I am conflicted. It was Muslim terrorists who flew commercial planes into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon, killing 3000 people. It was Muslim terrorists who did another coordinated attack in eight different locations in Mumbai, India in 2008, killing 173 people and injuring at least 327. It was Muslim terrorists who kidnapped and brutally murdered journalist Daniel Pearl. Muslim snipers killed ten people in the Washington DC area in 2002. It was Muslim suicide bombers who have viciously attacked high population sites in Israel too many times to count (fifty times in 2002 alone). Muslim terrorists started a gunfight in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing at least 17. Muslim suicide bombers killed 27 and injured 65 in Hanju, Pakistan in 2009. A Muslim extremist killed two American soldiers in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2009. Later that year a Muslim fundamentalist—who was at the time a major in the United States Army—killed 13 and injured 30 at Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas. As many as 150 people were killed by Muslim terrorists in Damaturu, Nigeria, in 2011.
And it was Muslim suicide bombers and other terrorists who have repeatedly killed Americans, Afghanis, and Iraqis since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started. And the death toll continues to rise. The casualty list from the despicable and cowardly actions of these terrorists goes on page after page. Muslim terrorists have been responsible for thousands of deaths and incalculable suffering in Pakistan, India, Egypt, Somalia, Qatar, Indonesia, Jordan, Philippines, China, Mali, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Algeria, Libya, Turkey, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Sweden, Denmark, France, England, Israel, and the United States.
And yet I am conflicted. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to do good to those who harm us [most of the following translations are from the NET Bible]: “Do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well” (Matt 5.39). “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5.44). “If you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins” (Matt 6.15). “In all that you do, treat others as you would want them to treat you” (Matt 7.12). “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil on account of the Son of Man” (Luke 6.22). “All who take hold of the sword will die by the sword” (Matt 26.52).
And Jesus’ disciples got the message, too. Paul said, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (Rom 12.17); “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink” (Rom 12.20); “See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all” (1 Thess 5.15). The author of Hebrews wrote, “Pursue peace with everyone” (Heb 13.20). Peter tells us, “Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3.9).
By juxtaposing these two sets of data—Muslim terrorist acts and the teaching of the New Testament—you can see why I am conflicted. (I won’t get into the issue of how our government should act regarding terrorism. That’s different from what we should do on a personal level [for a discussion see my essay, “Attack on America: A Christian Perspective,” posted at bible.org]. What we should do personally is of a different sort.)
We do need to be wise as serpents, and not naively think that the gesture of friendship will turn terrorists from their evil plans. But we also need to love Muslims. Some have said that all Muslims want to kill Christians and Jews. Really? Yes, the Qur’an could be cited (e.g., Surah 4.76; 5.52; 8.12–13, 60; 33.60–62; 58.20; 66.9; 68.44). And yet, not all Muslims are fundamentalists who embrace the violence of the Qur’an. To be sure, there are those who would like to destroy Israel and America—most notably the government of Iran. But these are in a minority, especially in America. And yes, there are Muslim extremists in this country who are concocting plans to kill their neighbors. But again, they are a very small minority.
Consider a ludicrous hypothetical situation: Suppose that all Muslims in America were of this ilk. Would this give Christians the right to hate them? No! We are still required to love them. How that manifests itself may be in a variety of ways. But I will use one, concrete, true-to-life example. There is a mosque going up across the street from the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. What is my responsibility to these Muslims? How will I show them love? I plan to visit the mosque and bring the Imam a Bible as a gift, accompanied by some delectables that he would enjoy (and be allowed by his religion to eat). I plan also to invite him to lunch, get to know him, and discuss our various views on religion. I plan to share the gospel with him, too. These will not be isolated acts and they will not be done to salve my conscience. By God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, I hope to genuinely love my Muslim neighbor.
If you think this is naïve of me, that I will just be wasting my time, remember that Jesus himself did good to those whom he knew would ultimately kill him. And he told his disciples to do the same, noting that they would be flogged and put to death because of the gospel. We dare not think that our Lord’s world was any less violent than our own, that his instructions were so culturally conditioned that we can excuse ourselves today for disobeying them. We are commanded to love our neighbors, whoever they may be. And we are to do so because God first loved us in Christ when we were his enemies.
