of the men came and searched me and took money from me, including my mobile phone,” Morning Star News quoted him as saying.

“It was when the gunmen started shooting and killing those of us that were Christians grouped together that I ran into a nearby maize farm, because it was already dark. They shot wildly at me, but I escaped unhurt, except the injuries I sustained while running in the bush.”

He said God helped him escaped to tell the story and "show the miracle" in his life.

JESUS "SAVIOR"

The pregnant widow of Pam Gyang, 28-year-old Grace Yop Gyang, said in published remarks that her husband is also survived by their two daughters and a son.

She said she was praying that "through his death those who killed him will get to know Jesus as their savior.”

Jos and other areas of Nigeria have been the scene of sectarian violence in which thousands have died in recent years. Church leaders have accused better armed Muslim groups of attacking impoverished Christians who have less abilities to defend themselves.

Aggression towards Christians has been fueled by Boko Haram, or 'Western Education is a Sin', a militant group fighting for an Islamic state within the troubled African nation.

Christians comprise roughly 40 percent of Nigeria's nearly 175 million people, with Muslims and people with indigenous beliefs making up the rest, according to the U.s. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other estimates.

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMXXXVIXIXIII

Just keep saying to yourself, "They mean us no harm! They mean us no harm! They mean us no harm!"

(AINA) -- The Antiochian Orthodox church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus was a landmark of al-Thawrah (also known as al-Tabqah). It was an impressive, modern structure with a large yard, surrounded by a high wall and well-situated on a main street near the corniche -- a well landscaped area hugging the southern bank of Lake Assad which was popular with locals going on an evening stroll. Its elegant dome, surmounted by a cross, could be seen from all parts of the Third Quarter (also known as Hayy al-Ishtirakiyah), where it was located.

Spiritually, this church was under the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Aleppo, the metropolitan of which, Boulos al-Yazigi, was kidnapped (and allegedly murdered) on April 22 of this year, along with the Syriac Orthodox metropolitan of the same city, Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim. It was built between 1985 and 1994, on land offered by the al-Thawrah's city council, and could accommodate up to 300 worshippers. Moreover, not only did this church serve more than 250 Orthodox families, but it was also used by local Christian denominations which did not have their own places of worship, including the small Syriac Orthodox congregation.

This was also one of only two Christian places of worship in the town, the other being the small church of St. George, which belonged to the Assyrian Church of the East. Built around 1973, along with a community hall, this was located in the older part of al-Thawrah, known locally as al-Qaryah (the village). Around 2000, a plot of land in the Third Quarter was purchased by this community in order to build a new church, closer to the three quarters that housed those working in the Euphrates dam -- and where the bulk of the Assyrians lived. Due to lack of funding, however, this project never materialised and, perhaps, for the better.

On February 11, rebel fighters from the Islamist Jihadist "al-Nusra Front" -- designated by the USA, UN, Australia and UK as a terrorist organisation -- took control of the city and its strategic hydroelectric dam, the largest of its kind in the country. They also seized control of the three quarters that housed dam workers and in which, of course, stood the Orthodox Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, and in which most of the Christians were settled.

Christian eyewitnesses who fled al-Thawrah, now displaced in other parts of Syria, as well as in Lebanon and Turkey, tell of religious discrimination by the rebels, as well as forced confiscation of Christian possessions and properties, with many items being sold on the black market in order to purchase weapons and ammunition. Even the churches weren't spared.

"The 'Free Syrian Army' demolished the [Sts. Sergius and Bacchus] church," lamented one refugee, "They tore up the sanctuary curtains, Bibles and other holy books, and broke all the crosses, chairs and icons of Jesus and the saints. They stole electrical appliances like fans, chandeliers and lights. They took whatever was in the church, and sold it all. There is nothing there now."

There is no hope, however, for the Christians to return and rebuild after the conflict subsides -- that's if it indeed subsides. They were once considered better off than their relatives and friends who still lived in the villages they had migrated from, but are now destitute, having lost everything -- their homes, businesses, and even personal belongings.

"Even though I have left," recounted another Assyrian refugee, "the terrorists still call and text me from there, on my cell phone, to bother me. They recently called and told me: 'If you attempt to return to al-Tabqah we will cut off your head and display it on the mosque so that all the Muslims there can see it and be proud of it.' They say other things too, but what they say is so disturbing, that I keep my phone switched off unless I really need to use it."

Whilst it may be easy to switch off a cell phone, and ignore such threats, it is not so easy to shake off the trauma of dispossession and loss. After spending up to 45 years in a town which became their home, many of these refugees managed to escape with nothing but the clothes on their backs. "We have lost everything," said the head of an Assyrian household displaced from al-Thawrah, "There is nothing for us over there now, nothing to return to. We just need help to get out of here and settle in a country that's safe."

