Did you ever wonder why Islamic State militants make their hostages wear orange jumpsuits? I didn't either until I heard a sermon on the origins of Islamic State by Pastor Patt Fisk Pastor Fisk said that they do this deliberately in their propaganda videos to mock what they see as the infidel West. Captured suspected Islamic militants who were imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay and other facilities wore orange jumpsuits as their prison uniform.
Obviously they saw this as a humiliation against their fellow Muslims, and dressing their hostages in these same uniforms is part of how they are taking revenge against their former oppressors. I did an internet search for a suitable picture of one of these hostages, but all of them are too graphic and this blog is not the place for sensationalism.
As a Christian, I would hope that God's grace is big enough to reach anyone, but some people are irredeemably evil. Islamic State are deluded fanatics who are intent in bringing the entire world under the subjugation of their religion. They will never succeed in their aims, but they are serious threat to international security. Their actions demonstrate that they are not interested in diplomacy or peaceful negotiations. The fact of the matter is that you can't negotiate with someone who wants you dead. Therefore military force is the only way to deal with them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/who-are-isis-the-rise-of-the-islamic-state-in-iraq-and-the-levant-9541421.html
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1013141342362
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/08/28/once-again-militants-use-guantanamos-orange-jumpsuit-in-an-execution/
Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts
Friday, October 24, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
Concerning
 |
| Wassim Doureihi |
Program host Emma Alberici repeatedly invited Doureihi to denounce the atrocities of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but he refused to do so. He was asked to comment on whether the actions of Islamic State (IS) fighters beheading people and taking their severed heads as trophies could be justified, but deflected that question too.
Nor would he say anything to dissuade young Australian Muslim men in Australia from joining IS. Hizb ut-Tahrir wants to see Australia become incorporated into a global Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia law. Again he would not be drawn on how he thought this would be enacted.
Rather than engage with Alberici on an equal footing, he wanted to present his own agenda. Did he have a problem with being interviewed by a woman who he presumably believes is inferior to a man? Read the interview transcript and you will see that he rejects the narrative of the war on terror given by Western governments. In his worldview, militant Muslims are simply the aggrieved victims of unjust and criminal Western militarism.
He also claims that Muslims are forbidden from killing innocent civilians. This raises the question of what exactly makes a person an innocent civilian, on what basis is their innocence or guilt determined, and infers that there is another category of person that it is justified to kill.
Islamic theology divides the world into two spheres; Dar al-Harb (House of War) and Dar al-Islam (House of Peace). Any part of the world not belonging to the Dar al-Islam is in rebellion against Allah and is therefore deemed to be at war against the Dar al-Islam, and must be subjugated. It is the duty of every Muslim to bring all of the world into the Dar al-Harb. Some Muslims are doing this peacefully, while others have a militaristic understanding of this obligation. Furthermore, there is plenty of Islamic scholarship arguing that is it permissible to kill civilians who are not a part of the Dar al-Islam and who will not submit to Islam.
This group has been banned in several countries. I think it's time to give serious consideration into banning it in Australia as well. While it doesn't speak for all Australian Muslims, should we tolerate a group that has no loyalty to the Australian nation, wants to overturn our existing form of government, and replace it with one befitting its nightmare vision of a global caliphate? No thanks. This is serious.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Index/index.html
http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/islams_wrinkled_face.htm
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/let-their-warped-words-be-heard/story-e6frg7bo-1227090525248
http://barnabasfund.org/AU/Islamic-theology-and-Iraqi-Christians-Part-II.html
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/radical-muslim-cleric-ismail-alwahwah-tells-supporters-a-new-world-order-is-coming/story-fni0cx12-1227086878686?nk=b7125899d89f17af8783e39f35bddf7b
http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses01/rrtw/Hashmi.htm
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/10/09/explainer-what-hizb-ut-tahrir
Monday, June 30, 2014
Let me politely decline
After a massive public outcry last week, Islamic activist Uthman Badar had his invitation to speak on the topic of "honour killings are morally justified" at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney in August cancelled. In media interviews Badar later claimed that his views were misrepresented. Even if Badar is telling the truth, the real issue is why this man was even being given a mainstream platform for his views.
Badar is the Australian spokesperson for Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic political movement whose goal it is to establish a worldwide caliphate, in other words, to bring the world under the rule of a global Muslim theocracy, ruled by shariah law, including Australia. Were the festival organizers aware of this when they invited him, or that this movement is banned in some countries?
I pray that Islamists, or indeed theocrats of any persuasion never achieve their aims. Any theocracy is neither desirable nor feasible. The Islamic caliphate is definitely a dangerous idea. If there is one positive thing to come out of this controversy, it is that more people will become aware of it and other Islamist movements, and make an effort to be properly informed about them. Be alert but not alarmed.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Stirring things up
 |
| A Muslim protestor in Sydney |
Australia is probably one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and for the most part this works well. Regardless of their ethnic background or religion, the majority of people who call Australia home respect the rule of law, derived from its British heritage, and respect the freedoms and responsibilities that come with this.
There is more to these protests than the Islamic community being aggrieved at their beliefs being mocked by others. Some radical elements of the Muslim community feel marginalized from mainstream Australian society. They believe that their god commands them to overturn the existing socio-political order, and transform Australia into an Islamic theocracy, based on Sharia law, and integrated into a worldwide Islamic caliphate. Some of the protestors subscribe to this Islamist ideology, and believe that their goal can be achieved.
While some moderate members of the Muslim community have denounced and distanced themselves from those behind this unrest, in their minds the militants are true Muslims, and the moderates are false Muslims and traitors.
Now Australia is experiencing the same social and ethnic unrest that has taken place in the United Kingdom, France, and other European nations. I remember reading or seeing news reports about these events, and took some consolation from believing that it could never happen in my own country. Australia was special; that sort of thing could never happen here. As Senator Bernardi writes, the past few days have indeed been a rude awakening.
www.barnabasfund.org.au
www.qsociety.org.au
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
Chawkat Moucarry
Stuart Robinson
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Why did we bother?
Almost 22 years ago, in August 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded and annexed Kuwait. The occupation lasted until February 1991 when a multinational force led by the United States defeated Iraq, and the al-Sabah government was restored.
