Unsettled Christianity

One blog to rule them all, One blog to find them, One blog to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

April 1st, 2011

Terry Jones, Love Will Not Win For You

Let me make this clear: There is nothing wrong for standing up for the Cause of Christ, for the Church, for the Scriptures – but when you purposely attack another, you become what you supposedly hate. What he has done now is to cause the death of innocents because he wasn’t following Christ. He is rejecting Christ.

An American Christian preacher who caused an international uproar last year by threatening to burn the Koran has put himself back in the spotlight after incinerating Islam’s holy book — again with deadly consequences.

Thousands of protesters in northern Afghanistan, enraged over news that the Florida pastor Terry Jones had overseen a torching of the Koran, stormed a United Nations compound on Friday, killing at least seven U.N. staff.

….

On March 20, he presided over what he called an “International Judge the Koran Day” in which he supervised the burning of the book in front of some 50 people.

Video posted on the website of his Dove World Outreach Center church showed a kerosene-soaked book going up in bright flames in a metal fire pit similar to those often found in backyards and patios, but located inside the church.

via Florida pastor is focus of Muslim outrage – again – Yahoo! News.

Pastor Terry Jones Refuses To Take Responsibility For Deaths Of UN Workers In Afghanistan (lezgetreal.com)

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, Mazar-i-Sharif, quran, Terry Jones, united nations
Posted in Religion and Politics | 5 Comments »

October 30th, 2010

Bible the Word of God? – an Islamic view

I know the Bible to be the Word of God. Dr Amir Nasri, the professor of philosophy at the Islamic Azad University, Iran, has a different understanding:

Westerners do not consider the Bible as words of divinity, but call it as instructions of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the art of calligraphy has no place in there. On the contrary, according to Islamic instructions, the Holy Quran is the word of God and so in order to propagate it we have applied different forms of arts such as calligraphy. Therefore, this art has a particular position in our religion.

I’m guessing he has never seen a Family Bible that has the names of family members written in calligraphy.

A study of the status of Icons in Islamic and Christian instructions | Iran Book News Agency

Tags: bible, dr amir nasri, quran, word of God
Posted in Other Posts | 1 Comment »

September 11th, 2010

Meditations for Today – 9/11

From the Qur’an -

Not all of them are alike: Of the People of the Book are a portion that stand (for the right); they rehearse the Signs of Allah all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration. They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous. Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knoweth well those that do right (3:113-115 AYA).

Nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say, “We are Christians”: Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant (5:85 AYA/82 MP).

I do not believe that the Qur’an is holy unto God, nor contains the truth of reveal Scripture, but I do believe that others do. And, I believe that If I want others to respect me and my beliefs, I should strive to do so to them. Respect is not pluralism. In reading portions of the Qur’an, there are verses and passages that are difficult (so too the Word of God) but then there are portions in which Muslims are told not to kill Christians and Jews, but essentially, to let Allah sort it out.

Nine years ago today, radical, Islamic, terrorists killed thousands of Americans, bringing their hatred home to us. They disobeyed portions of their own sacred text.

For me, I pray that the truth of God reveals to Isaiah becomes a reality and we as Christians obey our sacred texts, turning the other cheek, loving our enemies, praying, charity and good works, and from Micah which I hope rings true soon enough,

In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all– the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The LORD will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. (Micah 4:1-3 NLT)

Tags: 9/11, peace, quran
Posted in Religion and Politics | 9 Comments »

September 9th, 2010

Burning’s Back On! Terry Jones ‘Lied To’

The Florida pastor whose plan to burn Qurans on Sept. 11 generated worldwide outrage among Muslims and pressure by the U.S. government to relent said late Thursday that he might not call off the protest after all.

Pastor Terry Jones told NBC News that “we are a little back to square one” after a supposed deal involving a proposed Islamic cultural center in New York evaporated.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Jones had said he was canceling the Quran burning because a Muslim imam had assured him that the proposed Islamic center could be moved away from the World Trade Center site in return.

