Things are getting tougher for Christians in the West. But what we face is nothing compared to millions of our brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world.

Many Christians both in Britain and in the USA have suffered for their faith in one way or another in recent years. Street preachers have been arrested for quoting passages of Scripture that don’t accord with political correctness.

Doctors have lost their jobs for refusing to do abortions and nurses have been disciplined for praying with patients. Air hostesses have been forbidden to wear a cross and bakers have been fined for refusing to write a pro-same-sex-marriage message on a wedding cake.

We make a lot of fuss about these things saying that persecution of Christians is now taking place in Western nations. Certainly, Christians are having to learn to live in societies that are now hostile to the Christian faith, which is a new experience in nations that have enjoyed Gospel freedom for centuries and have taken a leading part in worldwide missionary activities. A handful of Christians have actually suffered for their faith, but this is not persecution! It does not come anywhere near martyrdom!

Christianity Being Wiped Out in the Middle East

Since the beginning of this year, thousands of Christians in Mosul, northern Iraq have been faced with the stark choice between converting to Islam or being killed. Many have been beheaded and vast numbers have fled their homes, joining the hundreds of thousands of Christians who have been driven from their homes in Syria and other parts of Iraq. According to the Open Doors World Watch List, the situation for Christians is not much better in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and even worse in Afghanistan and Pakistan.¹

The extent of the tragedy taking place today in the Middle East is indescribable! Christianity is virtually being wiped out from the whole region where the Gospel was first preached and where communities of Christians have lived and worked for 2000 years.

The tragedy taking place today in the Middle East is indescribable.

Why is it that we make such a fuss about a handful of Christians who have experienced hardship in our nation (not to belittle their suffering in any way) but there is no outcry about what is happening worldwide with vast numbers of Christians being savagely murdered?

Though accurate statistics are notoriously difficult to find, the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in the United States estimates that 90,000 Christians died in 2016, targeted because of their faith – that is one every six minutes!² Meanwhile, around 500 million believers live in areas of the world where they are unable to express their faith freely.³

Hundreds of Millions Facing Persecution

Christians are jailed in Pakistan on trumped-up charges of blasphemy against Islam, whilst Pakistani Christian girls are systematically targeted for rape and murder; churches are burned and worshippers are slaughtered in Nigeria and in Egypt. Approximately 215 million Christians are reported to be currently experiencing ‘high’, ‘very high’, or ‘extreme’ persecution in different parts of the world today.⁴

North Korea is said to be the most dangerous place to be a Christian with large numbers languishing in jail and regularly suffering brutal torture. But, according to an Open Doors report, it is Islamic militant extremism that remains the global dominant driver of Christian persecution.⁵

The report says that 35 out of the 50 countries on the 2017 World Watch List are Muslim-majority nations where systematic persecution of Christians is taking place. The killing of Christians by Muslims in Nigeria last year rose by 62%.⁶

Around 500 million believers live in areas of the world where they are unable to express their faith freely.

The Western Church is Silent

Why are church leaders in the West so pitifully quiet about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Why do we hear nothing from our church leaders? Why do we hear nothing from the Archbishop of Canterbury, bishops in the Church of England or the leaders of the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Catholic church and other denominations?

Prince Charles has done more than the leaders of the churches to draw public attention to the incredible suffering of Christians in many parts of the world. He even devoted his contribution to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 just before Christmas to speaking about the plight of Christians.

It surely is nothing less than a scandal that the Western churches remain so silent whilst their brothers and sisters are cruelly slaughtered or tortured and imprisoned simply because they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus, their Lord and Saviour.

Prince Charles is perfectly right in saying that Christians are the most persecuted people in the world. According to the International Society for Human Rights, a secular group with members in 38 countries, 80% of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today are directed at Christians.⁷

Why are church leaders in the West so pitifully quiet about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Leaders Must Speak Out

Yet still we hear nothing from church leaders in the USA, or Britain and Europe! Why is this? Is it because most of the killing of Christians is the work of Muslims and church leaders are afraid to say anything that might incur the wrath of Islamic leaders – especially if they are based in the oil-producing parts of the Middle East? Is it global politics that is shutting the mouths of Christian leaders? Or is it simply a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’?

Church leaders should be seeking dialogue with Islamic clerics, who are the only ones who have the authority to say that the verses in the Qur’an calling Muslims to fight against Jews and Christians are not valid today. It is these verses that are used by terrorists to justify their actions: such as “Fight against those to whom the Scriptures were given (Jews and Christians) as believe in neither Allah nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and his Prophet have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith, until they pay tribute willingly and are utterly subdued.” (Surah 9:29).⁸

But Christians should not be waiting for Church leaders to act – they should also be seeking dialogue with their Muslim neighbours. A good starting point is to compare the teaching of Jesus with that of Muhammad quoted above. Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said, ‘love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:43-44)

Church leaders should seek dialogue with Muslim clerics, and Christians should also be seeking dialogue with their Muslim neighbours.

We Can Each Respond

There are many other things Christians can do, such as responses suggested by Open Doors, which include prayer, writing to persecuted Christians, signing petitions, writing letters to local papers, writing to MPs and generally raising the subject with friends and neighbours and promoting discussion in the public square. We could even offer to take a refugee family into our home – or is that asking too much?

Jesus warned his followers that there would be persecution in the last days but he also said that God would hold us accountable if we do nothing to care for our brothers and sisters who are suffering and in need. Jesus said that when he returns in glory and brings the nations before him he will say to those who ignore the needs of others:

I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison you did not look after me. (Matt 25:42-43)

References

1 Open Doors Country Profiles.

2 Hallett, N. Christians most persecuted religious group in the world, study says. Breitbart, 28 December 2016.

3 Ibid.

4 Weber, J. ‘Worst Year Yet’: The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Be a Christian. Christianity Today. 11 January 2017.

5 Open Doors: Persecution Trends.

6 See note 4.

7 Sherwood, H. Christianity under global threat due to persecution, says report. The Guardian, 13 October 2015.

8 There are many similar verses in the Qur’an. Click here for more information.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Signs: The Significance of Biblical Prophecy' by Neil Mackereth (2015).

This is an accessible introduction to what the Bible has to say about the climax of history and the end of the age. The author explains that, having been asked to run an 'end times' course in his local church, he then felt called to turn the material into a book.

As a retired Brigadier with a background in communications and administration, he admits he is no academic and that at the start he realised just how little he knew. But as his research grew and he gained a new awareness of what the Bible says about the amazing signs God has given, he became more and more absorbed and determined to enthuse others too.

He explains his aim in writing the book (his first) is "to examine a number of signs of our times as well as biblical prophecies...[and] let you – the reader - conclude whether or not prophecy is being fulfilled in our day" (p9).