49 replies to "Is the Muslim My Neighbor?"
Do you mind not posting convicting things on this blog. Stick to theoretical. People like me may be reading and we don’t like mettling.
Security threats need to be accessed. You don’t walk out the door of your home without locking it.
Security ranges from hard (military force) to soft (the locks on your car door).
Dan’s prescription sounds good, but the culture by which a community stays secure is subject to change.
Dan – I don’t think you’re being naive at all. I think that the concept of love that you’re referring to is completely appropriate (the example of the new mosque). Loving our enemies is very tough but we should all try.
I am equally in a conundrum, having studied ecumenism for many years. I do believe that there are many valid facets to Christian Ecumenism, for there are some discrepencies in the Bible- Although these should not hinder the path to salvation. On a social level first, one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist so there are millions who would feel justified in supporting the (so called) terrorists Michael mentioned. Humans have always had in groups and out groups and ultimately a common enemy, be they the British, Native Americans, Commis, Post WWII it became increasingly un popular to dislike nations, post communism who could we all hate? Terrorism is a good all rounder as hating poverty or famine would dis favour wealthy or obese people. At the outset we must remember that Christians did equally barbaric acts ( Hugenots, Scottish clearances, ireland past & present, even slavery in various forms to name a few.) We are called to love our enemies in whatever form…as people but we do not have to love what they represent. We can approach christians as equals and many other religions but I think that it is more difficult when other religions displace the value and acts of Christ. The main cause for religious debate ultimately is that no one in their right mind woould agree to supporting a second class (ie inferior) God…….
Watch the following video when you get a chance. Islam is scary stuff. It’s not just a small minority. What happens when American Muslims start trying to implement Sharia Law into our own legal system?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-871902797772997781
Dan,
That’s a two way street. While I certainly emphatically agree with you that is what the Bible teaches, my question is why wouldn’t any religion who claims to value life NOT decry killing in the name of God.,and if so why not? God gives no one the right to take a human life simply because they disagree with another’s religion.
Moderate muslims, if they don’t agree with the Q’aran need to be much more vocal in their objection of this extremism. Thus far they have remained pretty quiet as a whole at least in America. What will it take, I wonder, to convince them?
Boz, that’s an incredibly sloppy reading of the post. I was very careful to say that not only not all Muslims were of this ilk, but that most were not.
Yes, I agree that that is what the words say.
This conflicts with the framing and theme and tone and positioning and word-choice of the article. Which convey the opposite message; that Muslims are terrorists and that they are our enemies.
Yes.
Asking if the muslim is your neighbor because there are terrorists is like asking if Americans are your neighbor because we have murderers.
Is a muslim *terrorist* your neighbor? Well, I think yes, assuming he’s not in hiding or on the run. If he’s your neighbor, he’s your neighbor.
But that doesn’t mean you need to be naive, like you said. Jesus never told us to *trust* our neighbor or *turn a blind eye* to our neighbor. He told us to *love* our neighbor. If a terrorist was your neighbor, *loving* him would likely mean turning him in to the cops.
DAN
BOZ
Are we reading the same post????
Boz is an antagonist who, from what I understand, like Ed Babinski and some of our KJV Only (and even hardcore Calvinists!) friends, has a history of trolling with no intention of learning. I pray that they continue to read, but please know I have to keep some things in order here. He has been blacklisted. .
At least you’re calling him a “friend” Michael. He’s also your “neighbor” LOL
(John from DU)
Thanks for noticing! 🙂
MBaker – “Moderate muslims, if they don’t agree with the Q’aran need to be much more vocal in their objection of this extremism.”
For any Muslim to openly disagree with the Qur’an is asking for major rebuke to be brought on them. Young Muslim men are often told that any critical questioning of the Qur’an becomes a pathway to Hell. Fear and intimidation may be why many moderates remain quiet. It is sad that such is the case – another reason to love and have compassion over them. I’m thankful that we not only live in a country where we can criticize any book publicly, but also that our text can handle such criticism leveled against it.
