A Tragedy for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

I am angered, outraged, tonight having learned that Terry Jones, leader of something ironically called the Dove World Outreach Center burned a Koran, streaming video of the act live over the Internet. You can read about this false prophet's reprehensible act here.

Predictably, outrage has spread across the Muslim world, resulting in deaths of innocent people, including UN workers in Afghanistan.

Several things ought to be said.

First, genuine believers in Christ everywhere should condemn this man's actions without hesitation or mental reservation. Jones' actions, like the Inquisition, bear no resemblance to Christ or the Gospel. That point needs to be made immediately and without equivocation.

Does Christianity have its share of pathetic, dangerous, and unbalanced people who attempt to use the Bible for their own agenda? Certainly. Jones is evidently one of these. But every movement, every creed, every philosophical position has its wingnuts inhabiting the far frontier.

Do I believe (and teach) Islam is a false religion? Certainly I do, just like they believe Christianity is false, just like atheists believe all religions are false. But I will respect their right to peaceably practice their religion, peaceably proselyte, and peaceably preach. If I don't want to hear what they are saying, I can walk down the other side of the street for crying out loud. We don't need to burn anybody's books!

Second, we don't need any additional laws, hate-speech legislation, or restrictions on religion. The government should not be called upon to do anything, unless Jones has already broken existing laws (in which case he should be prosecuted). Writing laws to protect us from this sort of lunacy will wind up trampling on religious freedom; and trampling on religious freedom eventually winds up restricting freedom to think, speak, share opinions for all of us.

So, don't write your congressman asking for action. Instead, write a blog, or a letter to the editor, or stick a sign in your front yard, condemning this reprehensible deed. All genuine believers everywhere should let the world know: this dastardly act has nothing to do with genuine Christianity, and we do not approve of it or condone it. It has everything to do with Jones' own warped, wicked mind.