Structure and Approach

The book is in five parts. The introductory section provides guidelines and ground rules to help establish a level of objectivity, and includes consideration of the pitfalls and challenges to an impartial approach to the topic. There follows an overview of the histories of Israel and Babylon, and an assessment of where we are on the timeline of biblical prophecy.

The final sections focus on more specific aspects of end times prophecy and the significance of current events in relation to these prophecies, together with a consideration of what is yet to happen.

Neil's research into the end times gave him a new awareness of what the Bible says and a determination to enthuse others about the topic.

Overall the book is well-written with an easy style that encourages you to read on. The structure of the book is clear and well-organised. The 22 relatively short chapters each begin in a way that draws you in, either via an interesting fact, a challenging question or a humorous observation. The author's background in communication perhaps helps here!

A key feature of the earlier parts of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth. There is a clear rejection of Replacement Theology and a sense of Israel's destiny – which accounts for its miraculous survival. He provides a measured consideration of the blossoming fig tree, both in terms of the birth of the state in 1948 and the increasing growth in Messianic Jewish believers in Israel and Judaism worldwide. His handling of this 'sign' gives confidence in his ability to tackle these topics generally.

As in the Days of Noah...

In the third section, the author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling, which he generally does well. It is rather surprising, therefore, that his view of Satan is unconventional. He rejects the common view that Satan is a fallen senior angel whose pride caused him to rebel against God, commenting that "As far as I am aware there is no Scriptural foundation for this theory." What he does believe about the person and origins of the enemy remains unclear. Instead the chapter diverts to a discussion of the Temple Mount.

Much better is the following chapter on 'The Days of Noah', which contains an excellent critique of modern society and its obsession with political correctness. His phrase "the pervasion of perversion" (p121) is both telling and memorable.

In the fourth section we move from a wider reflection to a narrower focus on what he calls the "centre line for examining End Times prophetic scriptures" (p125), namely Matthew 24. He promises us a narrative summary of this chapter but this is too brief to be called a summary. Rather, it is merely an outline before we move on to sample a few more prophecies and relate them to current affairs. In other words, what are the signs of our times?

A key feature of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth.

Within this section the author provides a useful recap of certain key themes, such as the anti-Christ, the one world order, the centrality of Jerusalem and the possibility of a re-built Temple. There are, as would be expected, several pages devoted to the Book of Revelation, where he stresses that the objective of the book is an unveiling of Jesus rather than of events or a timetable. This is a useful reminder that the most important prophecy of all is that Jesus will return. The Lamb has won, and will reign on earth as King!

Where Next?

Part five asks the question 'What next?' What do recent trends suggest about our immediate future? These are thoughtfully examined without trying to confirm any particular theory or theology. Rather it is a case of 'let's look and see what we can see.'

The Middle East is a key focus of attention, as is the theme of false teachers and prophets. In one chapter we are led to consider "the rise and spread of radical and very militant versions of Islamic ideology" (p186) and ask to what extent this is apocalyptic. This topic is handled very well and is up-to-date enough to include ISIS and its prophetic significance. Is ISIS a sign of our times - and where might it lead? The gentle conclusion is "Only time will tell" (p192).

The author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling.

The book closes with two useful appendices. The first is a glossary of end time terminology; the second provides some background notes on Islam (mainly on the difference between Sunni and Shi'a).

Overall this is a book well worth investing in, and reading again and again as a refresher on this important topic.

Signs (208 pages) is self-published and available from CFI for £9, or from Amazon.

The only way to understand what is going on in the world is through the lens of Scripture and through prayer.

The great shaking of the nations continues unabated as Western post-Christian civilisation crumbles and scenes of carnage in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are almost too horrific to view or describe. Boris was right when, describing the situation in the Middle East, he said:

"There are politicians who are twisting and abusing religion and different strains of the same religion in order to further their own political objectives. That's one of the biggest political problems in the whole region...that's why you have these proxy wars being fought the whole time in that area...There are not enough big characters, men or women, who are willing to reach out beyond their Sunni or Shia group to the other side and bring people together again..."¹

The Truth About Diplomacy

The Prime Minister had just returned from the Gulf where she had been promoting trade and had dined with the Saudi King, thanking him for the security services he provides to Britain. The last thing she wanted was her Foreign Secretary to tell the truth. The British Foreign Office is renowned for its diplomacy – not for speaking the truth!

So Downing Street stated firmly that Boris was not expressing the Government's view. The PM knows that there is too much at stake to speak so candidly: the more weapons Saudi uses in bombing women and children in Yemen, the more we can sell them and provide jobs for our workers. That's what diplomacy is all about! If Boris wants to keep his job, he will have to learn the art of not speaking the truth - just being polite and friendly.

The British Foreign Office is renowned for its diplomacy – not for speaking the truth!

But what is the truth about what is happening in the Middle East - and other parts of the world that are being ripped apart by violence, such as Nigeria and Pakistan?
What is the truth about the people who are living in fear of war in the Ukraine and the Balkan states where Russia is poised to retrieve her much-coveted Empire; or the people of South Korea and Japan as North Korea and China flex their nuclear muscles? What is the truth about the socio-political revolution that is taking place in Europe and the USA?

Political Instability in EuropeVirginia Raggi of the Five Star Movement, now Mayor of Rome.

Of course, our political journalists and social analysts will give us copious explanations. Austria and Italy are the latest nations to be shaken with elections during the past week. It was the first time in 70 years that the two main parties in Austria were unable even to field a candidate in their presidential election. Their candidates were eliminated in the early rounds of preliminary voting. Van der Bellen has become the first 'Green' to head a European state.

Sunday's referendum in Italy was bad news for Prime Minister Renzi who had staked his political future on proposed far-reaching constitutional reforms. Like David Cameron, he immediately resigned after a crushing 'no' vote which confirmed the rise of the anti-globalisation Five Star Movement, or M5S (now the second most popular party in Italy). Earlier this year, M5S won 19 out of 20 towns and cities where its candidates stood for mayor - including Rome and Turin.² 37-year-old lawyer Virginia Raggi, now Mayor of Rome, promises that the city is entering a new era in its history.

This surge in support for populist parties is likely to be reflected electorally right across Europe in the near future, with France, Germany and the Netherlands all due to hold parliamentary elections next year. 2017 promises to be a year of massive political change in Europe. Those EU politicians who have threatened to make Brexit very difficult for Britain may find themselves swept along by a tide of change and financial instability that will create a dramatically different political landscape across the continent.

2017 promises to be a year of massive political change in Europe – we may end up with a dramatically different landscape.

Uprooting to Build Up

Anyone seeking to understand the truth of what is happening in the world today will need to see the whole situation in the context of the purposes of God. The psalmist sets the scene when he says "The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations" (Ps 33:10-11).