Priest murdered by U.S.-backed Syrian "rebels"

The Obama administration and a few Republican allies in Congress are supporting Islamic thugs who kidnap Christian bishops and murder Christian priests.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - "Fr. Franҫois Mourad's killing of is a sad occurrence and a blow to all the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land," said Fr Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land, as he spoke with AsiaNews about the Syrian clergyman who died on Sunday in al-Ghassaniyah, a predominantly Christian village in Jisr al-Shughur District, Idlib province. His funeral was celebrated yesterday in the small village of Kanaieh, a few kilometres from where he was killed.

Fr. Franҫois Mourad 

Until yesterday, there were two versions of the murder, the first spoke about a stray bullet, the second of an actual attack carried out by Islamist insurgents against the Monastery of St Anthony in al-Ghassaniyah.

"The second is the most reliable version," Fr Pizzaballa said. "From the photos and the testimony of our religious, the rebels attacked the village in past few weeks, forcing most residents to flee."

The Monastery of St Anthony was the only safe haven, where Fr Franҫois lived along with some Franciscan friars, four nuns and ten lay Christians. But on Sunday, rebels part of a fringe extremist Islamic group, stormed that place too."

According to the Custos of the Holy Land, Islamists broke into the convent, looted it and destroyed everything. When Fr Franҫois tried to defend the nuns and other people, the gunmen shot him dead.

"Right now, the village is completely deserted," Fr Pizzaballa said. "Rebels have moved there with their families and occupied the houses still standing."

"Let us pray that this absurd and shameful war ends soon and that the people of Syria can get back to a normal life soon," he said.

Hailing from a village in the province of Latakia in northwestern Syria, Fr Franҫois Mourad, 49, was trained by the Franciscan Fathers in the Holy Land.

Feeling called to a more contemplative life at the end of the 90s, he left the Franciscans to complete his studies with the Trappists of Latrun (Palestine).

Once back in Syria, he was ordained priest by the Syriac Catholic bishop of Al-Hasakah on the Syrian side of the Al-Jazira region.

In recent years, he launched a new monastic foundation, inspired by Saint Simon and founded a small monastery of contemplative life in Hwar, Aleppo province, devoting himself to the training of some young postulants, all Syrians.

He was in Hwar until this year when fighting between Islamic rebels and regime forced him to take refuge in al-Ghassaniyah, on the Orontes River, guest of the local Franciscan monastery.

Until his death, he worked together with the friars to bring relief to the Christian and Muslim residents of the area. (S.C.)

Lament for a city: The fall of Constantinople, 560 years ago today

Elizabeth H. Prodromou reminds us of the significance of this solemn commemoration and the tragedy of Turkey's continuing siege of a once great Christian city.

Today marks the 560th anniversary of the fall and capture of the magnificent Christian city of Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, to the forces led by the Ottoman Turkish Sultan, Mohammed (Mehmet) II. Mehmet took the title “the Conqueror” for himself, as a sign of the Turks’ conquest of what was Europe’s most glorious city of the Middle Ages and as recognition of the Ottoman jihadi victory over Christianity.

Nearly half a millennium later, the government of the Republic of Turkey continues to celebrate the fall of the city, today’s Istanbul, with religious, sports, and media festivities. Kemalist governments long understood the fall of Constantinople as a signature event for Turkish nationalism. Visitors to Istanbul on May 29th could hardly mistake the nationalist message of the city draped in Turkish flags for as far as the eye could see, and under the current Islamist government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, secular nationalism has been augmented with a religious message about the fall of Constantinople as a sign of Islam’s triumph over Christianity.

Last year, Erdogan floated the idea of designating May 29th as a Turkish national holiday. More recently, he suggested the possibility of a referendum on the conversion of the historic Byzantine Christian Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, captured by Mehmet when he rode on horseback through the colossal entry doors into the heart of the sanctuary, from its current status as a museum into a functioning mosque.

Ankara has consistently critiqued the European Union as a Christian Club keeping Turkey at arm’s length because of religious prejudice against Islam. Yet, the fall of Constantinople on May 29th in 1453 began an unrelenting, centuries-long pattern of persecution and discrimination against the city’s Christian population. This policy of religious cleansing lays bare the lie of the Ottoman Empire as a benign, multi-cultural polity, and also highlights the violations of human rights and religious freedom that are the hallmark of Turkey’s treatment of its Christian minority populations. The anniversary of the fall of Constantinople is a reminder that the siege against Turkey’s Christians continues to this day — most egregiously, against the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the tiny Greek Orthodox Christian community (fewer than 2,000 in number), as well as against the small Armenian Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Christian communities (their combined numbers total about 80,000). All of these Christians are survivors tracing their roots to Constantinople when it fell to the Ottoman Turks.

The erasure of Christians from Constantinople (located on the ancient city of Byzantion on the southernmost promontory of the European side of the Bosporus) is one of the tragedies of history. When the Ottomans began their 54-day siege of Constantinople, the city was still renowned throughout Europe for its size, wealth, and cosmopolitan sophistication. Even after the disintegrated Western Roman Empire had been resuscitated by Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Empire, the capital city of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire had a population numbering nearly one million, and was the repository of Medieval Europe’s art, ancient literature, and the birthplace of the hospital and the university. And long after the Christian Sees of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem had fallen to Arab Muslim armies moving westward through the Levant and the Holy Lands of Christianity’s origins, Constantinople stood as reminder that the epicenter of Christian theology and practice was in the eastern territories of the Roman Empire — only the See of Rome lay in western imperial lands. When the Great Schism split Christendom into the Greek Orthodox East and Roman Catholic West, Constantinople’s Christians were largely alone on the frontlines when the Ottoman Turks began their assault the city.