According to reports from Barnabas Fund Kuwait's Islamist parliament has passed a bill that makes insulting key Islamic figures and the Quran punishable by death. A law to prevent the construction of new churches and other non-Islamic places of worship has been proposed, as have constitutional changes to impose sharia.
Kuwait has never been a democracy, and I do not wish to start a debate about whether or not the intervention of Australia and other members of the multinational coalition was justified. I simply pose the question of whether or not there was a point to the war if the end result is Kuwait becoming a repressive Islamist autocracy.
According to reports from Barnabas Fund Kuwait's Islamist parliament has passed a bill that makes insulting key Islamic figures and the Quran punishable by death. A law to prevent the construction of new churches and other non-Islamic places of worship has been proposed, as have constitutional changes to impose sharia.
Kuwait has never been a democracy, and I do not wish to start a debate about whether or not the intervention of Australia and other members of the multinational coalition was justified. I simply pose the question of whether or not there was a point to the war if the end result is Kuwait becoming a repressive Islamist autocracy.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Tea for the tillerman
This is my final post on my visit late last year to a mosque to hear a talk by former Christian turned Muslim cleric Yusha Evans. In this post I want to respond to his comments about the apostle Paul. He raised what experts tell me is a common Islamic objection to Paul. They seek to discredit him and his considerable contribution to the New Testament canon because, as he was spectacularly converted after Jesus's resurrection and ascension, he never met or personally knew him. He probably had more to say on this subject, and refrained from saying what he really thought, but knowing there were Christians present, chose his words carefully.
An entry on the Answering Islam website answers this objection as follows:
"Muslims tend to regard Paul as the person who corrupted Christianity and usually reject the epistles of Paul as authoritative scripture. Many Muslims have charged that Paul's original name was Saul (of Tarsus), and that he changed his name to Paul after his conversion, and that he had never met Jesus. Though that name change theory is relatively popular, it isn't probably what happened. Saul was a Jew and a Roman citizen, and thus would have two names. Saul was his Hebrew name and Paulus was his Latin name. The first reports about him in the Bible are when he is in Israel and neighboring countries and there he certainly uses his Hebrew name. Later on in his missionary travels in Asia minor and Europe, he uses his Latin name, which is perfectly in harmony with his status and the places he visited. Moreover, since Paulus means "the little one," he might have seen it to be more appropriate and humble as he became a Christian instead of a name after King Saul.
And he did meet Jesus. He saw him in a vision on his way to Damascus. He might not have met Jesus while Jesus walked on this earth, but he met him after his resurrection, where he saw and heard Jesus in this incident.
Interestingly, the Muslim at-Tabari said, "Among the apostles and those disciples around them, whom Jesus sent out, there were Peter and his companion Paul." (A history of the Christian Church, Thalabii. Qisas al-Anbiyaa, pp. 389-90. Tabarii. Taarikh al-umam wa-l-muluuk II/II, 1560).
This is how Paul saw himself:
I would add that the other apostles accepted Paul as one of their own, and his writings as Scripture (Galatians 2:1-10, 2 Peter 3:16). In one sense this objection is nothing new. Paul had to defend his apostolic credentials against his opponents in his second letter to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 11 & 12). By nature, Paul was a humble man, but was forced to boast because of his opponents undermining his work. Muslims believe that their holy book, the Koran, was imparted to the prophet Muhammad by supernatural means. Yet, when it comes to the apostle Paul and his writings, there is no room for the supernatural in their hermeneutics. I cannot accept that Paul was anything other than the apostle he rightly claimed to be, and unquestioningly accept his contribution to Christian thought and considerable contribution to the New Testament canon at face value.
An entry on the Answering Islam website answers this objection as follows:
"Muslims tend to regard Paul as the person who corrupted Christianity and usually reject the epistles of Paul as authoritative scripture. Many Muslims have charged that Paul's original name was Saul (of Tarsus), and that he changed his name to Paul after his conversion, and that he had never met Jesus. Though that name change theory is relatively popular, it isn't probably what happened. Saul was a Jew and a Roman citizen, and thus would have two names. Saul was his Hebrew name and Paulus was his Latin name. The first reports about him in the Bible are when he is in Israel and neighboring countries and there he certainly uses his Hebrew name. Later on in his missionary travels in Asia minor and Europe, he uses his Latin name, which is perfectly in harmony with his status and the places he visited. Moreover, since Paulus means "the little one," he might have seen it to be more appropriate and humble as he became a Christian instead of a name after King Saul.
And he did meet Jesus. He saw him in a vision on his way to Damascus. He might not have met Jesus while Jesus walked on this earth, but he met him after his resurrection, where he saw and heard Jesus in this incident.
Interestingly, the Muslim at-Tabari said, "Among the apostles and those disciples around them, whom Jesus sent out, there were Peter and his companion Paul." (A history of the Christian Church, Thalabii. Qisas al-Anbiyaa, pp. 389-90. Tabarii. Taarikh al-umam wa-l-muluuk II/II, 1560).
This is how Paul saw himself:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed (1 Corinthians 15:3-11)."I also put the question of how to answer Paul's critics to theologian Dr James F. McGrath of Butler University. Head over to his blog for his answer.
I would add that the other apostles accepted Paul as one of their own, and his writings as Scripture (Galatians 2:1-10, 2 Peter 3:16). In one sense this objection is nothing new. Paul had to defend his apostolic credentials against his opponents in his second letter to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 11 & 12). By nature, Paul was a humble man, but was forced to boast because of his opponents undermining his work. Muslims believe that their holy book, the Koran, was imparted to the prophet Muhammad by supernatural means. Yet, when it comes to the apostle Paul and his writings, there is no room for the supernatural in their hermeneutics. I cannot accept that Paul was anything other than the apostle he rightly claimed to be, and unquestioningly accept his contribution to Christian thought and considerable contribution to the New Testament canon at face value.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Walking on eggshells
Last week Salman Taseer, governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. Taseer was a vocal opponent of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, under which Asia Noreen, a Christian woman, has been sentenced to death. Taseer was Noreen's most prominent supporter, calling for her to be pardoned. I understand from other sources that Noreen was charged with blasphemy over a minor dispute with her neighbours in her village. The assassination has attracted international headlines, but it's interesting to see that perhaps for fear of offending Muslim communities, most of the mainstream media has seemingly downplayed the gunman's possible religious motivation. I'm not suggesting that all Muslims are extremist, blinkered zealots. To do that would be a gross exaggeration. Christians get treated like this all the time. When the shoe is on the other foot it makes you sensitive to how adherents of other faith traditions are portrayed in the media. He has yet to be tried and convicted, but the fact of the matter is that we now know that while he is not believed to be a member of any Muslim extremist groups, he is known to be a devout Muslim.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
It is finished
This is another post about my visit to a mosque to hear Islamic scholar Yusha Evans. I mentioned earlier that he does not believe in the death and resurrection of Christ. I wrote him a question about this issue, but he chose not to answer it on the night. What follows is an outline of Jesus's death and resurrection, compiled from the four Gospel accounts. I wrote this some years ago on another website, but have reworked it slightly here specifically to engage with Islam.