Some other moderates are moderate externally for a specific purpose – to subtly spread Islam in the West. Consider the intentions of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) that have been revealed in recent years. There have been numerous documents drafted by CAIR that have been uncovered, documents which map out plans to infiltrate Western society and culture over the span of decades.
I don’t disagree with your expressed wish that moderates would be more outspoken against extremists, but I think that we can’t categorize moderates neatly into one group. Islam is too dynamic of an entity in the West for us to do that.
I think the first 2 paragraphs do betray a certain fear or apprehension or at least weariness of a different social group, based not on personal experience but on what is being propagated by the news media and exaggerated sometimes by (certain) conservatives.
The conclusion however, comes from application of biblical principle.
Goes to show how God’s word triumphs over human weakness. 😛
Dr. Wallace,
This was an encouraging post to read. Thank you for writing it.
I number of years ago I had the privilege to meet and learn from several Christians who were missionaries to Muslims. One of the things they talked a lot about was how they present the gospel in a contextually sensitive way so it spoke to the needs of their Muslim audience. They emphasized the importance of this due to the different cultures and religious backgrounds we two groups have.
If you googled “Jesus In the Quran”, or “Common Path Alliance”, their websites would come up and they should have information available there. The JIQ people do workshops around the country, and the CPA person is heavily involved with interfaith dialogue with Muslims.
Just thought I’d pass this on to you. I’m not involved with either of these groups either. I just love the idea of Muslims hearing the gospel!
Francis, can you point me to any exaggerations in the first two paragraphs? I believe that everything I said in these paragraphs was factual. In fact, I restrained myself from could have filled pages and tried to summarize just some of the lowlights. Please show me how I have erred.
A Christian is to love their neighbor as an divone Christian act and is to kill those who seek to destroy his or her nation as a divine national act. The contexts differ and when you fail to make the appropriate distinctions one will always be confused.
Alex – Your comment has me confused as I am failing to understand your ‘appropriate distinctions.’ Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but it seems that you are saying that Christians are commanded by God to kill anyone who threatens their national security. Is that what you’re saying? I hope not as it would completely miss the point of loving your enemy and would disobey the New Testament’s command not to retaliate (Romans 12:17-21). This is not to say that Christians should not participate in the secular military, but they are certainly not under any divine imperative to kill those who threaten them. If I am misunderstanding you then do let me know.
The statement was a “general droid” one with specifics not withstanding (meaning not all occasions). But when national security does require killing threats which includes people it is indeed a divinely sanctioned act for both the Christian and non- Christian.
What scripture do you use to justify what you’re saying? When you speak of national security, do you have only America and its allies in mind? Several countries in the Middle East consider America (on a larger level, the West) a threat. Are they divinely sanctioned by God to kill those whom they consider threats also? I’m having trouble following your logic and how you differentiate which nations are and which are not divinely sanctioned to retaliate.
I come from a Muslim majority country. If I were to bring a bible to the local imam, it would not be an act of love: it would be utterly silly and foolhardy. In the first place, the imam would regard my ‘gift’ as an insult. In the second place I would risk being put in jail since there are laws in my country prohibiting ‘proselytization’ of Muslims (and this ‘present’ may very well fall under this category). I’m always amused by scholars pontificating on subjects they have little exposure to. It may work in the West, while (the rapidly eroding) Judeo-Christian sensibilities still hold sway, but I would suggest that the Muslims will not extend to you similar courtesies. Yes, love the Muslims but realize at the same time that they nevertheless regard you as an enemy. Perhaps some caution is needed.