The Ottomans’ capture of Constantinople was the final blow marking the end of the world’s most long-lived polity, the Roman Empire. In the former Byzantine East, Christians found themselves living in an Islamic theocracy, rendered second-class subjects of the Ottoman Sultan: as dhimmi, they were accorded formal status as protected “Peoples of the Book,” and as a religious community, the Christian millet was overseen by the Ecumenical Patriarch. But in reality, Christians in the Ottoman Empire were treated as chattel, and were subjected to all manner of persecution and exploitation: most notably, the infamous devershirme was a system of forcible conscription-conversion of Christian children as a form of human tax for the Ottoman state. 

The conventional portrayal of Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, has been built on the political canard that the secularist principles of the Republic of Turkey were a deliberate turn away from the Islamic theocracy of the Ottoman Empire. The reality is quite different. In fact, Turkey’s founding moment involved the genocide of two-and-a-half million Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Christians in Ottoman Anatolia and Asia Minor–in short, most of the remaining Orthodox Christian population that had survived from Byzantine Christian times.

In some ways, Ankara’s policies against Turkey’s Christian citizens have added a modern veneer and sophisticated brutality to Ottoman norms and practices. Pogroms, persecution, and discrimination have been visited on Turkey’s Christians. The Turkish press revealed only weeks ago that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was the target of an assassination conspiracy (the second such plot against his life in four years), and the constant threats and interference in the affairs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox community have led to the near extinction of that ancient Christian community. In the words of an anonymous Church hierarch in Turkey fearful for the life of his flock, Christians in Turkey are an endangered species. The siege of Constantinople continues today, 560 years after the fall on May 29th, 1453.

A stirring lament for the fall of Constantinople by Capella Romana:



The Son shall rise in this great city again, however. No force of evil, no matter how seemingly powerful, can hold him back forever. The great missionary E. Stanley Jones made this observation over half a century ago:

I stood in the Mosque of Saint Sophia, that amazing bit of architecture once a Christian church and now a Mohammedan mosque in Istanbul, the city that was once Constantinople. All the Christian symbols had been wiped out, and Arabic lettering had been put in. As I stood there, I looked up over the altar place at the dome, and my heart stood still. I grabbed the arm of a friend. I said, "Look! He's coming back!" I could see that the daubs of the centuries were wearing off, and there was the figure of the ascending Christ coming back again through the daubs of the centuries. "O," I said, "you can't wipe him out. He's coming back."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

C.S. Lewis is sounding eerily prophetic

From The Abolition of Man, this quote from C.S. Lewis sounds eerily prophetic.

And all the time — such is the tragi-comedy of our situation — we continue to clamor for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more “drive”, or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or “creativity”. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.

Richard Fernandez elaborates:

A British soldier was decapitated a few hundred yards from a UK Army base by two men with large knives saying: “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.” The men were shot when police responded 20 minutes later. The photo above shows a scene:

This is the dramatic moment a woman appears to remonstrate with a man carrying a knife following a brutal attack in Woolwich. 

The two alleged attackers are thought to have waited around for 20 minutes until Metropolitan Police officers arrived and then tried to attack them — but were swiftly shot by armed policemen, including a woman.

“Remonstrate.” Now there’s a word to conjure with. The Telegraph describes the behavior of the onlookers — the attackers asked the crowd to take their photo, which they apparently did:

“There was only a few people at first then traffic began to build up because people were getting out of their cars to shout at them they were taking no notice, they were standing there, I think they were proud of what they were doing. 

“When they dumped the body in the road, these two black guys had the opportunity to hurt other people if they wanted to because there were brave women with the dead guy on the floor, they were shielding and covering him. The attackers with the knives were standing over these women. 

“The guy with the gun, the tall guy with the beanie cap on, even a bus had pulled up — he was going over to the bus and asking people to take his photo.”

Then the killers allowed only women to come forward to succor the dead or dying man:

He said: “My friend and her mum were walking up the hill and the mum came straight to the victim. 

She asked the black guys can I help him? And one of them said he was already dead but she could go. 

Then one of them said ‘No man is coming near this body, only women’.” 

“She was so brave, she didn’t care what happened to her — she knelt down by his side and comforted him. 

She held his hand and put her other hand on his chest. I think she might have been praying. 

My friend (the woman’s daughter) was crying her eyes out. The victim was wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt.” 

Mr. Tallant said the two men were walking up to people with cameras so they could be seen and filmed. 

He said: “They wanted people to know who they were.”

The women came forward. Children in nearby schools were locked down by their teachers.

This incident illustrates, if nothing else, the endpoint of the social engineering of the West. It has been remarkably effective.