This is crucial to the Christian faith. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that when he died, he offered himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sins of humanity. Anyone who believes in Jesus has their sins forgiven by God, and has peace with Him. Frankly, without the death and resurrection of Christ, Christianity is useless and not worth believing in. As the apostle Paul wrote:
"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:12-17).
I read up on Islamic teaching about the resurrection. Rejecting the testimony of the four gospel accounts and the epistles, this teaching asserts that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus never took place. God rescued Jesus from the plot to have him crucified and He altered the appearance of another man, possibly Judas Iscariot, so that he resembled Jesus in appearance. It was this man who died on the cross. Shortly after the prophet Jesus was taken back to Heaven.
To answer this teaching, the Bible contains a wealth of information concerning the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus predicted these events, even predicting how he would die (Matthew 16:21-28; 17:22-23; 20:17-19, Mark 8:31-38; 9:1; 30-32; 10-32-34, Luke 9:22-27; 43-45; 18-31-34). This is significant because Jesus clearly did know that he would die and be resurrected. It is inconceivable that Jesus would have predicted these events if they were not going to take place.
As we review the Gospel accounts of these events, it will become evident that God did not use a proxy to be crucified in his place. Unlike Jesus, who was divine, this unnamed man would have been born under the curse of sin. As the only sinless man who has ever lived, Jesus was the only one who was worthy to die on the cross as a penalty for the sins of humanity. Let me emphasise again that if this proxy man was crucified in Jesus’ place, the sacrifice would have been worthless, and with it the entire foundation of Christianity.
How did Jesus really die? The Gospel accounts state that Jesus and his disciples travelled to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover festival. On the night he was arrested, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples. (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 27:7-13). He revealed that Judas, one of his disciples, would betray him to his enemies (Matthew 26:20-25, Mark 14:17-21, Luke 22:31-38, John 13:36-38). Judas had already secretly arranged to do this (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6). When they finished the meal, Jesus and the disciples went to the garden of Gethesemane on the Mount of Olives. There he prayed repeatedly, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." He found his disciples asleep, exhausted from their great sorrow. Jesus' anquish was so great that his sweat turned to blood (Matthew 26:30, 36-46, Mark 14:26, 32-42, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1). Accompanied by a mob of soldiers, Judas arrived. He arranged with his accomplices that he would identify the man to be arrested with a kiss. Judas kissed Jesus, and the mob arrested him and lead him away (Matthew 26:47-55, Mark 14:43-49, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:2-11). The remaining disciples fled, just as Jesus predicted they would do (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50-52).
Jesus was brought before Annas, the Jewish high priest, for questioning (John 18:12-14, 19-23). They brought him before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court, for trial on charges of blasphemy. Under questioning by the Sanhedrin, Jesus declared himself to be the Messiah (Matthew 26:57, 59-66; Mark 14:53, 55-64; Luke 22:54; John 18:24), inciting his captors to mock, beat, and spit upon him (Matthew 26:67-68; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63-65). Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:17, 25-27).
Remembering Jesus' words to him, Peter went away and wept bitterly. Peter had no doubt that Jesus would be killed. He knew, as the other disciples did, that it was impossible for him to escape execution, or to organise a proxy to die instead of Jesus. The Sanhedrin ordered Jesus's execution (Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1, Luke 22:66-71). Judas, meanwhile, was overcome with remorse at his betrayal of Jesus. He returned the money his accomplices paid him for his actions, and went away to hang himself (Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:18-19). Again, it is highly unlikely that Judas would have done this if he knew that Jesus planned to escape his execution.
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of the province of Judea, for further questioning. The Sanhedrin had no power to execute Jesus, so they hoped that he could be sentenced to death under Roman law. However, Pilate found no basis for the charges against Jesus (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5, John 18:28-38). Pilate sent him to King Herod. Jesus was questioned and mocked again, then returned to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12).
At the time of the Jewish Passover, the Governor had a custom to release a prisoner chosen by the people. They chose to release Barabbas, a notorious criminal (Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-40; 19:1). Prior to leading Jesus away to be crucified, Pilate's soldiers mocked and beat him. Mocking Jesus's claims to be a king, they thrust a crown of thorns upon his head, and dressed him in a purple robe (Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:2-3). Once again Pilate sought to have Jesus released, but the religious authorities demanded his death. Pilate accepted their demands (John 19:4-16).
They brought Jesus to Golgotha, a hill overlooking Jerusalem, and a number of his followers watched as he was lead to his death (Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17). Stripped and nailed to a cross, he suffered an agonising and humiliating death. Mary, his mother, watched as her son slowly died (Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:18-27). He was abandoned and powerless, separated from his Heavenly Father as he bore the burden of the sins of humanity upon his broken body. He cried out in pain, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:45-59; Mark 15:33-36; Luke 23:43-45; John 19:28-29). He cried out again, and knowing that he had accomplished the redemption of humanity, spoke the words, "It is finished." Then he died (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). To make sure that he was dead, Roman soldiers removed his body from the cross and pierced his side with a spear, bringing a flow of blood and water (John 19:31-37). Miracles happened. The curtain in Jerusalem's Jewish temple was torn in two. Dead people came back to life. The Roman soldier who stood guard at Jesus's cross was moved to exclaim, "Surely this man was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:47-49).