I would agree with most of what you said, but I would be careful in how you show your love. Yes, we need to show the same kindness and love to a muslim, as we would to any other neighbor of ours. BUT, ask yourself this, is Islam a False religion, does it teach False doctrines, and would you consider the teachers of Islam, False Teachers or False Prophets. Islam denies our Bible, denies the Trinity, denies Christ. Yes they believe in Jesus, as a Good Prophet, but not as the Son of GOD. We are told throughout the Bible and especially in the New Testament to beware of False Prophets. In 2 John, we are told not to even bring them in our house or welcome them, or we share in their wicked, evil, or False works. So yes, love your neighbor (even a muslim one), show him the same kindness you would to anyone else, share the Gospel with him, but I would not Partner with them on events or activities, I would not invite them in to share their koran, and you know if you share your Bible with them, they are going to want to share theirs with you! I think that’s some of the problem today with some Pastors, they want to Partner with muslims to show respect or show we are not intolerant towards their beliefs, but as Christians, we are not told to tolerate or respect their False teachings. As a Christian, you can’t stand with a muslim and say you believe in Allah and I believe in GOD, and that’s fine, unless you actually believe Allah and the GOD of the Bible are one?
The Scriptures present the divine institution of government and its expression in national sovereignty. Additionally it presents the divine sanction of fovernment
Additionally it presents the divine sanction of government to punish evil doers. When governments act collectively and corporately to destroy the sovereign expression of a government and the lives of its people it is a divinely given sanction to respond up to killings a threatening nation’s combatants and if necessary its civilians to secure itself and its people. I hate droids.
[…] What If Muslim Terrorists Were Our Neighbors? […]
Reading the article and then the comments one can only come to one conclusion. American Christians don’t want to die for their faith because our constitution has given us that right. It doesn’t matter that Jesus said turn the other cheek and then modeled it all the way to the cross. It doesn’t matter that Stephen, James, Paul, Peter, John, ect all died martyrs deaths.
So on the basis that they are evil and we are not, Jesus couldn’t have been talking to us. Right?
Alex – where? You haven’t provided any scriptural support. Show us where Christians are under the divine imperative to kill their enemies.
It is really unfortunate how much is read into one’s words. When I was writing this blogpost I was asking myself, What will people object to this time? I didn’t anticipate such a wide variety of responses and misunderstandings. Some think that I consider all Muslims terrorists, while others think that I want to chum up to them and have fellowship with them over what is common between our two faiths. Then there are skirmishes between various readers with each other. Friends, if we are truly to grow in grace and truth, we have got to reign in our emotions and genuinely seek to understand each other before we open our mouths.
Dr. Wallace,
I merely took your first 2 paragraphs as a sort of “initial reaction” to said social group of interest. The issue at heart isn’t about whether the facts you stated were true or false. In fact, one may associate all sorts of negativity with all sorts of social groups without necessarily being wrong in their facts.
“Initial reaction” is merely reflective of one’s preconceived notion of a certain subject without any in-depth knowledge, a stereotype of sorts. And he or she may or may not have any choice in that matter. What is dangerous is when some people mistake their stereotype for truth and that’s where discrimination and injustice starts. There are plenty of people who make a stand at the end of 2nd paragraph without going one step further and I frankly don’t know what to say to them.
So my apologies if you perceive a criticism. I didn’t mean to criticize, nor do I have the right to. I remember the time when I used to associate Christians with “such and such”, Americans with “such and such”, and conservatives with “such and such”. I am sure I still associate (fill in the blank) with “such and such”. 🙂
I think a Christian must support war against terrorism? Let me explain.
We all know there are several (over 200) references to “war” in the Old Testament. There are about 18 references to “war” in the New Testament The author of Hebrews praises Old Testament warriors such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, as examples of great men of faith who risked their lives in armed conflict. (Hebrews 11:32-34). There is no admonition for Christian involvement in physical battle or war in the New Testament. There are no direct statements that war is categorically sinful, or that Christian involvement in war is prohibited.
Soldiers asked John the Baptist: “and what should we do?” John replied: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-be content with your pay” (Luke 3:14).If serving in the Roman army was seen as inappropriate for believers, this would have been a perfect opportunity for John to tell soldiers to resign from the military service and choose a more suitable profession. When a Roman centurion came to Christ, begging Him to heal his paralyzed servant, Jesus did not rebuke him for being a soldier. Instead, He commended his faith saying: “Truly, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Matt 8:10).