From a certain point of view, the British crowd behaved perfectly and this is the way “they” all want us to behave. The populace sheltered in place, didn’t do anything rash, talked to the perpetrators as people. They waited for the police to come and the hospital helicopter to take the corpse away. Some will doubtless get counseling to overcome their shattering experience.

And then they will congratulate themselves on how tough British society is; resilience and all that. The more caring will leave some flowers by a railing and hold a few candle vigils for healing and peace, until these wither and blow away and the news cycle washes up a new object of attention.

The attackers knew they were actors in a drama — as keenly watched in their communities as on the BBC. And in that other audience they were asking: “How will the locals behave?” We know now. And that other audience may derive an entirely different lesson from this tableau: “See? Only their women act like men. They follow orders. They are nothing anymore — these Westerners. They are a civilization whose core has been destroyed.”

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMXXXVLXXVII

Via Juicy Ecumenism:

Mid East Christian News (MCN) reports with breaking news that a crowd of enraged Muslims in the town of Sarsana, Fayoum [southwest of Cairo], set fire to the Mar Guirguis Church today, Friday, February 15, after prayers.

The angry mob set the entire roof alight, says MCN, “and the priest was smuggled out before the crowd could assault him.” I wonder if he was lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall like Saul of Tarsus? Actually this was the only bright spot in the entire story because the priest was helped to escape by a Muslim family.

According the MCN, there were plenty of openings in the church wall! The Muslims had demolished a part of the wall “three months ago, in order to monitor the worship services in the church.”

But the Copts of the village were surprised (seriously?) that the Muslims had attacked again, because they had held a “reconciliation” session in which the Muslims refused to give back a 50-meter piece of land that belonged to the church. They also refused for the Coptic Christians to establish a kindergarten in the church. The Copts acquiesced to their demands and in return…they burned the church.

This time, the rage was inspired by a Salafi who “spoke against the existence of a church besides a Muslim house.” MCN’s source said that the Salafi “called the position of the church” — which serves some 180 Christian families – “illegal.” He also had problems with the electricity bill being in the name of H.G. Bishop Abraam, the bishop of Fayoum.

MCN continued that the Christians of the village “have been in shock” since Thursday, when the Muslims actually demanded that the church be moved from its site — the property that belongs to the church. Today, says MCN, in addition to setting it on fire, ”the crowd widened the hole in the church’s wall, and rejected the church’s offer to purchase the house from the Muslim man, considering Priest Domadios’ presence as ‘against Sharia.’”

After many hours and much destruction, security forces persuaded the attackers to leave. (They were probably finished anyway.) MCN says that three Christians were injured “attempting to defend the church.” Let’s see if those three Christians end up getting arrested. I wouldn’t be surprised.

All together now! Just keep saying to yourself, "Islam is a religion of peace! Islam is a religion of peace! Islam is a religion of peace!"

Stuff we already knew: "Ground Zero Mosque" imam is a Muslim Jim Bakker

Anyone who says they are surprised by this news is either a liar or an ignoramus.

NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The head of a proposed mosque that was to be built near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City was sued on Tuesday and accused of squandering millions of dollars in donations on lavish lifestyle perks for himself and his wife.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by several donors, accuses Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf of diverting $167,000 from private donations and $3 million from the Malaysian government for his personal use.

The money was intended for the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement, two non-profits founded by Rauf aimed at educating the public about Islam and combating anti-Islam sentiment, the lawsuit said.

Rauf used the money to pay for vacations, real estate, entertainment, a luxury sports car and other gifts and lavish lifestyle perks for himself and his wife, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also accused Rauf of falsifying the two groups' tax returns for several years to conceal fund transfers and sources.

The donors are seeking $25 million in damages.

A representative for the Cordoba Initiative and Rauf both referred requests for comment to their lawyer, Paul Knight, who did not immediately return a call Tuesday afternoon.

In 2010, Rauf spearheaded a controversial plan to build a Muslim cultural center and mosque in Lower Manhattan near the site of the World Trade Center attacks. He was ousted as the project's chief religious leader in January 2011. (Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Edith Honan, Bernard Orr)

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMXXXLVXIII

As reported by The Christian Post:

Two pastors in Kenya were shot Thursday morning by unknown gunmen who killed one of the men and wounded the other, according to a report from Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog.

Open Doors, who has ministry workers in the east Africa country, received information that Pastor Ibrahim Makunyi of the East Africa Pentecostal Church and Pastor Abdi Welli were attacked by the gunmen in the city of Garissa, Kenya. Welli was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital while Pastor Makunyi was immediately rushed to a hospital. Makunyi's condition was described as stable and out of danger.

Welli, who was evangelized, discipled and mentored by Makunyi, is survived by his wife Hellen and three young sons. 

Garissa is a violence-stricken city in northeastern Kenya. Al-Shabaab, an Islamist terrorist group, has been targeting Christians and Christian churches in the area, Open Doors stated. Last July, terrorists killed 16 people during bombings at two churches in Garissa.