Joseph of Arimathea, a secret follower of Jesus, asked for Jesus's body, and wrapping it in a clean linen cloth, he placed it in his own tomb, sealing the entrance with a large stone. The women who earlier witnessed Jesus's death followed Joseph to the tomb and watched (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42). The chief priests of the Sanhedrin remembered that when Jesus was still alive, he claimed that he would rise from the dead after three days. They wanted to make sure that Jesus was dead, and that his followers would be crushed. To prevent them coming and stealing the body, they persuaded Pilate to place the tomb under guard (Matthew 27:62-66).
On the morning of the third day after Jesus's death, Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb. To their astonishment, they found that the stone sealing the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away (Matthew 28:1-4; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1). When they went inside to investigate further, they found that the tomb was empty. Angels appeared, telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would do (Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:5-8; Luke 24:3-8). The women hurried to tell the other disciples what they had seen. Peter went inside the tomb, and he and another disciple saw the cloth and linen that was used to to wrap Jesus's body lying on the ground (Luke 24:9-12; John 20:2-9). Peter was dumbfounded.
Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb, crying. Angels appeared to her. "Woman, why are you crying?" they asked. She replied, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him." A man stood behind her. Mary thought that he was the gardener who kept the burial ground. When he spoke her name, she realised that it was Jesus. Filled with joy, she returned to the other disciples, telling them, "I have seen the Lord!" (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:10-18). Jesus then appeared to the other women who visited the tomb, and they clasped his feet and worshipped him (Matthew 28:9-10). Reporting to their superiors what had happened, the tomb guards were bribed to spread a story that Jesus's disciples stole his body (Matthew 28:11-15).
Later that day, two of Jesus's followers were travelling to the village of Emmaus, not far from Jerusalem. Jesus came and walked with them, but they did not recognise him at first. They discussed the events of the previous three days, how Jesus had been arrested and crucified, the reports of the empty tomb, and the women who claimed that Jesus was alive again. Speaking of himself, Jesus responded, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself. Only then did they recognise Jesus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32). They returned to Jerusalem immediately to report to the other disciples what happened (Luke 24:33-35). They thought he was a ghost, so Jesus invited them to touch his wounded hands and feet. He then took and ate a piece of fish in front of them (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25; 1 Corinthians 15:5). There could no longer be any doubt that Jesus was alive.
John 20:24-28 tells us of how Thomas, one of the disciples, responded when the other disciples came to him with the news that Jesus was alive. Thomas was a broken man. He had spent three years of his life following Jesus, and it had cost him everything. He mourned deeply over the loss of his friend, and wanted to be alone. The other disciples came to him saying, "We have seen the Lord."
Thomas replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were, and put my hands into his side, I will not believe it." Imagine his astonishment when Jesus came to Thomas and invited him to touch his wounds. He suddenly realised that it was true. Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would. Overcome with emotion at this awesome miracle, he cried out to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" These words are very profound. Thomas acknowledged Jesus as Messiah and as God. Jesus affirmed Thomas for his belief in him, just as he did all those who recognised him as Thomas did. Thomas would not have reacted to Jesus in this way if he had not died at all.
Some time later, seven of the apostles spent the night fishing on the Sea of Galilee, and caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but they did not realise who he was.
He called out to them, "Friends, have you caught any fish?"
"No," they replied.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." They did as Jesus said, and they were unable to haul in the net because of the large number of fish (John 21:1-14). This reminded them of their first meeting with Jesus, when he performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11), and provided further proof that Jesus had risen from the grave, and was now back with his followers.
In a powerful act of reconciliation, Jesus reinstated Peter (John 21:15-24). After giving what is known as the Great Commission, the command to spread his teachings throughout the world (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:9-12), Jesus told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them (Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8). The Holy Spirit was the Comforter and Counsellor Jesus promised to send to them (John 14:15-31, 16: 5-16).
The power of the Holy Spirit came upon the church, empowering it to boldly proclaim Jesus's message of hope and forgiveness from God throughout the world. As we read the remainder of the New Testament, it is impressive to see that the apostles, as the pioneers of the early church, suffered greatly for their faith, and were prepared to lose their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ, as most of them eventually did. They would not have shown such courage, determination, and conviction in their cause if Jesus was less than he claimed to be, and if they were mistaken in believing that Jesus was the Messiah, uniquely chosen by God to provide salvation to humanity. He provided the ultimate proof of these claims in his victory over death, which the apostles had all witnessed. This was not a mass delusion, nor was it a case of mistaken identity. Over a period of several weeks, more than 500 people saw Jesus alive in the days after his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, just as the Bible says he did. God did not use a proxy to die in his place.
It is highly unlikely that the first Christians would have displayed such commitment, passion and energy in spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ if in fact he was not the Messiah. But they were totally convinced that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be. He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and the only Saviour of humanity. He alone conquered death, making it possible for all of us, as God's children, to be reconciled with God, receive forgiveness for our sins and escape the penalty of eternal separation from God, and have a relationship with Him.
This is crucial to the Christian faith. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that when he died, he offered himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sins of humanity. Anyone who believes in Jesus has their sins forgiven by God, and has peace with Him. Frankly, without the death and resurrection of Christ, Christianity is useless and not worth believing in. As the apostle Paul wrote:
"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:12-17).
I read up on Islamic teaching about the resurrection. Rejecting the testimony of the four gospel accounts and the epistles, this teaching asserts that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus never took place. God rescued Jesus from the plot to have him crucified and He altered the appearance of another man, possibly Judas Iscariot, so that he resembled Jesus in appearance. It was this man who died on the cross. Shortly after the prophet Jesus was taken back to Heaven.
To answer this teaching, the Bible contains a wealth of information concerning the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus predicted these events, even predicting how he would die (Matthew 16:21-28; 17:22-23; 20:17-19, Mark 8:31-38; 9:1; 30-32; 10-32-34, Luke 9:22-27; 43-45; 18-31-34). This is significant because Jesus clearly did know that he would die and be resurrected. It is inconceivable that Jesus would have predicted these events if they were not going to take place.
