I have been hesitant in writing this blog, but a friend and
mentor once said that a writer must be willing to speak truth, however
imperfect that truth might be. I have
grown increasingly concerned with the rhetoric that seems to grow more
pervasive among Conservative Evangelical Christians regarding our relationship
to those adhering to the religion of Islam, especially in wake of the violent
and horrific human rights crimes of ISIS.
I am hesitant because I am one to recognize the complexity of all that
is involved and understand that any blog post runs the risk of over
simplifying. However, if for nothing
else, as a pastor I believe it is important that the people God has called me
to lead understand where I stand. So
what follows is a Christian response,
not by any means the only Christian
response.
Back Story
Perhaps some of my inability to remain quiet is born of
an experience that I’ve had with Muslims.
I was trained in the U.S. Army as an Arabic Linguist from perhaps one of
the finest language schools in the world.
Our instructors were native born Arabic speakers from multiple
countries, most of which were observant Muslims. These were native born Arab-Muslims working
with and for the United States Government to ensure that those that did harm to
others in the name of politics or religion were brought to justice. These men and women that trained us were men
and women of compassion and peace. They
extended the hand of concern for those of us they called student. They were generous, gracious, and extremely
hospitable. Numerous times we shared a
table together, breaking pita and sharing in the best tabouli. I never once encountered these men and women
hell-bent on violent world domination.
Instead, they were much like you and I.
Men and women, committed to their religious beliefs but interpreting those
beliefs through the lens of human flourishing.
Another Problem
I guess another problem I have is our inability as
American Conservative Evangelicals to separate the “church” from the nation of
the “U.S.” They are radically
different. However much you choose to
believe that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, that
doesn’t discredit that we as a nation have a non-establishment amendment for
religion in our Constitution and likewise one does not have to be a Christian
or religious at all to be a committed patriotic national. The church however is international. It spans the globe and knows no
boundaries. It finds itself in
countries, many of which are predominately Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. Yet the Christian church in these countries
continues to thrive, sometimes in conjunction with and in shared partnership
with those of other religious backgrounds.
Sometimes in the face of great persecution. In times of global crisis, the church mustn’t
be swept away by nationalism, fear, and violence, instead its response must be
calculated, intentional, thoughtful, and in pursuit of peace.
The Problem with Violent Extremists
It’s right here where this may start to sound a bit
idealistic. It’s not intended to, but
perhaps that is unavoidable. ISIS and
other violent extremists make the pursuit of peace very difficult, especially
when they appear bent on the extermination of those that refuse their brand of
religious faith. It’s horrific to see
the deaths of the 21 slain Christians. I
can’t begin to imagine the complexity of determining what must be done from a
government and military perspective, nor would I try to venture a
solution. Their deaths were tragic, as
well as the several thousand martyrs that died for their Christian faith all around
the globe last year according to
www.worldwatchmonitor.org. However, because ISIS now receives the
full-brunt of our twenty-four hour news media and commentary from everyone from
the President of the United States to Duck Dynasty Star Phil Robertson, it
becomes important that we understand that not all Islam is the same.
There is Diversity of Belief
Not everyone that follows the religious tradition of
Islam is a violent extremist. This
should be obvious but in times of fear, it grows increasingly cloudy. There are varieties of Islam, much like there
are varieties of Christianity. There are
those that we might call fundamentalists, those who’s doctrine and dogma
seemingly creates a binary of “true believer” and “infidel.” These can be found in nearly every
religion. Those that tout they are the
depository of “true religion” are often those least patient with those that fall
outside their narrow, prescriptive, legalistic, and often violent traditions. There are those we might call
conservative. These are Muslims that
choose to keep close to the Quran, follow the Five Pillars, some of the women
opt to wear the hijab. They seek deep
devotion with conservative social stances, often placing them at odds with what
they would consider the Western lewdness of entertainment, sexuality, and
financial greed. Sounds like some
conservative Baptists I know. There are
progressive Muslims who like progressive Christians live, work, and share life
in their communities without a staunch practice of the Muslim faith. Progressives often see religion not so much
about the specificity of doctrine but about the possibility of religion as a
means of human flourishing in this world.
It’s an Interpretation Issue
What makes for variety in religious traditions? Often it has everything to do with
interpretation of theology, of sacred text, and of relationship of faithful
followers with politics. There is
absolutely a theology informing the movement of ISIS. They can’t be written off as
non-religious. But understand it is a
way of understanding their theology that makes them different from the Muslims
all over the world who disagree with ISIS.
Not all Muslims would want to be identified with the theology of ISIS,
in fact they would be repulsed by it.
Much like many of us would be repulsed by the identification of
Christian theology behind the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazi’s who used the German
church in World War II to give legitimacy to their work. Few of us would ascribe to the theology that
supported slavery or the genocide of Native Americans. How you make sense of theology determines the
ways in which you lean. Likewise, the
ways in which the sacred text of a religious tradition is interpreted and read
can differentiate between those sharing the same religious name. For instance, I as a Wesleyan/Nazarene read
the sacred text of the bible much different from my primitive Baptist brothers
and sisters, different than my Catholic brothers and sisters, and different
from my Presbyterian brothers and sisters.