Acts 10 describes Cornelius, a Roman centurion as “upright, God-fearing and praying constantly”. No one objected to his baptism because he was serving in the Roman Army.
Paul referring to some immoral Corinthians said “Expel the wicked man from among you” (1 Cor…
Paulraj,
You said: “or that Christian involvement in war is prohibited.”
If we remember what Paul wrote in Romans, namely that we are not to participate in vengeance, for that is God’s activity, we would notice that Paul actually does forbid the Christian from participating in war.
Because Paul goes on to say that God’s vengeance is poured out on evil-doers by the use of the government’s power to wield the sword.
Yet this is the same vengeance that Paul forbid the Christian to take part in!
This may not be palatable to the ears of American Christians, but look at it this way: When we are not killing our enemies, we can have the opportunity to love them instead, like Jesus commanded we do, or feed them and pray for them, like Paul commanded us to do.
Remember, we must overcome evil with good, not more evil. I would direct this post at Mr. Guggenheim above as well.
I would say that muslim terrorist (extreemist) are a minority, yet the majority (moderate) dream of Sharia law, and work toward this goal in whatever nation they inhabit.
Once this goal is attained then persecution can be more normal and culturally acceptable.
Either way you view it, the religion of Islam is a poison.
But even still, we are called to love our enemies. Jesus warned of “a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.”
And it was ‘Christians’ who went on crusades against muslims, indiscriminately killing countless innocent people.
[…] IS THE MUSLIM MY NEIGHBOR? […]
The ignorance here is astounding and speaks to why the church, today, is in the shape it is. This comment:
____
“If we remember what Paul wrote in Romans, namely that we are not to participate in vengeance, for that is God’s activity, we would notice that Paul actually does forbid the Christian from participating in war.”
____
Is simply a theological mess, though sincere. It removes context completely. War is not de facto vengeance and this instruction was about personal vengeance with respect to our individual interactions. It has nothing to do with legitimate wars to defend a country. The hermeneutic deprivation of a believer leads to these kinds of misuses of Scripture where they do just what the Bible teaches, they use the Scriptures to injure themselves and others.
Now to another comment or complaint:
______
Alex – where? You haven’t provided any scriptural support. Show us where Christians are under the divine imperative to kill their enemies.
______
To whom was God writing via Paul (Romans) about government’s role as being ordained of God (the powers that be) and their divine sanction to punish evil doers? That is right, to all persons INCLUDING CHRISTIANS. Speaking of civil government and their duties and rights up to punishing evil doers includes the assumption that Christians are participating in this government. Hence, they are sanctioned to punish evil doers and the Bible makes clear self-defense up to taking lives is valid in…
Thanks for the comment Alex. I’m sorry that intellect has not reached your standard. I’m sure (speaking on my behalf) that ignorance does abound, but I would propose an equal problem is that love is lacking. This is evident by the tone of some of the comments listed here.
I am not disagreeing with a Christian’s role in the government or military, or even a Christian’s participation in warfare. However, what you said earlier was that Christians are to love their neighbor, yet kill their enemies (“A Christian is to love their neighbor as an divone Christian act and is to kill those who seek to destroy his or her nation as a divine national act.” March 8).
Our aim as Christians is to kill no one. Unfortunately given the atrocity of war, killing does occur. Yet our aim is to establish righteousness and justice throughout the world. If killing our enemies is anywhere on our priority list then we fail at that. Rather, we seek to love our enemies and display the same respect for life that was commanded to the Jews. Consider God’s response to Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:10ff. God was pleased that he did not ask for the life of enemies or for their destruction. What about Proverbs 25:21f? “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat.” Consider also Josephus’ disposition toward enemies, which is astounding. Consideration was to be shown toward enemies, with the intent that they too would become proselytes (Against Apion II.211f).
Agree JMR. The only war Christians ought to fight is a spiritual one. When we turn the spiritual warfare into military/political/social/economical conflict where we take one side against another, we have, more often than not, missed the point of the word “spiritual”. That’s not to say that some political or social issues aren’t important to Christians, merely that some of us mistake our votes or our patriotism for Christian spiritual warfare.