"The attack today is the latest in increasing violence, especially in the Garissa area. It was reported by Open Doors that 22 Christians were killed in incidents last year and over 100 seriously injured or maimed," said Open Doors USA spokesman Jerry Dykstra.

Political instability in Kenya, triggered by influences from the Muslim minority group al-Shabaab, is causing great concern over the future religious atmosphere in the east Africa country, Open Doors recently stated. Even prior to the latest incident, the organization has been asking for prayer with less than one month to go before the country's general election.

The shooting and killing on Thursday prompted Open Doors to release a new set of prayer requests that include praying for the family of Welli, his widow Hellen and three sons as they mourn the loss of their husband and father, and "quick healing and comfort of Pastor Makunyi as he has lost his spiritual son." 

Also, the ministry organization asks for prayer for "comfort and reassurance for Pastor Makunyi's family as they live and work in Garissa," and also lists:

Pray for the congregants of the East Africa Pentecostal Church as Pastor Makunyi recovers. 

Pray for the security situation in Garissa. 

Pray for the believers there as they live in constant danger.

More than 1,200 people died in post-election violence in 2007. After the setup of a tribunal was blocked by politicians in Kenya, the International Criminal Court decided to prosecute six politicians. Charges against two were dropped, while two of the remaining four are running in the elections – one for president and the other as his running mate. The election is scheduled for March 4.

"The future for the Church in Kenya is worrying," OD said in a statement released to The Christian Post. "The level of fear among Christians is growing rapidly. The Islamist drive is diverse and strong."

According to OD experts, "The government is fearful, does not know how to handle the Islamist drive, and thus has a tendency to give in easily to demands, sometimes at the expense of the churches."

OD asks in its statement, "What will happen next, will the coastal area break away? If so, the Church in that part of country will face very difficult times. Will Islamism get more and more of a hold on the rest of Kenya? That is very possible, the more so because the process and events in Kenya seem more regional than only national."

The role of Open Doors in Kenya, as it is with many of the countries that its ministry field workers are operating in includes the distribution of Bibles, theological leadership training courses, discipleship training, and family ministry seminars. Also, the organization says that other projects in the country include cross-cultural seminars, socio-economic projects, and holistic awareness seminars.

Just keep saying to yourself, "Islam is a religions of peace! Islam is a religion of peace! Islam is a religion of peace!"

Islam: False religion or Christian heresy?

Heresy has often been defined as a truth carried to the extreme. I first heard Islam referred to as "a Christian heresy," as opposed to a mere false religion, while in seminary. This is not a particularly unusual view and, as Peter Leithart points out, it is now getting a fresh hearing from some scholars.

Near the bottom of the pit of hell, Dante encounters a man walking with his torso split from chin to groin, his guts and other organs spilling out. “See how I tear myself!” the man shrieks. “See how Mahomet is deformed and torn!” For us, the scene is not only gruesome but surprising, for Dante is not in a circle of false religion but in a circle reserved for those who tear the body of Christ. Like many medieval Christians, Dante views Islam less as a rival religion than as a schismatic form of Christianity.

A handful of Western scholars now think there is considerable historical truth to Dantes view. According to the standard Muslim account, the Quran contains revelations that Allah delivered to Mohammed through the angel Jibril between 609 and 632. They were fixed in written form under the third Caliph in the mid seventh century. Islamic scholar Christoph Luxenberg doubts most of this. In 2000, he published the German edition of The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran, whose restrained title and dispassionate tone belie its explosive arguments-explosive enough for the author to hide behind a pseudonym. The book has been banned in several Islamic countries.

It is easy to see why the guardians of Islam's reputation would not want such a book to fall into the hands of the ignorant masses. Consider some of its claims:

One of Luxenbergs central arguments is that the Quran is an Arabic translation of an original Syriac/Aramaic text. Luxenberg is able to resolve oddities in the Arabic text by treating them as erroneous Arabic translations of an original Syriac text. Words that have no Arabic source turn out to be garbled versions of common Syriac terms. Luxenberg even finds evidence in the Quran itself for treating it as a translation. By his rendering, Sura 44:58 says “we have translated [the Koran] into your language so that they may allow themselves to be reminded.”

Luxenberg has become notorious for challenging the common translation of huri, usually understood as the hot-bodied virgins with whom faithful Islamic men hope to be rewarded in paradise. According to Luxenberg, they arent wide-eyed virgins, but white grapes, “juicy fruits hanging down,” ready for picking (Sura 38:52). Its a vision of paradise similar to that of the fourth-century Christian poet, Ephrem the Syrian: “He who abstained from the wine here below, for him yearn the grapevines of Paradise. Each of them extends him a drooping cluster.”

That reference to Ephrem is not accidental, for Luxenberg argues that the Quran derives from a Syriac Christian lectionary. Again, the evidence is hiding in plain sight. It has become commonplace among scholars of Islam to recognize that the word Quran means lectionarium, but few draw the controversial conclusion: “If Koran . . . really means lectionary, then one can assume that the Koran intended itself first of all to be understood as nothing more than a liturgical book with selected texts from the Scriptures (the Old and New Testament) and not at all as a substitute for the Scriptures . . . as an independent Scripture.”

