Belief and the Believer

This Sunday there was an excellent "Table Talk" at our home church.

Table Talk is what we call the time just before we get up to go get communion.  One of the staff or key volunteers from church will stand up on stage and give some relevant insight from Scripture that leads us into the Lord's Supper.

This week, one of our Campus Pastors gave Table Talk.  He touched on the series that we are in, "Neighbor," and how we are called to be neighbors to all people...even our enemies.

He remarked on how it is far too easy for us to look at current events and see Muslims as our enemies.  He encouraged us to look beyond the hype and recognize that most adherents to Islam are regular people with regular lives...they are our neighbors.

He spoke about this from personal experience, leading a mission trip in a country where Christianity is outlawed.  He described the Muslims he met there and how much they are like us.  He asked us to translate this idea into practical life by reaching out to establish a relationship with someone who is very much unlike us.

He concluded by saying that Jesus comes to make the neighborhood bigger...and, in my postscript, that the celebration of the body and the blood are for ANY who would trust him and move in this neighborhood called "grace."

I thought this was a great Table Talk for a few reasons:

1)  It addressed current events.  Too often the church fails to provide guidance on important contemporary issues.  The flock gets a lot of information each day from the news and they need a gospel lens to help filter that.  The local church tends to shy away from any such involvement.  There are organizations like "The Gospel Coalition" that do a great job with things like this...but not enough out there.

2)  It called us to die to our own misconceptions, prejudices, and fears.  By challenging us to see Muslims as very much like ourselves AND by asking us to reach out to someone who we perceive as different, we are forced to rely on God and on the power of the cross for strength and wisdom.

3)  It dispelled the idea that all Muslims are crazy people.  This is the myth of the "belief and believer."  Often, when we see a crazy Islamic fundamentalist we paint all Muslims as fanatics or Islam as a violent religion.  The same is true with Mormoms.  Don't deny that you make a polygamist joke everytime you hear the word.  It has also been the case with Christians.  On a far too frequent basis, a crazy "believer" will do something that isn't representative of Jesus at all...but all of Christianity will be labeled based upon the acts of a few.

While it is a dangerous thing to label and make assumptions, there are also some truths in this that are worth look at...particularly when it comes to Islam and Christianity.

When a Christian bombs an abortion clinic, that act is not in keeping with the life or teachings of Jesus.  It is also not in keeping with the history of the early church.

When a Muslim blows himself up to kill infidels, that is in keeping with the life and teachings of Mohammed.  It is also in keeping with the early history of Islam.

While Jesus taught and lived a life of non-violence in the face of persecution for faith and that we should love our enemies...Mohammed taught and exemplified a bellicose form of religious superiority over non-Muslims.

While the early church was so far pacifist that it may have been unhealthy...Islam spread across all of Northern Africa and the Middle East within 100 years by the force of the sword.

While there is no denying that some Chrsitians act out of chord with their faith, the majority of believers stay within the Christian ethos.

On the other hand, while there are some Muslims who act in accordance with the teachings of their prophet, most Muslims practice a watered-down version of their faith that rejects the core tenet of violence that Islam is rooted in.

...and I am very thankful that most Muslims are not our enemies.  They are our neighbors.  That makes it easy to pray for them and love them.  It is praying for and loving the extremists who are sold out for Islam that is so challenging.

And yet, that is what Jesus says do.  So, I ask this...did you pray on Sept 11th?  Did you pray for the families who lost someone in the Towers?  Did you pray for the numerous military personnel who have suffered in recent wars?  Did you pray for God to exact justice on those responsible?...Did you pray for the eternal salvation of extreme, militant, remorseless Muslims who would just as soon kill you as say hello to you?

That is the bar that Jesus sets for us.  Trust him to help you start making baby steps towards that bar today.