The same could be said of Islam.
There are multiple ways to read the sacred text of Islam that often
differs between Sunni and Shiite, Wahhabi and Sufi, again conservative and
progressive (and a wide spectrum in between).
And finally, there is a difference in the ways in which we interpret our
religion in terms of political interests.
There are those that prefer a theocratic rule, where the leaders of a
political state are religious leaders.
This has been tried throughout history and often comes to a very bloody
end. There are those that live in
tension, like myself recognizing that my first allegiance is to the Kingdom of
God, but I live and participate as a citizen of this world. There are those that opt for a more
secularist vision, where religion is separated completely from politics. There are also those that withdraw completely
from politics and live in sectarian communities. These can be found in most religious
traditions, including Islam and Christianity.
The Big Deal
Why would I risk writing this knowing the potential
backlash from brothers and sisters in Christ that might not agree with me? For a few reasons:
1.)
Radicalization: Our rhetoric that states you are either a
violent Muslim (Because all Islam is violent) or not is helping to radicalize
youth. We are playing a dangerous
zero-sum game. We are drawing a
dichotomy that is saying to Muslim youth who perhaps are on the fence regarding
which brand of interpretive tradition that they will choose that we will choose
for them. They must be violent. We are pushing Muslims, some of whom have
grown up in traditions that have nothing to do with the violent agendas of ISIS
and Al Qaeda to reconsider. We are
telling them we see you only one way. If
that is the path that has been chosen for them then of course they will
eventually choose that path.
2.)
Down Right Insulting: It is horribly insulting to tell a family in
places like Nashville, TN, Dearborn MI, or Peoria, IL who seek their religious
tradition faithfully, who go to work each day, who pay taxes and are American
citizens, who have the same concerns for their families, their children, their
finances that we do as conservative evangelical Christians that they are
inherently evil. It is wrong to force
these men, women, and children to live in fear around us simply because their
tradition is different from ours.
3.)
It Destroys Bridges: Both religiously and politically unhealthy
rhetoric has the potential of destroying bridges that exist between
allies. There are missionaries all over
the world, who working for Christ are working with moderate Muslims to make
improvements in their communities, in schooling, and in human rights. Likewise, to identify all Muslims according
to the brand of ISIS is to threaten the political allies that the U.S. and
Western World has in predominately Muslim Countries, some of which have nuclear
potential. Why blatantly insult our
allies?
4.)
It fuels the Pundits of Fear, Hate, and
War-Mongering: If we are unable to
differentiate among Muslims those that truly seek to live in peace from those
that seek to do evil, we are allowing the few obnoxious, pundits of fear and
hate to determine the conversation. I
know, I know…they make for great sound bites.
Please understand there are many who profit, who make fortunes spinning
us up into a crazed war seeking frenzy.
In the End…
I personally like to keep the end goal in mind when I
look at life. I have a confessionally
end of times theologically informed mindset.
The end goal, or the trajectory to which I believe human history is moving
is toward peace and the “beloved community” of God. I draw this from Revelation 21 and 22. My whole being keeps these goals forever in
mind. However, it’s the “end” that I
think drives much of this violence and hateful rhetoric. In Conservative Evangelical Christianity we
allow a sick desire for the violent sadistic ending “apparently” described in
this apocalyptic, highly nuanced text of Revelation to drive our speech and
actions. Many Christians are obsessed
with the violence of Armageddon, almost as if they are cheering it on. This violence enables them to say, “We are in
the last days.” Yep, and have been for
the last 2000 years, remembering this isn’t the first onslaught of violence
that has plagued our world. We were in
the last days when Christians were being fed to lions in Rome. We were in the last days when Crusaders and
Turks were locked in an epic cosmic battle.
We were in the last days when Catholics and Protestants were slaying one
another in Europe in the 17th Century. We were in the last days when slaves were
being ripped from their homeland and Native Americans were being displaced from
theirs. We were in the last days when
Hitler ruled and millions were gassed. We
were in the last days when 2 atomic bombs were dropped on civilian
populations. We were in the last days when
800,000 Rwandans were savagely killed in a 4 month period. We were in the last days when a sick man in a
commune in Waco Texas all the while spouting Christian Scripture led to the
mass death of many. We were in the last
days when two towers came down in the heart of a great city. We are in the last days now. As we stand in the last of days, will we do
so with hateful violent speech on our lips, eagerly anticipating the end of our
enemies? Or will we choose as followers
of Jesus to lean into the end with a heart full of love, actions full of peace,
speech dripping with grace, and all the while loving our neighbor as ourselves,
even when our neighbor has a different religious tradition than we do? I wander what might be the end, then? I choose love and peace, leaning into the
God’s beloved community!
Final Note:
This has absolutely nothing to do with whether the nation of US launches a
strike against ISIS. I don’t pretend to
be qualified to give such advice.