It is God's desire that all people should know him and understand his nature and purposes – including his good plans for his covenant people, through whom the world will receive the message of salvation, as the Lord planned from the beginning of Creation. Habakkuk neatly sums this up when he says "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab 2:14).

In order to achieve his purposes, God sometimes has to do some demolition – to break down barriers and get rid of the things that are directly contrary to his will. Jeremiah was told this at the beginning of his ministry; God said to him, "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant" (Jer 1:10).

This is why God is shaking everything now. There comes a point where human beings, exercising the freedom he granted them from the beginning of Creation, are in danger of destroying the world through the wickedness and violence of their unredeemed nature. At that point God has to say, "enough is enough".

Out of Exile...for a Purpose

He had to do this with his chosen people Israel by allowing the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem. Jeremiah perceived this and actually rejoiced to see God at work: "O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men" (Jer 32:18-19).
Out of the tragedy of the exile in Babylon God brought back a redeemed company of people who would be a light for the Gentiles, "that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isa 49:6).

Immediately after the exile, the Prophet Haggai foresaw the time coming when God would need to shake everything in order to carry out his purposes of salvation and bring his message of love to all people. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: in a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations" (Hag 2:6).

It is God's desire that all should know him – but in order to achieve his purposes, he sometimes has to do some demolition of barriers and things that are directly contrary to his will.

Great Opportunity for Us

Of course, it is uncomfortable when God is seemingly shaking everything around us. But this is where it is essential for Christians to understand what God is doing and to be active and vocal in teaching those who do not know the God of the Bible. We need to develop our trust in God, so that as things get more difficult, we will not be shaken from the knowledge that the battle truly belongs to the Lord.

This Advent season when we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the light that has come into the world to scatter the darkness, we have an immense opportunity to bring a message of hope, love and joy into the lives of our families, friends and neighbours - to all with whom we are in contact.

References

1 Published by The Guardian, Thursday 8 December 2016. Click here to watch the video.

2 Italy elections: Big win for Five Star protest party. BBC News, 20 June 2016.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Islam: Threat or Truth?' by Andrew Baguley (RoperPenberthy, 2015)

This is a slim volume whose main value resides in the attempt to answer the question posed in the title. The author is issuing a call to Christians to consider what is happening around the world as Islam increases its influence.

The book is described as a teaching manual for those who want to know how to cope with Islam in the modern world and how to witness to those who follow its teachings. However, it is rather too brief and bitty for that. It may indeed stir some to action but they will need to consult other more substantial books if they are to succeed.

Chapters and Coverage

There is a chapter called 'An introduction to Islam', but it merely talks about the different strands of the religion (Shia, Sunni, etc). A later chapter on the growth of Islam is mainly concerned with what has happened in the UK and Europe in recent times.

All of this is important, but it creates the impression that the whole book is slanted towards the idea of the threat of Islam.

Two other chapters worthy of note are those on Sharia Law and the Islamic view of Jesus. This will be very informative to those who know little about these topics.

The author calls to Christians to consider what is happening around the world as Islam increases its influence.

End Times Position

The penultimate chapter is entitled A Biblical Understanding of Islam in the Last Days and it is here that the author's main purpose in writing the book is stated: "to show how the Bible has clearly set out the role of Islam in the End Times' events that herald the Tribulation period of seven years" (p60). The author subscribes to a pre-tribulation rapture position which fuels his desire to educate the Church before it is too late.

Previously he has commented that "the rise of Islam and its world view is another sign of the impending rapture of the church" (p11). However, his particular eschatological view does not affect the main points he generally makes and those who don't hold to this view can still benefit from the information he provides.

This book may stir some to action but they will also need more substantial books if they are to succeed.

Islam: Threat or Truth (72 pages) is available from the publisher for £5.99.

Acid attack victim challenges UK church over Christian persecution.

A Ugandan pastor severely injured by Islamic opponents of his faith has made a stirring appeal for British Christians to help their persecuted brothers in other parts of the world.

Umar Mulinde, who was badly burned by an acid attack outside his church five years ago, was speaking to a congregation in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, during a brief tour of the UK – organised by Methodist Friends of Israel – following treatment by Israeli doctors.

His challenge coincides with reports of an assassination attempt in Nigeria on Baroness Caroline Cox by Fulani Islamic militants¹ and Wednesday's illumination in red of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in memory of faith martyrs, an initiative conceived by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

No Country is Safe

Umar's plea also comes amid ongoing reports of violence against Christians in his country, despite the fact that Muslims are in a minority there. Even in the UK, former Muslims who have converted to Christianity are not safe, as indicated by the case of Nissar Hussain whose family had to be moved from their Bradford home under police protection following years of harassment.

Umar, now 40, suffered the "nightmare" of being "excommunicated" from his large Muslim family after deciding to follow Jesus. And having been taught to hate Jews, his heart melted when he understood from the scriptures how much God loved them.

"I have survived a dozen attempts on my life through guns, bombs and poison. On Christmas Eve 2011, as I was coming out of church, I was followed by extremists who, just as I was about to enter the car, poured acid on my face. Any metal other than gold will immediately dissolve in such a concoction, so you can imagine what happened to my skin."

A skin transplant and specialist hospital treatment only available in Israel has done much to repair his face, but it is clearly a serious handicap, requiring constant dabbing of his injured mouth while speaking. Recounting the attack, he said: "I screamed, 'Jesus!' But they shouted 'Allahu Akbar' [God is great!] They were praising God while hurting me. What kind of God is that? But for you to see me standing here is a miracle. Jesus has spared my life."

He then turned his focus to the suffering of Christians the world over and warned: "No country can say they are safe. It's a matter of time. This is not prophecy; it's a reality. Even in the UK you are sitting on a time-bomb."

Mulinde has said that no Christians are safe from persecution - even in the UK believers are "sitting on a time-bomb".

Parts of the Body Suffering

The persecution of Christians was a matter the Church in the West needed to address with the utmost urgency, he said, pointing out that, though the Ugandan constitution guarantees religious freedom and more than 80 per cent of the population is Christian, converts from Islam there are still persecuted.

"If one part of the body is hurting, the whole body suffers," he said, quoting St Paul's letter to the Corinthians on the subject of unity in the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:26). "I have buried people who have been strangled or poisoned just because of converting from Islam to Christianity."

He suggested that it wasn't 'Islamophobia' we should be concerned about, but 'Christophobia'. Efforts by media and politicians to defend Islam as a "peaceful religion" were deceptive. "Victims of persecution feel their Christian brothers have betrayed them," he said, adding that he was in touch with friends in Aleppo, Syria, who had witnessed the beheading of dozens of believers. He had a video to prove it, but did not recommend watching it in view of its gruesome scenes.

First the Jews...