Even more astounding is this challenge to historical conventional wisdom which, if true, would be very inconvenient for Muslims.

Other early Islamic texts support the notion that Islam emerged not as a new religion but as a novel development within a Syriac Christian milieu. In his contribution to Hidden Origins, Luxenberg applies his method to the inscription on the Dome of the Rock, which seems to contain a straightforward Islamic confession: “There is no god but God alone . . . Mohammed the servant of God and messenger.” Luxenberg points out that Mohammed, usually understood as a proper name, means “exalted be” or “praised be,” and also notes that Syriac Christians, who were skeptical of the Nicene doctrine of Jesus divine sonship, preferred Isaiah's title “Servant” for Jesus. He contends that the inscription should read: “There is no god but God alone . . . Praised be the servant of God and his messenger.” This makes better sense of the sequel, which explicitly identifies “Messiah Jesus, son of Mary” as “the messenger of God and his Word.” An inscription about Jesus was later reinterpreted as a confession of a different faith entirely.

Syriac Christians were notorious for embracing heretical ideas, most notably Monophysitism and Nestorianism. The influence of the latter on the development of Islam is well documented.

Perhaps the most accurate way to describe Islam, from an orthodox Christian perspective, is that it is a heresy of a heresy--a truth carried to the extreme, with disastrously extreme consequences.

The "Religion of Peace" (and TOLERANCE!) strikes again, Part MMXXVXXXIV

Islam celebrates religious freedom on Ascension Day!

A mob of Islamic hard-liners threw stones and bags of urine at the HKBP Filadelphia congreagation of the Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, at an Ascension Day service on Thursday. Police tried to stop the mob of some 300 people, but were also attacked, according to reports.

“They assaulted the congregation members,” Rev. Palti Panjaitan told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. “Police tried to talk to them, but the mob passed through police and showered us with urine and dirty water. Others threw stones at us.”

The mob reportedly attacked the congregation as the service started, and also shouted profanity and threats.

“Even after the service, which lasted one-and-a-half hours, the mob chased after us,” Rev. Palti said. “Thank God the police escorted us to a safe area.

HKBP Filadelphia submitted an application for a building permit in 2007, but church leaders say that despite meeting all the requirements, including the agreement of their neighbors, a permit was never issued.

On Dec. 31, 2009, the Bekasi district head issued a letter banning the members of the congregation from worshiping on the land, forcing the 560 members to hold services along the side of the road fronting the property.

In July 2011, the Supreme Court overruled the Bekasi administration’s decision, saying the church was eligible for a building permit. The court ordered Bekasi to issue one — but the district government ignored the ruling.

Members of the congregation say that Islamic hard-liners have been intimidating and threatening them at their services since January.

It seems particularly appropriate in this context to post again this quote from the great Christian missionary E. Stanley Jones.

I stood in the Mosque of Saint Sophia in Constantinople, formerly a Christian cathedral. All the Christian symbols had been wiped out and replaced by verses from the Koran. As I stood at the back and looked at the dome over what had been the Christian altar, I held my breath. There was the figure of the ascending Christ plainly seen coming back through the daubs of the centuries. They couldn't wipe Him out. That is true everywhere. Sheer necessity cries out for Him.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Bad journalism, bad religion: a bad combination

Here's a story that appeared in the U.K. Telegraph over the weekend that should raise a few eyebrows.

Alzheimer's sufferer Dorothy Griffiths, 87, was found sitting down after staff heard a bang and a carer went to the office for help to lift her.

But agency nurse Abdul Bhutto, who was in charge, said they would have to wait.

Carer Zoe Shaw told the Sheffield hearing: "It took between five and ten minutes because he was praying upstairs in the office on his prayer mat. A staff member told me we had to wait for him to finish."

An ambulance was not called for nearly four hours after Mrs Griffiths fell from bed and cut her head and suffered a gash to her hip at the privately-run Valley Park Nursing Home in Wombwell, near Barnsley.

She died later in hospital. Mr Bhutto failed to appear at the inquest and a summons had to be issued for him to attend the resumed hearing later in the year.

Assistant deputy coroner Donald Coutts-Wood said he had contacted him during a recess and he denied being the duty nurse that night and said he had been there on a course.

Mrs Griffiths, the widow of former Barnsley footballer Steve Griffiths, who used to live in Wombwell, had been a resident at the home since 2009 and died last November.

She was put to bed at 9.45pm on October 24 and checked checked every two hours, according to Zoe Shaw.

The old lady was using the toilet at 4am and Mrs Shaw went to an office to fill in paperwork.

She said Mrs Griffiths was not prone to falls and was not considered "at risk".

She and another carer found her on the floor and Mrs Shaw went to get help from Mr Bhutto. He was the most senior nurse on night duty at the home, run by the Mimosa Healthcare Group, because the senior carer was unable to work havning been on duty for six of the previous seven nights.

When Mr Bhutto arrived he checked the pensioner's limbs, took her blood presssure and pulse while she was still on the floor and told the carers to put her back into bed.