[…] Wallace asks if we should love the Muslims as our neighbors—even the ones who want to kill us. He reminds us that Jesus loved those who sought to kill (and […]
Perhaps, Alex, if you refrained from being so condescending, others might willingly assent to your pure and superior intellectualism.
As for me, I’d prefer to die for the Kingdom then live for my country any day.
To each their own, I suppose.
“Perhaps, Alex, if you refrained from being so condescending, others might willingly assent to your pure and superior intellectualism.”
Ah yes, condescending for thee but not for me. You are obviously out of ammunition.
::rolls eyes::
Alex – you could possibly come off as an intellectual if you did not spell so many words incorrectly.
It seems that touting your intellect is a big priority in your life. It might be best for you to focus your time doing that on other blogs. Here, we don’t seek to promote intellect, but rather the risen Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). May the Lord free you from your arrogance, grant you humility, and change your priorities to be in line with his.
I am sorry guys. When the post is not mine, I don’t get update. I was informed about Alex’s comments. They certainly don’t represent honest conversation or the ideals of this blog. This is not the first time. He has been blacklisted from the blog.
The part in the Scripture about “gentleness and respect” is as authoritative as the rest.
I could honestly love a muslim who I knew was making bombs in his basement and could live him while he’s holding the trigger on a suicide vest because 1)Jesus commands it and 2) death is not the end.
We tend to put our physical survival in America above our spiritual survival in eternity, and that’s not cool. Yes, you can love your enemy and there’s a higher reason and purpose to it than “protecting you and your family”….
God is Love.
Dan lists some of the atrocities committed by Muslims.
Muslims commit ‘crimes against humanity’ on a daily basis. There is even a website that chronicles these crimes as they happen.
While those who commit these crimes may be small, in relation to the number of persons calling themselves Muslims, the hundreds of persons in almost every Muslim country committing atrocities, plus the thousands of others who provide encouragement and or material support cannot be said to be small.
And just who is this ‘moderate Muslim anyway? Handle his/her Koran improperly, say something he/she regards as disrespectful to his/her ‘prophet’, convert to Christianity, then see how moderately he/she behaves.
Still I agree with Dan, we must love the Muslim. However the Bible does not say we should love his faith, his book, or the creed(s) which animates him.
He is a sinner loved by God just like I am. However, I believe God is against any creed that says: ‘there is one god, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet’. Don’t you, Dan?
And if we are ‘to speak the truth in love’, then the truth compels us to do all we can against Islam (the religion) while doing our best to reach Muslims (the people).
Steve Skeete asked, “He is a sinner loved by God just like I am. However, I believe God is against any creed that says: ‘there is one god, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet’. Don’t you, Dan?”
Steve, if you don’t know how I would answer that question then you obviously have not read many of my posts.
I was surpried when I saw the title of this blog. I have this very issue in my life. Last summer we had a Muslim family move into the home next door to my family. We invited them over for supper and we talk about our faith often. I have coffee about once a month with the husband and we have good conversations about our faith. We keep the faith conversation very general. I have a difficult time trying to find other young Christian fathers (late twenties early thirties) to discuss faith with. I find this very problematic in our society and discouraging in my faith walk. Talking to my Muslim neighbor about faith is actually very natural and it has actually stengthened my faith in Jesus and the Bible(I am a new Believer). I hope and pray they will accept the Gospel, but I know it is extremely difficult for Muslims to convert to Christianity. The mother expressed some interest in coming to church with us early on, but has since backed off. She is a very kind woman and I know the Holy Spirit is pulling on her. I hope my wife and I can continue to show her the love of Jesus.
If Jesus did not want us not to defend ourselves and not kill those who try to harm us WHY DID JESUS SAY WHAT HE DID IN LUKE 22:36. He knew we would need to fight at some point in time. He said sell your cloak and buy a sword. I love God and I think he would not me to be a fool. I will defend my God, his church, the family he gave me, and the country he has blessed. I will not be a chopping block for any man. God loves people, but remember how God fought a war with total destruction …..Everyone has the right to be a fool and do nothing while some jerk kills your family….Jim