….

“We have not canceled the burning on Saturday, we have suspended it, until we get confirmation on the info we were given today, said Wayne Sapp, associate pastor of Dove World Outreach Center.(here)

Wow. Is there no end to the insanity and unChristian behavior of this man?

There is also a video of him saying that he was ‘just as committed’ to not burning the Qur’an as he was to doing so.

What has happened here, folks, is that he has gotten caught up in Sarah Palin and John Boehner’s connecting of the two and though he could further his political capital at the expense of the name of Christ.

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, quran, Terry Jones
Posted in Religion and Politics | 5 Comments »

September 9th, 2010

Fresh from Tennessee… Another Pastor, Another Threat to Burn Muslims, I mean the Qu’ran

See what Terry started?

The longtime Baptist minister says the Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Center Outreach in Gainesville, Fla., is doing the right thing by burning the Quran. So he’s going to do likewise.

Old plans to set fire to a Quran on Saturday at his home and then post a video of the burning book online. And if he had his way, there would be no Muslims in America.

“If they want to have their religion, they can have it somewhere else,” said Old, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Joelton and Academy Heights Baptist Church in Gallatin, which merged with another church. He no longer has a congregation and instead runs an evangelical ministry called Disciples of Christ.

There is no way that he is actually a Disciple of Christ…

Quran burning comes home (politics.nashvillepost.com)
Tennessee Minister Also Planning Quran Burning (huffingtonpost.com)
Terrific: Now There’s Another Koran Burning Planned For 9/11 (mediaite.com)

Tags: Bob Old, quran, Terry Jones
Posted in Religion and Politics | 16 Comments »

September 8th, 2010

Acts 19:17-19, Prooftexting and Qu’ran burning. Seriously, just read the bible

The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. (Act 19:17-19 NLT)

Today, a commentator tried to tell me that the above passage gave license to what Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center is planning on doing. I’ll let you read it again.

First, was it a political statement?

No. Is Terry Jones trying to make a political statement? Well, more of less considering that he is burning the Talmud and trying to sell his church building for a quick 1.1 million dollars and a few t-shirts on the side.

Was the book burning by well-established Christians?

No. They were recent converts who repented and due to their conversion, they not only had no use for their old sacred books, but didn’t want others to have them as well. Is Terry Jones a recent convert from Islam? No. So, does Terry fall into this? No. What is Terry’s excuse? Why shucks, those people burn the flag and the bible.

Again, see the difference?

Honestly, if people would read the bible to be transformed by the bible instead of reading the bible to transform the bible…

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, prooftexting, quran, Terry Jones
Posted in Religion and Politics | 3 Comments »

September 7th, 2010

Moving Ahead with Burning the Qu’ran…oh and the Talmud

This is Terry’s Gospel

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ

But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. (Mat 5:39-41 NLT)

See the difference?

TC notes,

“We realize that this action would indeed offend people, offend the Muslims. I am offended when they burn the flag. I am offended when they burn the Bible. But we feel that the message that we are trying to send is much more important than people being offended.” (Excerpts and video from CNN here)

Pastor compares himself to Jesus: “Plans to burn Qurans on Sept. 11″ | New Leaven.

Also, he plans on burning the Talmud as well because, um, well, what excuse was it for burning the Qu’ran?

White House fears backlash against U.S. troops over Qu’ran burning (calgaryherald.com)
Muslims in Indonesia, Afghanistan Riot over Koran Burning in FLA (atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com)
Protest church’s plan to burn Quran (religion.blogs.cnn.com)

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, quran, Talmud
Posted in Religion and Politics | 11 Comments »

September 4th, 2010

Thanks Dove World Outreach Center for more Islamic Terrorism

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Saturday to denounce an American church’s plan to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by burning copies of the Koran.

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, said it will burn the Islamic holy book Wednesday, the ninth anniversary of the terror attacks. Local officials have denied a permit for the bonfire on the church’s grounds, but the center — which made headlines last year by distributing T-shirts that said “Islam is of the Devil” — insists it will go ahead with the plan.