But instead Mrs Shaw, worried that she might fall again, washed the old lady, dressed her and took her to the office while she carried on filling forms.

At about 5.45am she took her to the lounge and said she was "talking fine" and walking around.

But at breakfast-time when the residents were being offered a cup of tea Mrs Griffiths was found unresponsive and an ambulance was called at about 7.30am.

Mrs Shaw, who broke down and wept in the witness box, said she would have called an ambulance immediately after the fall but had only since discovered that staff could override a nurses' decision.

Speaking after the inquest was adjourned Dorothy's daughter Jean David, 61, said: "We are quite upset that Mr Bhutto hadn't appeared and we are having to come here again particularly as my brother is having to come up from Staffordshire. We would like it to have been done and dusted but we can't leave it without his evidence."

As an aside, it should be noted that this article is not very well-written. American journalism, as anyone brave enough to endure the agony of browsing a daily newspaper knows, is in a truly sorry state these days. If this article, however, is an illustration of what the British reading public experiences every day, our cousins across the pond are in far worse shape.

I will concede that I have not been employed in print media since the mid-1980's, but do news publications no longer hire copy editors? How could a sentence like, "She was put to bed at 9.45pm on October 24 and checked checked every two hours, according to Zoe Shaw," even get past a low level proof-reader?

After the disturbing account of the Muslim nurse refusing to help the patient until he finished with his prayer time (more about that shortly), the chronology of events becomes muddled and confusing. The patient in question, a woman of some prominence as the widow of a former "footballer" (soccer player), is said to have "died later in hospital," apparently as a result of a series of events which began at "9:45 pm on October 24."

Later in the article, however, the patient is said to have "died last November." The specific date of her death is not mentioned, but it would have been at least a week after the events in question.

Suffice it to say, from a strictly journalistic perspective, this article could use some improvement. The main controversy, however, seems pretty apparent. A Muslim nurse laid aside his responsibilities to a patient in an emergency situation so as not to interrupt his time on the prayer mat. This is disturbing on many levels, not the least of which being that it demonstrates a legalistic devotion to religious ritual as an end in itself, rather than a means to a greater end.

When challenged by the legalistic religious leaders of his day for a supposed transgression of the Sabbath law (cf. Matthew 12:1-8), Jesus quoted from the prophet Hosea, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).

The one true God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ would never demand of his followers that they finish their quiet time while a neighbor is crying out for help. Indeed, no prayer rising up before the throne of grace is more pleasing than the one put into practice by extending mercy and compassion to those who are suffering.

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMXVIXXXLCI

Via The Christian Post:

While the world is raising concerns over rights abuses by anti-government forces in Syria's ongoing violent conflict, few would even know that militant Islamists have expelled the majority of Christians from the western city of Homs, according to the country's largest church.

The Catholic news agency Fides says it has received a note from the Syrian Orthodox Church, which represents 60 percent of the Christians in Syria, about "an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians" by members of the a militant Islamist outfit, Brigade Faruq, which has links with al-Qaida.

The militants have expelled 90 percent of Christians in Homs, which has faced the brunt of violence related to the uprising, and grabbed their homes, it said. They went door to door in the neighborhoods of Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan forcing Christians to flee without giving them the chance to take their belongings, it added.

Syria has witnessed protests against the government as part of the wider Arab Spring since last January.

About 10 percent of Syria's 23 million people are estimated to be Christians, who have generally supported President Bashar Assad, a Muslim from a Shiite offshoot who is autocratic but protects religious minorities. On the other hand, the majority of the Muslims in Syria are Sunni.

Homs had a large population of Christians, and Muslims from the Alawite sect to which the president belongs.

On the local Islamist group's association with al-Qaida and militants from Libya and Iraq, Giuseppe Nazzaro, the Vicar Apostolic of Syria's largest city of Aleppo, was quoted as saying, "We have no sources to confirm this information directly, but we can say that these relationships are beginning to break down the wall of silence built up to now by the press worldwide. In this situation Islamist and terrorist movements are making headway."

The Christian minority is being targeted in other cities as well. Last Sunday, the Vicar recalled, a car bomb exploded in the vicinity of the school of the Franciscan fathers in Aleppo. "By a miracle a massacre of children was avoided, at the Center of catechesis of the Church of St. Bonaventure: only because the Franciscan, sensing danger, made the children leave 15 minutes before the usual time."

There were also explosions in Damascus. "These are bad signs for religious minorities," the Vicar said. However, he added, "I am confident that peace can return: for this we Christians count on constant praying."

Some Jesuits who have decided to stay in the city are giving a "heroic witness," promising to bring comfort and humanitarian aid to people in need, the agency said.

The "Religion of Peace (and TOLERANCE!)" strikes again, Part MMXXVIXXVL

Such vile bluster coming from the de facto leader of worldwide Islam:

On March 12, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.” The ruling came in response to a query from a Kuwaiti delegation over proposed legislation to prevent construction of churches in the emirate. The mufti based his decision on a story that on his deathbed, Muhammad declared, “There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula.” This passage has long been used to justify intolerance in the kingdom. Churches have always been banned in Saudi Arabia, and until recently Jews were not even allowed in the country. Those wishing to worship in the manner of their choosing must do so hidden away in private, and even then the morality police have been known to show up unexpectedly and halt proceedings.