As we review the Gospel accounts of these events, it will become evident that God did not use a proxy to be crucified in his place. Unlike Jesus, who was divine, this unnamed man would have been born under the curse of sin. As the only sinless man who has ever lived, Jesus was the only one who was worthy to die on the cross as a penalty for the sins of humanity. Let me emphasise again that if this proxy man was crucified in Jesus’ place, the sacrifice would have been worthless, and with it the entire foundation of Christianity.
How did Jesus really die? The Gospel accounts state that Jesus and his disciples travelled to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover festival. On the night he was arrested, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples. (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 27:7-13). He revealed that Judas, one of his disciples, would betray him to his enemies (Matthew 26:20-25, Mark 14:17-21, Luke 22:31-38, John 13:36-38). Judas had already secretly arranged to do this (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6). When they finished the meal, Jesus and the disciples went to the garden of Gethesemane on the Mount of Olives. There he prayed repeatedly, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." He found his disciples asleep, exhausted from their great sorrow. Jesus' anquish was so great that his sweat turned to blood (Matthew 26:30, 36-46, Mark 14:26, 32-42, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1). Accompanied by a mob of soldiers, Judas arrived. He arranged with his accomplices that he would identify the man to be arrested with a kiss. Judas kissed Jesus, and the mob arrested him and lead him away (Matthew 26:47-55, Mark 14:43-49, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:2-11). The remaining disciples fled, just as Jesus predicted they would do (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50-52).
Jesus was brought before Annas, the Jewish high priest, for questioning (John 18:12-14, 19-23). They brought him before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court, for trial on charges of blasphemy. Under questioning by the Sanhedrin, Jesus declared himself to be the Messiah (Matthew 26:57, 59-66; Mark 14:53, 55-64; Luke 22:54; John 18:24), inciting his captors to mock, beat, and spit upon him (Matthew 26:67-68; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63-65). Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:17, 25-27).
Remembering Jesus' words to him, Peter went away and wept bitterly. Peter had no doubt that Jesus would be killed. He knew, as the other disciples did, that it was impossible for him to escape execution, or to organise a proxy to die instead of Jesus. The Sanhedrin ordered Jesus's execution (Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1, Luke 22:66-71). Judas, meanwhile, was overcome with remorse at his betrayal of Jesus. He returned the money his accomplices paid him for his actions, and went away to hang himself (Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:18-19). Again, it is highly unlikely that Judas would have done this if he knew that Jesus planned to escape his execution.
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of the province of Judea, for further questioning. The Sanhedrin had no power to execute Jesus, so they hoped that he could be sentenced to death under Roman law. However, Pilate found no basis for the charges against Jesus (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5, John 18:28-38). Pilate sent him to King Herod. Jesus was questioned and mocked again, then returned to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12).
At the time of the Jewish Passover, the Governor had a custom to release a prisoner chosen by the people. They chose to release Barabbas, a notorious criminal (Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-40; 19:1). Prior to leading Jesus away to be crucified, Pilate's soldiers mocked and beat him. Mocking Jesus's claims to be a king, they thrust a crown of thorns upon his head, and dressed him in a purple robe (Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:2-3). Once again Pilate sought to have Jesus released, but the religious authorities demanded his death. Pilate accepted their demands (John 19:4-16).
They brought Jesus to Golgotha, a hill overlooking Jerusalem, and a number of his followers watched as he was lead to his death (Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17). Stripped and nailed to a cross, he suffered an agonising and humiliating death. Mary, his mother, watched as her son slowly died (Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:18-27). He was abandoned and powerless, separated from his Heavenly Father as he bore the burden of the sins of humanity upon his broken body. He cried out in pain, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:45-59; Mark 15:33-36; Luke 23:43-45; John 19:28-29). He cried out again, and knowing that he had accomplished the redemption of humanity, spoke the words, "It is finished." Then he died (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). To make sure that he was dead, Roman soldiers removed his body from the cross and pierced his side with a spear, bringing a flow of blood and water (John 19:31-37). Miracles happened. The curtain in Jerusalem's Jewish temple was torn in two. Dead people came back to life. The Roman soldier who stood guard at Jesus's cross was moved to exclaim, "Surely this man was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:47-49).
Joseph of Arimathea, a secret follower of Jesus, asked for Jesus's body, and wrapping it in a clean linen cloth, he placed it in his own tomb, sealing the entrance with a large stone. The women who earlier witnessed Jesus's death followed Joseph to the tomb and watched (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42). The chief priests of the Sanhedrin remembered that when Jesus was still alive, he claimed that he would rise from the dead after three days. They wanted to make sure that Jesus was dead, and that his followers would be crushed. To prevent them coming and stealing the body, they persuaded Pilate to place the tomb under guard (Matthew 27:62-66).
On the morning of the third day after Jesus's death, Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb. To their astonishment, they found that the stone sealing the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away (Matthew 28:1-4; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1). When they went inside to investigate further, they found that the tomb was empty. Angels appeared, telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would do (Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:5-8; Luke 24:3-8). The women hurried to tell the other disciples what they had seen. Peter went inside the tomb, and he and another disciple saw the cloth and linen that was used to to wrap Jesus's body lying on the ground (Luke 24:9-12; John 20:2-9). Peter was dumbfounded.
Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb, crying. Angels appeared to her. "Woman, why are you crying?" they asked. She replied, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him." A man stood behind her. Mary thought that he was the gardener who kept the burial ground. When he spoke her name, she realised that it was Jesus. Filled with joy, she returned to the other disciples, telling them, "I have seen the Lord!" (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:10-18). Jesus then appeared to the other women who visited the tomb, and they clasped his feet and worshipped him (Matthew 28:9-10). Reporting to their superiors what had happened, the tomb guards were bribed to spread a story that Jesus's disciples stole his body (Matthew 28:11-15).
Later that day, two of Jesus's followers were travelling to the village of Emmaus, not far from Jerusalem. Jesus came and walked with them, but they did not recognise him at first. They discussed the events of the previous three days, how Jesus had been arrested and crucified, the reports of the empty tomb, and the women who claimed that Jesus was alive again. Speaking of himself, Jesus responded, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself. Only then did they recognise Jesus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32). They returned to Jerusalem immediately to report to the other disciples what happened (Luke 24:33-35). They thought he was a ghost, so Jesus invited them to touch his wounded hands and feet. He then took and ate a piece of fish in front of them (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25; 1 Corinthians 15:5). There could no longer be any doubt that Jesus was alive.