About 3,000 members of a hard-line Islamic group marched to the U.S. Embassy in downtown Jakarta waving banners and posters condemning the plan. The group organized similar rallies in five other cities across Indonesia, the world’ largest Muslim nation. (here)

Awesome, because if the Islamic Fundamentalists of the world need another reason to kill more Americans, there is always ‘Christians’ like Dove World Outreach Center.

There is a difference between defense and provocation, between hitting someone and turning the other cheek.

Terry Jones, Dove World Outreach Center Pastor, Defends Quran Burning On ‘Hardball’ (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
Because the N-Word and Qu’ran Burning is what American Christianity is all about (thechurchofjesuschrist.us)
Church Vows To Burn Holy Quran On September 11 (brainz.org)
Pastor says armed militia to protect church during Quran-burning event (cnn.com)

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, Indonesia, quran, Terry Jones
Posted in Religion and Politics | 7 Comments »

August 31st, 2010

Because the N-Word and Qu’ran Burning is what American Christianity is all about

Boo to Christian for telling me about about. Thanks, Christian. Really.

…Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida start popping up in the news, sometimes, you just have to shake your head… the folks behind the “Burn a Koran” day originally scheduled for the 11^th of September….

Because there is nothing that says ‘don’t say this word’ like having a camera in your hand showcasing your pastoral staff saying the word repeatedly.

Oh, and the answer to the question posed at about 50 seconds in is… yes.

Honestly, this is stupid.

Burn a Koran? What If It Were a Torah? (beliefnet.com)
Terry Jones, Dove World Outreach Center Pastor, Defends Quran Burning On ‘Hardball’ (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
Koran-Burning Preacher: We’re Sending A Radical Message To Moslems As A Warning (alan.com)
Florida ‘Church’ Demonstrates How Christians Should Burn Koran (VIDEO) (tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com)

Tags: Dove World Outreach Center, quran, Terry Jones, Wayne Sapp
Posted in Religion and Politics | 1 Comment »

April 27th, 2010

The Qu’ran to get Critical

Already, there are outcries from some, minority, sectors in the Muslim world, but it seems that the projecting is proceeding. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, especially in light of current research in the Arabic of this time – and various Christian sects which Muhammad most likely would have met.

Later this spring, a team of scholars at Germany’s Berlin-Brandenberg Academy of Sciences will complete the first phase of what will ultimately be an unprecedented, two-decade effort to throw light on the origins of the Koran.

The project, called the Corpus Coranicum, will be something that scholars of the Koran have long yearned for: a central repository of imagery, information, and analysis about the Muslim holy book. Modern research into Islam’s origin and early years has been hampered by the paucity and inaccessibility of ancient texts, and the reluctance of Muslim governments in places like Yemen to allow wide access to them.

But, drawing on some of the earliest Korans in existence — codices found in Istanbul, Cairo, Paris, and Morocco — the Corpus Coranicum will allow users to study for themselves images of thousands of pages of early Korans, texts that differ in small but potentially telling ways from the modern standard version. The project will also link passages in the text to analogous ones in the New Testament and Hebrew Bible, and offer an exhaustive critical commentary on the Koran’s language, structure, themes, and roots. The project’s creators are calling it the world’s first “critical edition” of the Koran, a resource that gathers historical evidence and scholarly literature into one searchable, cross-referenced whole.

You can find the rest here:

The origins of a holy book – The Boston Globe.

Tags: Islam, quran, textual criticism
Posted in Other Posts | 1 Comment »

March 20th, 2010

Is The Bible More Violent Than The Quran?

As the hijackers boarded the airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, they had a lot on their minds. And if they were following instructions, one of those things was the Quran.

In preparation for the suicide attack, their handlers had told them to meditate on two chapters of the Quran in which God tells Muslims to “cast terror into the hearts of unbelievers.”

Read the rest of this entry »