Having expelled Jews from Arab lands, Islamic fundamentalists are now driving away Christians, he said. Whatever injustice is visited on Jews will sooner or later be visited on others, unless they do something to help. After the world was largely silent as violent attacks were committed on innocent bystanders in Jerusalem, bloodthirsty terrorists struck London, Paris, Brussels and Berlin as part of an ongoing attempt to bring the whole world under Islamic rule.

"Israel's war is our war if you are a Christian. I'm not a preacher of hate. I love Muslims and pray for them every day, even those who attacked me with acid. In fact, the first thing I did at the time was to ask God to forgive them!

Like it or not, the invasion is on. The Muslim extremists are trying their best to use intimidation and violence in order to establish an Islamic world empire under Sharia Law. There are even some places in the UK where the British police can't go."

Quoting a number of Quran verses calling for violence against 'infidels' (non-believers), he said: "Every non-Muslim is a candidate for death," adding: "If a church prays and does nothing, it will be defeated."

Whatever injustice is visited on Jews will sooner or later be visited on others, unless they do something to help.

Notes

1 Matthews, A. British baroness, 79, tells of her terror after she narrowly escaped an ambush by Islamist gunmen who targeted her delegation on a trip to Nigeria. Mail Online, 18 November 2016. Islamic militants have wreaked havoc among Christian communities in the area. Baroness Cox, a committed Christian, is a religious freedom campaigner and cross-bench member of the House of Lords.

Is Muslim violence really comparable with 'Christian' violence?

Pope Francis is renowned for his outstanding concern for the poor and powerless. Long before he came to Rome he earned a reputation in South America as a pastor who cared for people and was constantly seeking to improve the lot of those who were downtrodden.

Could this be the reason why he has spoken recently, comparing the motive of Muslim jihadists with what he sees as Christian violence?

Understandable though this sensitivity might seem, is it not one more contribution to confusion and compromise concerning Islam and the true Christian witness?

The Pope's Contrast of Islamic and 'Christian'

Two things have prompted us to use our editorial this week to continue examining the challenge of the Islamic movement in the West.

First, is the reported comment to a journalist by Pope Francis on the murder of Fr Jacques Hamel. The Pope is reported to have said that "he doesn't like speaking about Islamic violence because there is plenty of Christian violence as well...[He] said that every day when he browses the newspapers, he sees violence in Italy perpetrated by Christians: 'this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law...and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence. And no, not all Muslims are violent, not all Catholics are violent. It is like a fruit salad; there's everything'."¹

Of course, Pope Francis is right in acknowledging that some who call themselves Christians do commit murder. As Protestants we would wish to point out that that all human beings are born sinful and baptising them as infants does not change their human nature - so baptised Catholics are still sinners liable to commit acts of murder. It is being born again through repentance and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour that changes human nature.

Do the Pope's recent comments just add further confusion and compromise concerning Islam and the true Christian witness?

We would also want to point out the difference between a man who murders his girlfriend in a fit of temper and another who deliberately carries out a cold-blooded act of assassination such as the mass murder of those in the Bataclan concert-hall. If we lump together jihadist attacks with all other kinds of violence, we close down debate and understanding about the very distinctive motivations and agendas behind radical Islam.

Christians and Muslims Praying Together

The second is widespread reference in this week's media to opinions concerning joint Christian and Muslim prayer. There is a growing idea that Christians and Muslims can find ways to pray together - the assumption being that both pray to the same god. Christopher Howse commented on this in the Daily Telegraph, referring to Christian Troll's chapter on this theme in the Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality.²

Born-again Christians and Muslims do not and cannot pray to the same god! But as these two examples show, there is clearly need for clarification!

These instances are among the growing number in our day that challenge us to be clear on whether Christians worship the same god as Muslims. They are not new questions, but they are questions that are closer to home than in previous times.

The point is that human beings, to avoid confrontation, are likely to compromise. This must not happen in the Christian Church at this crucial time in history!

To avoid confrontation, human beings are likely to compromise. This must not happen in the Church at this time!

Mission to Muslims

In the 1980s, I was led to become involved with the challenge of Islam, in terms of both the ministry of the Gospel and the advance of Islam in the West. In those days it was said that there was one missionary to a million Muslims because of the difficulty of witness in Muslim countries and because of the poor understanding about Islam in the West.

For a period, I had the privilege of leading prayer among serving and former missionaries to the Muslim world. I met men and women who had spent a whole lifetime of service in the Muslim world and had not seen a single convert. Some had begun to doubt that it was possible for a Muslim to become a Christian. This seems hard to believe now. Not only has Islam become centre-stage politically and religiously, but also multitudes of Muslims have been saved by faith in Jesus the Messiah.

At around the time that these things were happening in the 80s, a fresh wave of missionaries was going into Muslim countries. Some found the same difficulty as the previous generation, and a new word became prominent – contextualisation. It is amazing how often we can think of a word that sounds quite reasonable in and of itself, but which masks a major error. Here and there, some Christian missionaries were beguiled to think that a way forward was to put the Christian message into the context of Islamic communities. Hence, some experiments have been made to open mosques with the idea of Christians and Muslims sharing in worship together.

This same idea is still alive, as our second example above illustrates. The bottom line is that it raises the question as to whether or not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the same as the God of Islam.

Christian mission to the Muslim world has raised the same question – do we worship the same god?

Personal Experience

Personal experience helps us to know where to draw the lines. My personal experience of a short spell in a Moroccan jail for our Christian witness took me behind the scenes of the Islamic world. It begged the question as to why God would have sent us to witness to seekers after truth in a Muslim country only to be imprisoned by those who follow the god of Islam. Same God? Surely not. It also gives us the ability to contrast the rigid exclusion of everything Christian in hard-line Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia with the freedom offered to Islam in countries with an ingrained Christian heritage.

Returning to the first quote, what had Pope Francis in mind? Was he thinking of the Crusades when he considered that Christians had as much to answer for as Muslims in their violence? Perhaps he was thinking of the troubles in Northern Ireland or even the world wars that were fought in the last century.

He has a point - but one also senses a disturbing possibility that some Christian leaders are finding ways to unite with Islam in a quest for peace. Of course we must seek and defend peace, but at what cost? Is this another thread of compromise? Again, we are eventually led to the same question as to whether the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the same as the god of the Qur'an.

God is Great!

All Christians would agree that the God of the Bible is Great! We sing it and proclaim it, loud and clear! But when we hear that yet another terrorist has proclaimed 'Allahu Akbar!' prior to a murderous act of violence, and we discover that he has simply repeated (in Arabic) the Muslim proclamation 'God [Allah] is Great!' then we must ask whether this can be the same god.

Some Christian leaders seem to be finding ways to unite with Islam in a quest for peace.