John 20:24-28 tells us of how Thomas, one of the disciples, responded when the other disciples came to him with the news that Jesus was alive. Thomas was a broken man. He had spent three years of his life following Jesus, and it had cost him everything. He mourned deeply over the loss of his friend, and wanted to be alone. The other disciples came to him saying, "We have seen the Lord."
Thomas replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were, and put my hands into his side, I will not believe it." Imagine his astonishment when Jesus came to Thomas and invited him to touch his wounds. He suddenly realised that it was true. Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would. Overcome with emotion at this awesome miracle, he cried out to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" These words are very profound. Thomas acknowledged Jesus as Messiah and as God. Jesus affirmed Thomas for his belief in him, just as he did all those who recognised him as Thomas did. Thomas would not have reacted to Jesus in this way if he had not died at all.
Some time later, seven of the apostles spent the night fishing on the Sea of Galilee, and caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but they did not realise who he was.
He called out to them, "Friends, have you caught any fish?"
"No," they replied.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." They did as Jesus said, and they were unable to haul in the net because of the large number of fish (John 21:1-14). This reminded them of their first meeting with Jesus, when he performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11), and provided further proof that Jesus had risen from the grave, and was now back with his followers.
In a powerful act of reconciliation, Jesus reinstated Peter (John 21:15-24). After giving what is known as the Great Commission, the command to spread his teachings throughout the world (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:9-12), Jesus told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them (Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8). The Holy Spirit was the Comforter and Counsellor Jesus promised to send to them (John 14:15-31, 16: 5-16).
The power of the Holy Spirit came upon the church, empowering it to boldly proclaim Jesus's message of hope and forgiveness from God throughout the world. As we read the remainder of the New Testament, it is impressive to see that the apostles, as the pioneers of the early church, suffered greatly for their faith, and were prepared to lose their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ, as most of them eventually did. They would not have shown such courage, determination, and conviction in their cause if Jesus was less than he claimed to be, and if they were mistaken in believing that Jesus was the Messiah, uniquely chosen by God to provide salvation to humanity. He provided the ultimate proof of these claims in his victory over death, which the apostles had all witnessed. This was not a mass delusion, nor was it a case of mistaken identity. Over a period of several weeks, more than 500 people saw Jesus alive in the days after his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, just as the Bible says he did. God did not use a proxy to die in his place.
It is highly unlikely that the first Christians would have displayed such commitment, passion and energy in spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ if in fact he was not the Messiah. But they were totally convinced that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be. He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and the only Saviour of humanity. He alone conquered death, making it possible for all of us, as God's children, to be reconciled with God, receive forgiveness for our sins and escape the penalty of eternal separation from God, and have a relationship with Him.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Where do the children play?
This is the third part of my report on my visit to a mosque to hear Islamic scholar Yusha Evans. In Islam, Jesus (or Isa) is affirmed as a great prophet, but is not the son of God. Muslims reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity as well as the doctrine of the incarnation; that is, the idea that God became a human being and lived among us. God cannot have a son, and Jesus was not God and never claimed to be. As Evans made this statement, I reacted by bookmarking some key passages in my Bible on this question with torn off scraps of paper, and thought to myself, "Yes he did."
How could Evans reconcile this claim with the Bible's unequivocal teaching on this matter? If you were to look up a good Bible encyclopedia for an entry on "Jesus Christ-Divinity" you'd be flooded with a torrent of Bible verses to look up and correlate. These passages either imply or make explicit Jesus's identity as God. What follows is a summary of these passages.
No other spiritual leader in human history taught with the authority and conviction that Jesus did. He made the astonishing claim that he could forgive sins (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:5-6; Luke 5:17-26). His Jewish hearers understood the implications of this claim, and this enraged them. The Jewish understanding was that only God could forgive sins, in claiming the authority to forgive sins, Jesus clearly claimed to be God.
Jesus claimed to be equal to God the Father (John 8:58; 10:30, 33; 20:28). To this we can also look at several instances of Jesus declaring that he was the Messiah (Matthew 11:3-6; 26:63-64; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; John 4:1-42; 5:33-36, 39, 46, 6:27, 8:14, 17-18, 25, 28, 56, 13:19). There are also examples of others acknowledging Jesus's identity as the Messiah (John 1:41-45; Acts 3:18:20, 24, 4:26-27, 9:22, 13:27, 17:2-3, 26:22-23, 28:23; Romans 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 1:10-11, 16, 17-18; 1 John 5:6-9). By reading these passages, we can see that these declarations were not the words of a deluded individual or individuals. Jesus knew exactly who he was, and so did those who wrote about him.
Jesus also used miracles to provide evidence of his identity as the Messiah (John 10:37-38). The New Testament records these numerous miracles. For example, Jesus calmed storms (Matthew 8:23-27, 14:32; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25), fed the hungry (Matthew 14:15-21; 15:32-39; Mark 6:35-44, 8:1-9; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:5-14). He healed many people of all kinds of diseases and physical infirmities (Matthew 4:23-24, 14:14, 15:30; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:17-19, 7:21-22; John 2:23; 3:2). He brought dead people back to life, such as a widow's son (Luke 7:11-16), the daughter of a man named Jairus (Matthew 9:18, 19, 23-26; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41,42, 49-56), and his friend Lazarus (John 11:1-54). He also cast out demons (Matthew 4:23-24, 8:16-17, 28-34, 9:32-33, 12:22-37, 15:21-28, 17:14:21; Mark 1:23-26, 34, 3:19-30, 5:1-20, 7:24-30, 9:14-29, Luke 4:33-36, 40-41, 7:21, 8:26-39, 9:37-43, 11:14, 15, 17-23).
To reinforce his actions, we also have the question of Jesus's character.
What of the character of Jesus? Jesus is unique in all of human history. The Bible repeatedly states that he is the only sinless man who ever lived.
Speaking of Jesus, the apostle Paul wrote,
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The apostle Peter wrote of Jesus,
"...Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:19-21), and, "He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:22).
John wrote:
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." (1 John 3:5-6).