This is not a small-time radical imam trying to stir up his followers with fiery hate speech. This was a considered, deliberate and specific ruling from one of the most important leaders in the Muslim world. It does not just create a religious obligation for those over whom the mufti has direct authority; it is also a signal to others in the Muslim world that destroying churches is not only permitted but mandatory.

Such deafening silence coming from the alleged leader of the Free World:

The Obama administration ignores these types of provocations at its peril. The White House has placed international outreach to Muslims at the center of its foreign policy in an effort to promote the image of the United States as an Islam-friendly nation. This cannot come at the expense of standing up for the human rights and religious liberties of minority groups in the Middle East. The region is a crucial crossroads. Islamist radicals are leading the rising political tide against the authoritarian, secularist old order. They are testing the waters in their relationship with the outside world, looking for signals of how far they can go in imposing their radical vision of a Shariah-based theocracy. Ignoring provocative statements like the mufti’s sends a signal to these groups that they can engage in the same sort of bigotry and anti-Christian violence with no consequences.

Mr. Obama’s outreach campaign to the Muslim world has failed to generate the good will that he expected. In part, this was because he felt it was better to pander to prejudice than to command respect. When members of the Islamic establishment call for the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing, the leader of the free world must respond or risk legitimizing the oppression that follows. The United States should not bow to the extremist dictates of the grand mufti, no matter how desperate the White House is for him to like us.

Letter from Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is facing execution for apostasy in Iran. He wrote this letter from prison in January 2011, a few months after receiving the written verdict confirming his death sentence. He remains imprisoned in Rasht, under threat of an execution that could happen any time.

"Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

When someone internalizes the revelation of the Truth, he will be willing to share it with others and future generations. We are indebted to the people who, in the past, fought for the Truth, allowing us to have access to this glorious revelation of Jesus Christ. These believers understood the richness and the beauty of the revelation and they were ready to fight in order to pass down the fruit of the revelation.

How can we bear similar fruit for eternal life? It depends on the way we choose. First we have to close our ears to the voice of the darkness as it is written in the first psalm:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1

The second thing is to open our ears to the Voice of the Spirit speaking through the Word of God, as it is written:

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2

The fruit of communion with the Lord through his Life-giving Word is stability in this life and eternal fruit that others bear in their life, as the Scriptures say:

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:3

“Come”

A lot of people admire Jesus as a unique model to follow for generations and a lot of people would like to become like Him. Jesus did not come to be admired but to give us a perfect model to follow. If we want to be like Him, we need to take a step of faith, like Peter. When the apostle saw his Lord walking on the furious sea, he asked to come to Him on the water. Jesus said: “Come!”

Everyone willing to follow the Lord is supposed to have listened in some way to this seemingly imperious command: “Come!” a command which implies an act of faith, referred to sometimes as the “leap of faith.” As it is clear from the Scriptures, what we are able to see is not faith, as the biblical faith is defined as : “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We have to decide “in spite of”’, in order to experience the power of God. But we need to remember that everything must be done according the Word of God. Peter did not experience the possibility to walk on water because he decided to leave the boat but because of the Word, the Command of the Lord.

The Word of God tell us to “expect to suffer hardship” and dishonor for the sake of His Name. Our Christian confession is not acceptable if we ignore this statement, if we do not manifest the patience of the Lord in our sufferings. Anybody ignoring it will be ashamed in that day.

Let us remember that sometimes the leap of faith leads us towards some impasses. Just as the Word led the sons of Israel leaving Egypt toward the impasse of the Red sea. These impasses are midway between promises of God and their fulfillments and they challenge our faith. Believers are to accept these challenges as a part of their spiritual course. The Son was challenged at Calvary in the hardest way, as it is written in the Scriptures:

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Hebrew 5:7-8

The cry “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” is enough to express the sufferings of our Lord at Calvary. Behind this cry of distress, we can identify the great faith that led Him to accept the will of the Father. Yea, He knew that God will “not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” and he was to rise up within 3 days. Beyond the power of death, the Lord perceived the victorious power of the resurrection.

I don’t need to write anything further about the basis of faith. Let us remember that beyond beautiful or painful feelings, only three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love. It is important for believers to make sure which kind of Faith, Hope and Love will remain. Only what we receive according the Word remains forever. I would encourage you to live in a way that is worthy to the Holy calling of the Word. Let believers, who are heirs of the glory, be examples for others in order to be a witness of the power of Christ for the world and the future. I beg you to live according the Word of God in order to chase the powers of darkness that generates doubts in your heart. The overcoming faith that casts out the doubt comes by hearing the Word of God.

Only a church based on the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ will remain, for beyond the protection of the Word of God the destroyer destroys. Let us keep His Holy Testimony.”

Your brother in Christ,

Youcef Nadarkhani