Tag: Islam
To My Catholic Friends: Did You Hear What the Pope Just Said?
Posted on June 22, 2016 in Religious Freedom, Theology by Nathan Cherry
In recent years very prominent Christians have made heretical claims. Claims like hell isn’t real by former pastors like Rob Bell shocked the Christian church and brought immediate outcry. That claim seems to be miniscule in comparison to what Pope Francis has recently claimed.
Pope Francis gave an interview with La Croix, a French-Catholic publication, not long ago. In the interview the Pope made a statement that defies the imagination for the leader of the Catholic Church and has some saying he is the “anti-Pope.”
Pope Francis said:
Theologian James White Explains How Christians Should Think About Islam and Muslims
Posted on December 8, 2015 in Family, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
There is no doubt that Muslims, Islam, and ISIS are front and center in the news. All of us will – if we haven’t already – have a conversation about whether these people are one and the same or if they can be separated. The talking points are reaching a fever pitch as political candidates are calling for deportations and registries here in the US for Muslims that want to be in our country. With all the noise it can be hard for Christians to know what the proper, biblical attitude toward Muslims should be. I confess that I have struggled with knowing exactly how the situation should be handled. (I’m thankful I’m not in a position where my opinion matters.)
I found this short video featuring world-renowned scholar James White helpful. In the video, posted on YouTube, White discusses some basics about Islam and a starting point for Christians that want to think through the issue. On one hand we want to extend the love of Christ and be a visual example of the Gospel to people trapped in a dark and violent religion. On the other hand we want to protect our family, our friends, and our country from people that seemingly hate us and want to inflict unending violence against us. That is not an enviable position.
Take a few moments to listen to Dr. White explain a good starting point for us as Christians as we think through this difficult and highly controversial issue. We need to have more than raw emotions and political talking points when we discuss Islam and Muslims. Our theology must carry over to this issue. Dr. White’s thought will help with that. I hope you find this as helpful as I did. (If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.)