The writer of the Book of Hebrews described Jesus as follows:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus clearly believed himself to be God, and never once did he rebuke anyone who affirmed and acknowledged him as such. His teachings, actions, and character back this up. To make contrary claims means disregarding all of this evidence, not to mention his greatest miracle; rising from the grave. I'll look at the resurrection in a future post.
How could Evans reconcile this claim with the Bible's unequivocal teaching on this matter? If you were to look up a good Bible encyclopedia for an entry on "Jesus Christ-Divinity" you'd be flooded with a torrent of Bible verses to look up and correlate. These passages either imply or make explicit Jesus's identity as God. What follows is a summary of these passages.
No other spiritual leader in human history taught with the authority and conviction that Jesus did. He made the astonishing claim that he could forgive sins (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:5-6; Luke 5:17-26). His Jewish hearers understood the implications of this claim, and this enraged them. The Jewish understanding was that only God could forgive sins, in claiming the authority to forgive sins, Jesus clearly claimed to be God.
Jesus claimed to be equal to God the Father (John 8:58; 10:30, 33; 20:28). To this we can also look at several instances of Jesus declaring that he was the Messiah (Matthew 11:3-6; 26:63-64; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; John 4:1-42; 5:33-36, 39, 46, 6:27, 8:14, 17-18, 25, 28, 56, 13:19). There are also examples of others acknowledging Jesus's identity as the Messiah (John 1:41-45; Acts 3:18:20, 24, 4:26-27, 9:22, 13:27, 17:2-3, 26:22-23, 28:23; Romans 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 1:10-11, 16, 17-18; 1 John 5:6-9). By reading these passages, we can see that these declarations were not the words of a deluded individual or individuals. Jesus knew exactly who he was, and so did those who wrote about him.
Jesus also used miracles to provide evidence of his identity as the Messiah (John 10:37-38). The New Testament records these numerous miracles. For example, Jesus calmed storms (Matthew 8:23-27, 14:32; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25), fed the hungry (Matthew 14:15-21; 15:32-39; Mark 6:35-44, 8:1-9; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:5-14). He healed many people of all kinds of diseases and physical infirmities (Matthew 4:23-24, 14:14, 15:30; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:17-19, 7:21-22; John 2:23; 3:2). He brought dead people back to life, such as a widow's son (Luke 7:11-16), the daughter of a man named Jairus (Matthew 9:18, 19, 23-26; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41,42, 49-56), and his friend Lazarus (John 11:1-54). He also cast out demons (Matthew 4:23-24, 8:16-17, 28-34, 9:32-33, 12:22-37, 15:21-28, 17:14:21; Mark 1:23-26, 34, 3:19-30, 5:1-20, 7:24-30, 9:14-29, Luke 4:33-36, 40-41, 7:21, 8:26-39, 9:37-43, 11:14, 15, 17-23).
To reinforce his actions, we also have the question of Jesus's character.
What of the character of Jesus? Jesus is unique in all of human history. The Bible repeatedly states that he is the only sinless man who ever lived.
Speaking of Jesus, the apostle Paul wrote,
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The apostle Peter wrote of Jesus,
"...Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:19-21), and, "He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:22).
John wrote:
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." (1 John 3:5-6).
The writer of the Book of Hebrews described Jesus as follows:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus clearly believed himself to be God, and never once did he rebuke anyone who affirmed and acknowledged him as such. His teachings, actions, and character back this up. To make contrary claims means disregarding all of this evidence, not to mention his greatest miracle; rising from the grave. I'll look at the resurrection in a future post.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Banapple gas
This is the second part of a report on my recent visit to a mosque to hear former Christian turned Muslim cleric Yusha Evans. Solomon succeeded his father David as king of Israel. Under Solomon's 40 year reign, the nation of Israel reached the apex of its power, and he is a significant figure in both Judaism and Christianity. In the brief biopgraphical sketch of Solomon given in his lecture, Yusha seemed to emphasise the negative aspects of his character. Despite God blessing him with immeasurable wisdom, power, and wealth, in his old age he married foreign women who took his heart away from God. These foreign wives worshipped other gods, and Solomon built shrines for them. As judgement, God divided his kingdom (1 Kings 11:9-13), which occurred under the reign of his son, Rehoboam.
All this is valid to point out, but Yusha neglected to mention that for most of his life, Solomon was a successful and godly ruler. It's important to read stories like that of Solomon in context. The Bible is not a hagiography. It presents people as they are, warts and all. Bible characters present us with examples to follow, or warnings to heed, as the case may be. If you read the Bible intelligently this isn't that hard to work out.
Solomon is a complex figure. He was a great and wise man, but still part of fallen, sinful humanity. The lesson we learn from his life is that God's grace extends to imperfect people. It is a testament to God's grace that Solomon's sinfulness did not keep God from using him mightily. Despite his falling away towards the end of his life, he retained his place in the Davidic line, and he was an ancestor of the Messiah himself. It would be pretty harsh to write him off entirely because he was tried and found wanting. If we applied this standard to everyone in the Bible we wouldn't have much left to work with.
All this is valid to point out, but Yusha neglected to mention that for most of his life, Solomon was a successful and godly ruler. It's important to read stories like that of Solomon in context. The Bible is not a hagiography. It presents people as they are, warts and all. Bible characters present us with examples to follow, or warnings to heed, as the case may be. If you read the Bible intelligently this isn't that hard to work out.
Solomon is a complex figure. He was a great and wise man, but still part of fallen, sinful humanity. The lesson we learn from his life is that God's grace extends to imperfect people. It is a testament to God's grace that Solomon's sinfulness did not keep God from using him mightily. Despite his falling away towards the end of his life, he retained his place in the Davidic line, and he was an ancestor of the Messiah himself. It would be pretty harsh to write him off entirely because he was tried and found wanting. If we applied this standard to everyone in the Bible we wouldn't have much left to work with.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Morning has broken
Last weekend I visited a mosque in suburban Melbourne with a group of Christians. I used to live in a municipality that has one of the largest Muslim populations in Melbourne, but this was my first visit to a mosque. The purpose of our visit was to hear a lecture by Yusha Evans, a Christian convert to Islam. One member of our group was a lecturer in Islamic Studies who spent 20 years working in the Middle East as a missionary, and he wanted to go to hear Yusha tell the story of his conversion, to debate him, and also to share and discuss his beliefs with other Muslims. Since there's strength in numbers, My companions and I went along to give him some support. It was my first visit to a mosque, and it was fascinating to watch the prayers and inspect the facilities, which included a ritual washing room and segregated seating for men and women.