Of course, many say that these terrorists are not true Muslims and are misguided. However, the question still remains. When one investigates what the Qur'an says about the god of Islam one sees clearly that it is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just because we use the same words, it does not mean that we address the same god.

If the god of the Qur'an were the God of the Bible, he would not say that he did not have a son, as is written around the ceiling of the Dome on the Rock on Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The foundation of the Christian faith is that Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God. Neither would there be incitement to jihad against Christians and Jews in the Qur'an. On close study, the god of Islam is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.³

We must not compromise on this issue either through guilt trips on violence that true Christians would not have perpetrated anyway, or through seeking some sort of joint expression of worship, as if there were two paths to the same God - one through Islam and one through Christianity.

True Seekers

Among the millions of Muslims in the world, particularly the young, there is a true seeking after the One True God. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, is working to redirect their prayers to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and away from the god of Islam.

It will not help to muddy the waters through compromise, but this does not mean taking up arms to defeat violence with violence.

Now is the time for a clear and true proclamation of the Gospel. It is also time for a winning Christian lifestyle, a witness of the One True God borne out in true Christian discipleship. Our God is Great and far greater than counterfeits. The rise of Islam and the tides of response from the Pope and others challenge us to stand on the clarity of whom our God is.

Now is the time for a clear and true proclamation of the Gospel – and for winning Christian lifestyles.

The foundation of our concern for Muslims and of our witness to them is that there is difference between Islam and New Testament Christianity. The teaching of Jesus stands in stark contrast to that of Muhammad. They cannot both be the final revelation of God to mankind. Compromise, however humanly well-meant, will not help.

This is a matter of life and death, not so much of the physical kind but concerning eternal life in fellowship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

References

1 Quoted from Ibrahim, R. Pope Francis Equates Muslim and Christian Violence. FrontPage Magazine, 2 August 2016, re-published on the Middle East Forum.

2 2012, ed. Richard Woods and Peter Tyler. Bloomsbury. See also Howse, C. Can Muslims pray with Christians? The Telegraph, Thursday 11 August 2016.

3 For further reading on this subject, see James R White's What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an. 2013, Bethany House, Minnesota.

Mental illness is becoming the go-to explanation in the press for the recent spate of terror attacks. But this approach is not without problems.

Have you noticed that media coverage of the recent terror attacks across Europe has been littered with references to the mental health of the perpetrators? Without necessarily denying links to Islamic extremism, reports also keenly stress the role of psychological instability.

To take a few recent examples, according to the BBC, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the man responsible for the Nice lorry attack, reportedly "had a history of violence and mental instability".¹ Omar Mateen, the 29-year old responsible for the Orlando nightclub attack in June, "was violent and mentally unstable".²

The Ansbach suicide bomber (27-year old Syrian refugee Mohammad Daleel) was reported as having previously received psychiatric care following two suicide attempts, and Adel Kermiche, who murdered French priest Jacques Hamel in the Rouen attack, had apparently received treatment for mental disorders as a teenager.³

London Stabbings

Most recently, this week's stabbing in London led the Met Police very quickly to point to "mental health issues" as a possible explanation, whilst repeatedly emphasising that terrorism is just one of many possible lines of enquiry and that so far there is "no evidence of radicalisation".⁴

Of course, not all recent attacks have been described in this manner. Nevertheless, a cross-media narrative is certainly emerging which holds 'mental health issues' as the go-to explanation for the recent spate of terror attacks in Europe. Only in the last few days have others begun to point out the problems with this approach.⁵

A cross-media narrative is emerging which holds 'mental health issues' as the go-to explanation for the recent spate of terror attacks in Europe.

Complex Concept – Not Catch-All Explanation

The highly complex relationship between mental health and violent behaviour is not well understood. Individuals driven to such terrible actions as we have witnessed in recent weeks must themselves be severely disturbed – mentally deluded, corrupted or oppressed. To deny the presence of psychological problems in this context could be dangerous.

For Christians, belief in the existence of a spiritual realm necessarily provokes questions about the influence of demonic spirits. But the secular press ignores such things and rushes to explain away what is going on purely by a catch-all reference to mental health problems, which though convenient, can be severely misleading.

Will Gore of The Independent has argued that "The media glosses over the specifics in favour of creating a kind of homogenised bogeyman figure: a religious fundamentalist afflicted by mental illness and immune to rationality".⁶ His argument is that the media's first response to any attack is to suspect jihadism, the second response is to expect mental health issues, and the third response is to conflate the two, oversimplifying and demonising them both.

This is visible in the term 'Islamopsychosis', which is gaining traction online, and also in yesterday's Daily Express, which claimed that ISIS might be deliberately targeting mentally unstable people to encourage them to carry out attacks.⁷

The complex relationship between mental health and violent behaviour is not well understood, but the secular press ignores such things.

Explanation or Distraction?

So, whilst our security services are working around the clock to try to understand the complex processes behind radicalisation, the general public are being sold a different and much simpler narrative – these attackers are just crazy religious people!

This sits neatly with the 'Islam is a religion of peace' doctrine; any Muslim who turns to terror is not practising a true form of their faith – they are simply mentally unstable. So the public is deceived and deluded about the incursion of jihad (radical Islam) into Europe. The secular humanist values of multi-faith 'tolerance' remain intact.

But if we ignore the links of attackers to radical Islam, we close down proper debate and divert attention away from the real reasons behind the attacks. We end up blaming mental health for the things we do not understand and dismissing anything beyond our comprehension or in discord with our own worldview.

Mark Brown of The Independent commented yesterday:

When such events break the reasoned quiet and order of our lives, we look for ways to make ourselves safe, ways to fit the shock of such attacks into our existing ways of thinking and understanding of the world. We want an explanation for what feels beyond comprehension...⁸

The 'mental health' narrative is fast becoming the pacifying response that somehow makes us feel more comfortable and in control of a threatening and unpredictable situation. But this leaves us deceived about the full truth and irrationally prejudiced about both Muslims and those suffering from mental health problems.

The 'mental health' narrative is fast becoming the pacifying response that somehow makes us feel more in control of a threatening situation.

Danger for Christians

The great danger of all this cover-up for Christians will be the next stage in the deception. As the secular media begin dismissing all terrorism as the action of crazy religious fundamentalists, this will only be a stepping stone to saying that all religious people are mentally deluded – especially those who can be labelled 'fundamentalist'. This is the final goal of our secular humanist society.

Paul warned about the coming of a great delusion in the last days. In the first chapter of Romans, he spoke of people suppressing the truth about God and creation, leading God to give them over to a depraved mind and them becoming filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, depravity and violence.

When writing to the Thessalonians, in reference to the 'man of lawlessness' being let loose into the world, Paul said that people perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. He said "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (2 Thess 2:11).