Attendees were invited to submit written questions to Yusha. For reasons known only to himself, he chose not to answer any of the questions that I submitted to him. He was given a pile of questions to answer, but it appeared that he was very selective about the ones that he would answer. We were seated among the congregation at the back of the mosque. Over the next few posts I'm going to attempt to correct some of the errors and misleading statements that he made about the Bible and Christianity in his presentation. I didn't set out to find fault with him, but as an ex-Christian, and a learned man, I was surprised with how much he got wrong.
King David
Yusha talked at length about the moral failings of Biblical figures, and how, compared to Mohammed, founder of Islam, this discredited their credentials as prophets. It's simply incorrect to assert, as Yusha did, that Christians never hear about these in church. To start with I'll look at his appraisal of King David. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, one of soldiers, and then arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle so that he could take Bathsheba for himself (2 Samuel 11). All of this is true, but there's more to the story than what we heard last Saturday night. He neglected to mention that afterwards the prophet Nathan confronted David and rebuked him for his sin. As we read in Psalm 51, David fell down on his knees before God, seeking forgiveness. God forgave him, but David would not be spared the consequences of his sin. Never again would his house know peace (2 Samuel 12:10).
Firstly, David and Bathsheba's child dies (2 Samuel 12:15-23).
The tragedy of David's life did not end there. From chapter 13 on, you can see how Nathan's prophecy was fulfilled. Amnon, David's son, raped his own sister, Tamar. This resulted in a black hatred born in Absalom, David's other son, against Amnon. In David's own family, among his own sons, was spread a bitter spirit of rebellion and evil and lust, created by David's own failure. Such was Absalom's hatred for his brother Amnon that he murdered him, and David was helpless to prevent it. Amnon was only committing the same sins of passion that David himself committed when he took Bathsheba.
Next, we read of the uprising of Absalom. He instigated a rebellion throughout the whole kingdom of Israel and secretly worked against his own father in attempting to take the throne for himself. He finally was so successful that David, with all his court, had to flee the Jerusalem again as an exile, just as he did many years before when King Saul threatened his life.
God restores David to the throne and Absalom is overtaken, conquered by his own vanity. His long hair is caught in the branches of a tree and Joab, David's ruthless general, finds him there and kills him. The rebellion is crushed. But that is not the whole story. In chapters 18 through 20 is recorded the final result of David's sin in the rebellion of Sheba against King David. All of this stems from that one double sin on David's part. There is no peace the rest of his reign. He has God's forgiveness, grace, restoration, and blessing in his personal life, but he still reaps the results of his own sin.
As an ancestor of Jesus, David is a significant figure in Christianity. It's easy to see why a Muslim cleric, would want to discredit him based on his sins. who doesn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and is merely a forerunner of the prophet Mohammed, or that David was of the Messianic line. David was the greatest of Israel's kings, and in spite of his sin, is lauded in Scripture as a man after God's own heart (1 Kings 11:4, 14:8, Acts 13:22). In this respect, he is a model for every Christian to emulate.
Attendees were invited to submit written questions to Yusha. For reasons known only to himself, he chose not to answer any of the questions that I submitted to him. He was given a pile of questions to answer, but it appeared that he was very selective about the ones that he would answer. We were seated among the congregation at the back of the mosque. Over the next few posts I'm going to attempt to correct some of the errors and misleading statements that he made about the Bible and Christianity in his presentation. I didn't set out to find fault with him, but as an ex-Christian, and a learned man, I was surprised with how much he got wrong.
King David
Yusha talked at length about the moral failings of Biblical figures, and how, compared to Mohammed, founder of Islam, this discredited their credentials as prophets. It's simply incorrect to assert, as Yusha did, that Christians never hear about these in church. To start with I'll look at his appraisal of King David. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, one of soldiers, and then arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle so that he could take Bathsheba for himself (2 Samuel 11). All of this is true, but there's more to the story than what we heard last Saturday night. He neglected to mention that afterwards the prophet Nathan confronted David and rebuked him for his sin. As we read in Psalm 51, David fell down on his knees before God, seeking forgiveness. God forgave him, but David would not be spared the consequences of his sin. Never again would his house know peace (2 Samuel 12:10).
Firstly, David and Bathsheba's child dies (2 Samuel 12:15-23).
The tragedy of David's life did not end there. From chapter 13 on, you can see how Nathan's prophecy was fulfilled. Amnon, David's son, raped his own sister, Tamar. This resulted in a black hatred born in Absalom, David's other son, against Amnon. In David's own family, among his own sons, was spread a bitter spirit of rebellion and evil and lust, created by David's own failure. Such was Absalom's hatred for his brother Amnon that he murdered him, and David was helpless to prevent it. Amnon was only committing the same sins of passion that David himself committed when he took Bathsheba.
Next, we read of the uprising of Absalom. He instigated a rebellion throughout the whole kingdom of Israel and secretly worked against his own father in attempting to take the throne for himself. He finally was so successful that David, with all his court, had to flee the Jerusalem again as an exile, just as he did many years before when King Saul threatened his life.
God restores David to the throne and Absalom is overtaken, conquered by his own vanity. His long hair is caught in the branches of a tree and Joab, David's ruthless general, finds him there and kills him. The rebellion is crushed. But that is not the whole story. In chapters 18 through 20 is recorded the final result of David's sin in the rebellion of Sheba against King David. All of this stems from that one double sin on David's part. There is no peace the rest of his reign. He has God's forgiveness, grace, restoration, and blessing in his personal life, but he still reaps the results of his own sin.
As an ancestor of Jesus, David is a significant figure in Christianity. It's easy to see why a Muslim cleric, would want to discredit him based on his sins. who doesn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and is merely a forerunner of the prophet Mohammed, or that David was of the Messianic line. David was the greatest of Israel's kings, and in spite of his sin, is lauded in Scripture as a man after God's own heart (1 Kings 11:4, 14:8, Acts 13:22). In this respect, he is a model for every Christian to emulate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)