As terrorism is increasingly dismissed as the action of crazy religious fundamentalists, it will then be easy to assert that all religious people are mentally deluded.

Shine Like Stars

Only a lost and broken world would try to explain away one terrifying problem it doesn't understand with another it understands even less – shifting fear from one base to another.

For Christians, it is important that we guard our hearts, so we do not allow ourselves to be drawn under the powerful, delusional influence of fear currently shrouding Europe. It is also important that we brace ourselves and learn the full truth about Islam – because we're not going to get it from the BBC.

In an increasingly panic-stricken time we are given the opportunity to shine like stars in the universe (Phil 2:15), holding out the beautiful gifts for which the entire world is searching: TRUTH, HOPE and PEACE. It is time for the Church to stop hiding its light under a bowl – the world needs it now.

References

1 Attack on Nice: Who was Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel? BBC News, 18 July 2016.

2 Orlando nightclub shooting: How the attack unfolded. BBC News, 15 June 2016.

3 Knife attack raises fears of Isis targeting people with mental health problems. The Express, 4 August 2016.

4 Russell Square stabbings: Man arrested on suspicion of murder. BBC News, 4 August 2016.

5 E.g. Brown, M. Mentally ill people are the collateral damage of news reports about the Russell Square stabbings. The Independent, 4 August 2016.

6 Gore, W. Mental illness has become a convenient scapegoat for terrorism – but the causes of terror are rarely so simple. The Independent, 25 July 2016.

7 See note 3.

8 See note 5.

With new terror attacks happening almost daily across Europe, Western leaders still refuse to face the truth about Islam.

The sickening murder of a defenceless elderly priest in Rouen marks a new low point in Islam's relationships with the West. But none of the Western leaders are willing to face up to the reality of what is happening in Europe.

Even the Pope says that this attack is nothing to do with religion!¹ That is the standard politically correct statement that is made every time there is an atrocity carried out by Muslims in the name of their god.

Ever since the end of the Second World War the policy in the West has been to seek appeasement with the oil-rich Arab nations of the Middle East. The Islamic Revolution in 1979 that installed Ayatollah Khomeini as supreme ruler of Iran was a great shock to the West as Iran had been its main supporter under the rule of the de-posed Shar.

From that time Western leaders turned their attention to promoting the Saudis as the leading friend of the West and there has been a continuous effort in the Western media to paint Saudi Arabia in a favourable light despite numerous reports of brutality, persecution of minorities and strict enforcement of the ban on women driving cars or leaving home without a male escort.

Covering Up the Facts

Even the most atrocious acts of terrorism, such as the destruction of the twin towers in New York in 2001 and the bombing of the London Underground 2005, were deliberately downplayed in terms of their links to Islam. They were portrayed as the acts of 'extremists' who were not representative of mainstream Muslims and every effort was made by the media to stress that Islam is a religion of peace. This is still the politically correct policy.

The most atrocious acts of terrorism in recent years have been deliberately downplayed in terms of their links to Islam.

According to Brietbart,² last week the BBC appeared to go to extraordinary lengths to attempt to cover up the Muslim identity of the Munich killer. At 3pm on Saturday 23 July BBC reported the killer as Ali Sonboly, but within one hour this was changed to David Sonboly. In the 6pm news he was again referred to as David Sonboly although in the same bulletin the BBC's correspondent in Germany referred to him as David Ali Sonboly. Did the BBC make a high level decision to hide the reference to 'Ali', although it admitted that the teenager had dual German/Iranian citizenship?

Religion of Peace?Pope Francis, who has denied the religious nature of recent terrorist attacks.

The 'religion of peace' facade has been wearing somewhat thin in face of the recent wave of terrorist activities in Europe, but the latest pronouncement by the Pope shows that Western leaders are still not prepared to discuss the religious beliefs of those who commit atrocities. Whilst attack after attack is being carried out with cries of 'Allahu Akbar' ('god is great'), nobody is willing to ask questions about this god, whose greatness apparently demands or justifies the murder of innocent people.

What Westerners do not realise is that Islam not only condones violence but actually commands it against 'infidels', especially Jews and Christians. The Qur'an says

Let not the unbelievers think that they will ever get away. They have not the power so to do. Muster against them all the men and weaponry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to Allah. All that you give in the cause of Allah shall be repaid to you. (8:59)

According to thereligionofpeace.com there are 109 verses in the Qur'an that call upon Muslims to wage war against unbelievers. They say "some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding." They also say that "there are very few verses of tolerance and peace to balance out the many that call for non-believers to be fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam or are killed."

Western leaders are still not prepared to discuss the religious beliefs and agendas of those who commit the atrocities.

The Islamic Agenda

In order to understand what is going on today you have to examine the history of Islam and the life of its founder, Muhammad. Islam's supreme purpose is world domination. The propagation of Islam by force has been its policy right from the beginning.

Muhammad personally led many expeditions and wars plundering communities and slaughtering defenceless civilians. He personally set the example of violent conquest and forcible conversion that has been followed down the centuries.

Muhammad's dying wish in 632 AD was to clear the whole of Arabia of Christians and Jews – a policy of aggression that was immediately carried out by Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law, who became the first caliph of the Islamic state. Abu Bakr died in 634 and was succeeded by Caliph Omar, who was murdered in 644 and succeeded by Caliph Othman, who was murdered in 656 and succeeded by Caliph Ali, who was assassinated in 661.

All of these early caliphs led battles with the objective of expanding the Islamic state and forcing people to submit to Islam (the word Islam in Arabic means 'submission'), a policy which continued for centuries. Notable dates (some approximate) in the early years of Islam include:

• AD 647 conquest of the island of Cyprus
• AD 659 conquest of Egypt
• AD 700 military campaigns in North Africa
• AD 711 invasion of Gibraltar and conquest of Spain
• AD 716 invasion of Constantinople
• AD 732 Battle of Tours in France
• AD 777 Battle of Saragossa in Spain.

It does seem extraordinary that Western leaders can be so extraordinarily blind to the intentions of Islam. Our European forefathers who succeeded in stopping the advance of the Ottoman army at Vienna in 1683 were certainly under no such illusions. Could it be that this blindness is in fact a deliberate attempt by the secular humanist spirit driving modern Europe to look favourably upon Islam because of its hostility to the centuries of Judeo-Christian heritage that is so blatantly scorned by the European Union?

Is our blindness to the intentions of Islam connected to the secular humanist spirit at work across Europe?

If this indeed is the motive, the secular humanists are virtually committing social suicide because if Islam does become a majority movement in Europe, they will be the first to suffer along with LGBT communities. It is, of course, quite possible that Muslims will become the majority in Europe, given their extraordinary high birth rate and the number of young Muslims of childbearing age who have entered Europe as refugees or migrants.

Maybe Christians should accept responsibility for the confused spiritual state of Europe today. Clearly we have not been faithful to the Great Commission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations. Neither have we clearly demonstrated the love of God in our lives and in our teaching. If we had done, there could be no confusion between the God of the Bible and the Allah of the Qur'an. The greatest need today is to teach the truth of the Gospel. This is the only way to save Europe from catastrophe.

What is Ahead?

What does the future hold? A personal friend of mine whose ministry I value is Bill Wagner, who has lived and worked in Muslim countries for many years. Just before the invasion of Iraq he wrote perceptively:

Islam will continue to grow and will become more brutal in its attempts to conquer the world. There will be a rise of terrorism in all parts of the non-Muslim world since they have discovered how effective this can be. The nations of the world will be subject to suicide bombings. A number of wars such as those against Iraq and Afghanistan will take place but will be ineffective since Islam has learned to fight not from a position of military strength but from the shadowy back alleys of urban societies. Christians especially will be marked for death and persecution, although Islam will never completely take over the world.³

Many Christians believe that we have entered the days which Jesus foresaw when he warned his disciples about being deceived. He said, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom...Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matt 24:7-12).

It certainly looks as though a time of persecution lies ahead for Christians, but it is during times of persecution in the past that the Church has always grown. Maybe it is God's intention to allow the Church to go through a period of purging in the run-up to the second coming of our Lord.

References

1 E.g. Daley, K. Pope Says Terrorism Is 'Not A Religious War'. The Daily Caller, 28 July 2016.

2 Kassam, R. BBC 'Fixes' Munich Killer Article Following Breitbart Expose Of Muslim Name Cover Up. Breitbart, 23 July 2016.

3 Wagner, W, 2004. How Islam Plans to Change the World. Kregel Publications, Michigan, p216.

Clifford Hill responds to the recent attacks in Brussels.

The latest atrocities in Brussels have shocked the Western world. It is time that world leaders, both East and West, face the fact that their policies in the Middle East have been disastrous.

Russia, the United States, Europe, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia all have different interests and objectives. It is time to face the truth that unless they can find some common ground, the seething discontent and political instability in the region could spill over into a world conflict.

Slaughter and Self-Delusion

Islam is fighting an all-out war for survival, with the militant extremists of the Islamic State (who claim to be the only true Muslims) patterning their violent behaviour on their Mediaeval founder Muhammad. His policy was that people either accepted his revelations as truth or they were slaughtered. His militant Muslim followers today follow the same policy. The latest round of atrocities in Brussels underlines both their determination and their ability to disrupt Western society. They will not go away quietly - neither will they be defeated by military action.

For too long Western politicians have run away from the truth, hiding behind lies and deception, saying that the violence is nothing to do with Islam which is a religion of peace! Until this self-delusion is broken our cities will go on being targeted by deluded religious fanatics and our citizens killed and maimed without warning as they go about their daily lives.

For too long Western politicians have run away from the truth, hiding behind deception and saying that Islam is a religion of peace.

Western VulnerabilityGareth Fuller/PA Wire/Press Association Images

There is not a city in the Western world that is safe. The security forces in Belgium have been on high alert for the past six months, ever since the Paris bombings; they knew that an attack was imminent after the arrest of Salam Abdesalam four days earlier. But they were unable to prevent terrorist attacks on soft targets.

More than 1 million Muslims have entered Europe in the past year from the conflict zones of the Middle East and they continue to pour in despite every effort being made by the European Union to protect its borders. The Islamic State claims that some 5,000 of the migrants are Muslim fighters and the Brussels attacks demonstrate the vulnerability and danger that we all face every time we travel into a crowded city.

Disillusioned Young Men

The broadcaster and philosopher Ahmed Abbadi, who is chairman of the Council of the Islamic scholars in Morocco, says that there is a generation of angry young men across the Arab world who "are jobless, wife-less and hopeless".¹ They know that there is plenty of wealth in Europe, which makes them increasingly angry and vulnerable to Islamic State recruiters who promise them jobs, beautiful wives and high social status if they will come and join them in their ideal Caliphate.

There is a generation of angry, disillusioned young men across the Arab world who are vulnerable to radicalisation.

The situation facing young people in the Middle East is a straight choice between either trying to get to Europe or joining the Islamic State – it's a straight choice because the Middle East, with its long history of colonialism and dictatorship, has no home-grown tradition of good governance: the whole concept of democracy is foreign and there are no deep foundations of a civil society upon which one can be built. This is the tragedy of Syria where the entire infrastructure has been destroyed and Libya where social order has collapsed.

Islamic Oppression

The starting point for reconstruction is the recognition of the truth that much of the responsibility for the lawlessness and hopelessness in the Islamic world lies with the religion of Islam itself. Violence and coercion are endemic to Islam, which allows dictators such as the Saudi royal family to exercise total control over their subjects, teaching generations of children hatred against their opponents (including Jews, Christians and the Shia minority, who are brutally oppressed).

An undercover film, 'Saudi Arabia Uncovered', was broadcast by ITV on Tuesday 22 March with a number of horrendous scenes such as a woman being held down by four policemen in a public road while another man beheaded her; and another scene of five beheaded men strung between two cranes. Some of these scenes were reproduced on the Mail Online.² There was some doubt as to whether the Government would allow the film to be aired, as the Foreign Office usually go to considerable lengths to protect the Saudi Government in order to maintain both political and economic interests. This is nothing new: Winston Churchill had the same problem with the Foreign Office back in the 1920s.³

A recognition is needed that much of the lawlessness and hopelessness in the Islamic world comes from the religion of Islam itself.

The film, about life in Saudi Arabia, showed a woman being punched and kicked by a man in a supermarket and the religious police controlling every aspect of life. Women are not allowed to drive and they have difficulty visiting a doctor without a male escort. It showed children in school being taught to hate Christians and Jews who, they were told, must all be killed. There appeared to be little difference between life in Saudi Arabia and what is happening in the Islamic state. Both are driven by what they claim to be a pure form of Islam.

This is what Islamic State intend to impose upon Europe. But European leaders who have opened the door to more than 1 million Muslims in the past year have not yet woken up to the extent of the horror to which they are condemning the nations of Europe.

The objectives of the jihadist bombers who have infiltrated Europe with the million migrants will continue to hit soft targets in an effort to achieve their objective – the Islamisation of Europe.

Facing the Truth About Islam

Today the security of all Western nations hangs in the balance. If a little nation like Belgium can be so targeted, how much more vulnerable are the larger nations of the West and Russia! The extent of conflict between Shia and Sunni and other Islamic factions is destabilising the whole of the Arab world and creating uncertainty even in those states not directly involved in conflict such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Algeria.

European leaders have not yet woken up to the horrors to which they are condemning European nations.

They all have an interest in establishing stable societies. The first step to genuine reconstruction lies in facing the truth about Islam. This is slowly being recognised by a number of Islamic leaders and scholars and this is where Western leaders and Christian scholars could be of assistance. President Sisi of Egypt was the first major leader in the Arab world to call for a "religious revolution" of Islam to purge the religion of extremism and violence.⁴ He made his dramatic announcement in a New Year's statement (2015) and repeated it in August that year.

Christian Contributions

In Egypt it is not only political leaders but Islamic scholars who are also open to discussing reform. In 2006 Dr Rowan Williams, as Archbishop of Canterbury, was invited by the Islamic scholars of the largest mosque in Cairo to present a lecture on Christianity. Christian leaders could be of immense help in examining the holy books of Islam alongside the Bible and taking out the teaching on violent jihad which characterised the Mediaeval period of Islamic development and which has no place in the modern world.

Most Islamic scholars have a healthy respect for Jesus. Although they do not accept his divinity, they do believe him to be a prophet. The teaching of Jesus on love and forgiveness of sins is absent from Islam but could radically transform Muslim teaching. I'm certainly not suggesting some kind of amalgamation of Christianity and Islam! But if Islamic scholars were willing to study the Bible with Christian scholars it might help them to correct the gross errors in the Qur'an.

References

1 Connolly, K. Battle of ideas at heart of fight against Islamic State. BBC News, 17 March 2016.

2 Oborne, P. A woman beheaded in the road. Five headless corpses hanging from cranes. As a documentary exposes the horror of life in Saudi Arabia, why DOES Britain cosy up to this kingdom of savagery? Mail Online, 21/03/16.

3 See chapter on 'Churchill and the Question of Palestine', in Fromkin, D, 2003. A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East. Phoenix, London, p515f.

4 Smith, S. Egypt's President Urges Muslim Clerics to End Violent Islamic Ideology, Lead Peaceful 'Religious Revolution' in Groundbreaking Speech. Christian Post, 13 January 2015.

Two more attacks in the name of the so-called 'religion of peace' have been carried out in the past week in predominantly Muslim countries by Islamic State fighters.

Turkey and Indonesia are both in shock from deadly blasts in their capital cities where innocent civilians going about their daily tasks have been murdered.

Although they are targeting Westerners, the aim is also to hurt Islamic countries who they don't regard as true Muslims. So who are the true Muslims: Islamic State fighters or the ordinary Muslims of Turkey and Indonesia?

True Disciples

A similar question was asked about Christians in New Testament times. Who are the true Christians? The Apostle John wrestled with this question when he was living in Ephesus surrounded by many different religions and some Christians defected. His answer was to point to the life and the teaching of Jesus. He says "The man who says, 'I know him', (Jesus) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4).

People flee the attacks in Istanbul, which killed at least 10. See Photo Credits.

Jesus himself strictly forbade violence. When a Samaritan village did not welcome him his disciples asked "Lord do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village" (Luke 9:54).

If you apply the same test of truth to Muslims, you have to examine the life and teaching of Muhammad.

The whole subject of his treatment of the people of Mecca is controversial in the history of Islam in terms of the reason why Muhammad slaughtered them, but what is undeniable is the teaching recorded in the Qur'an that he used as justification when some of his supporters were reluctant to carry out his orders. He claimed that Allah had revealed a command making fighting a binding duty for all Muslims:

Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not (Qur'an 2:216)

According to the Apostle John, true Christians are those whose lives point to the life and teaching of Jesus. If you apply the same test of truth to Muslims, you have to examine the life and teaching of Muhammad.

God's Purpose: Salvation

So why has the God of Creation who holds the nations in his hands "like a drop in a bucket" (Isa 40:15) allowed these two atrocities to take place? It is surely because the time has come in world history for God to expose the great deception that has held many nations enslaved in darkness for centuries. From the middle of the last century there have been prophecies of a great Muslim harvest, releasing people from the fear and violence of Islam and it is in Indonesia, the largest Muslim population in the world, that this is happening on a massive scale.

People flee attackers in Jakarta. AP/Press Association.

We reported in Prophecy Today last year that the imams in Indonesia were anxious because some 2 million Muslims a year are converting to Christianity. The Prophecy Today team have visited Indonesia a number of times and seen at first hand the rapid growth of the church there.

We have seen thousands accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour in Jakarta, Surabaya and other cities in Sumatra where a kind of spontaneous outpouring of the Holy Spirit is still bringing whole communities into faith in Jesus.

One church leader, whose fellowship had only been founded six months, asked for advice on the right time to invite a pastor to lead the fellowship. He said they were already up to 500 but they thought they should wait until there were 1,000 in the congregation before appointing a minister.

Struggle Ahead

One church in Surabaya we have seen grow from 200 to more than 25,000. It is this kind of growth that could be seen in many other countries in the near future as the great deception of the so-called 'religion of peace' is exposed and the violence practised by Muhammad - endemic in the history of Islam - is recognised.

Why has God allowed these atrocities to take place? Surely the time has come for him to expose the great deception that has held many nations enslaved in darkness for centuries.

But this will not happen without a struggle in which many innocent people like those in Paris will lose their lives; and many Christians will be martyred - like those in Syria and Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. Islam will not release its hold upon the nations of the Middle East without a struggle and acts of terrorism are also likely to spread across the Western nations including Britain.

The Coming Disillusionment

The key to the future lies with the millions of Muslims spread across Europe and America as they begin to ask serious questions about whether the Islamic State are the true representatives of Muhammad. Once the serious study of the Qur'an and the historic documents of Islam begins, in the same way as the Bible has been subjected to intense academic scrutiny, the true nature of Islam and Allah, its god, will be revealed which will result in multitudes left disillusioned.

The great danger then will be who - or what - will fill the spiritual vacuum. Will the secular humanists win the disillusioned: or will those who seek the truth find Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? Much depends upon the ordinary Christians in the Western nations who are in daily contact with their Muslim neighbours. So many nominal Christians have imbibed the secular humanist values of a greedy corrupt and godless civilisation that they are no longer witnesses to the love and moral purity of Jesus.

If multitudes of Muslims become disillusioned with their faith, who – or what – will fill the spiritual vacuum?

Need for Repentance

Perhaps the greatest need right now in the West is for a wave of repentance to sweep across the nations, beginning with the churches who have failed to stem the tide of corruption that has engulfed whole generations. It may be that only some great catastrophe will open eyes that are blind to the reality of Western civilisation that is surely a stench in the nostrils of the God of Creation. But surely he who so loved the world that he sent Jesus to bring the light of life to humanity will find a way of steering the history of the nations to the point where there is openness to the Truth – the Truth that sets us free.