Sunday, November 16, 2014
Messages From Heaven: Islam’s Agenda for America!
Messages From Heaven: Islam’s Agenda for America!: The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent My most important book, The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent—an informed response to Islam’s ...
Islam’s Agenda for America!
My most important book, The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent—an informed response to Islam’s war with Christianity, was released by Harvest Publishers early in this new year.
I began writing this book several years ago after Rebecca and I toured Turkey, visiting the cities where the seven churches of Revelation were located. Of course, those churches disappeared in the early centuries, but Turkey (biblical Asia Minor) maintained a distinct Christian presence until Islam came and conquered the city of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453. Churches were destroyed or transformed into mosques; Christians either converted to Islam or became slaves to Muslim masters, while others chose to die as martyrs.
Islam has triumphed in Turkey. While there are pockets of Christian believers, and a few public Christian ministries, the mosques, with their tall minarets, dominate every town—not churches. One day in Turkey I had the privilege of having a devout Muslim as a guide who was very kind and knowledgeable. He told me privately that Christianity showed its superiority over paganism by conquering it; in the same way, Islam showed its superiority over Christianity by being able to conquer and replace it. His point was that if anyone wondered whether Islam was superior to Christianity, all they had to do is look around and see Islam’s obvious triumph.
This troubled me deeply because it appeared as if the crescent was more powerful than the cross; it appeared as if Mohammed had triumphed over Jesus. As I reflected, I already knew that most of the countries in North Africa and the Middle East were at one time Christian—at least nominally, for example, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and of course, Turkey, to name a few. Today in these countries the church has, for the most part, been obliterated.
So, I asked God for wisdom to answer questions such as: what do the non-existent churches in these regions have to say to Western Christians? Does Islam’s impressive triumphs prove its superiority as a religion? And finally, what should we be doing now in light of Islam’s agenda for America?
Thus began the journey of writing The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent. I wrote with a burden to awaken our churches to the reality of what’s around us, and share what we can do to prepare for the terrible storm that I believe is coming our way.
If the levees had held, the ferocious hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005 might not have been the catastrophe it turned out to be. But when the levees gave way, there was nothing that could be done to contain the damaging flood.
Only the church can hold back the storm that, even now, is on our horizon.
Jesus speaks to us, “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God” (Revelation 3:2).
Will the levees hold? If not, the history of the Middle East might become our history, too.
Preparing to Meet the Challenge of Islam.
Could Islam truly overcome Christianity and our churches be transformed into mosques? We sat down with Pastor Lutzer to discuss his new book The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent, and his burden about Islam in America.
Q: What troubles you most about Islam in America?
A: Most people don’t realize it, but the U.S. has basically entered into a covenant of submission to Islam. Hospitals and even some churches have removed crucifixes and crosses because Muslims complain that these symbols are offensive; public tax dollars are used to build prayer rooms for Muslim students in our schools; and there’s a push for civil cases to be tried under sharia law (without opportunity to appeal decisions at a higher, outside court), something that Muslim enclaves in Europe (the U.K. in particular) already have on the books. The list of concessions could go on and on.
But this pales in comparison to other concerns I have…
Q: Such as?
A: Freedom of speech is under attack. For years, Islamists have tried to get the United Nations to implement a Hate Speech law that would make all criticism of Islam a crime. This received new impetus due to an amateur video that supposedly triggered riots throughout the Middle East, including one which killed our ambassador and his associates in Libya. The man who made this video was publicly arrested and imprisoned (it is questionable whether or not this was for a parole violation!).
I decry the fact that anyone would mock another person’s religion, but by disregarding this man’s first amendment rights, a dual message was sent: the U.S. is complying with radical Muslim insistence that nothing should ever be done or said that’s offensive to them, and secondly, Americans might be punished for such acts. Think of those here in America (some of whom I know) who have thoughtfully exposed Islam and must now live in “secure and undisclosed locations.” Even without hate speech laws, the U.S. has chosen self-censorship and never speaks critically of Islam, but only praises its accomplishments. All of this is chilling.
Q: Frequently we hear that we have nothing to fear from Islam because most Muslims are peace loving.
A: I do not paint all Muslims with the same broad brush. Not all Muslims share in the Islamist agenda for America. However, this is of small comfort because the radicals set the agenda for Islam, not the peace loving Muslim family that lives in your neighborhood. In my book, I reveal the plans of the Muslim Brotherhood for America and how they intend to accomplish their objectives. I believe that if Christians knew about the infiltration of the Brotherhood into our national security, children’s textbooks, media, and finance, they’d be on their faces crying up to God.
Q: What do you say to those who’ve said that, “even if what you’re saying is true, it shouldn’t be said because it makes it more difficult for Christians to witness to Muslims?”
A: I respect the question. Yet, I believe that love and truth should never be enemies. I believe that the time has come to candidly expose Islam’s agenda for America without succumbing to or stirring up fear or hatred. In fact, the more we know about Islam (its treatment of women, how it holds its adherents in the grip of fear of apostasy, etc.), the more we should be driven to compassion for Muslims.
Q: So, what should the church be doing now?
A: That’s not easy to answer in a few sentences, but (1) we should be building a community of mutual respect with our Muslim neighbors, and (2) we need a concerted educational campaign in our churches and Christian schools to help us understand Islam, its founding documents, plans for us, etc. And finally, (3) we must work intentionally to develop courageous Christians knowing that our children and grandchildren might be called upon to die for being true to the Gospel. The lessons of the countries of the Middle East and the transformation that’s happening in Europe should not be lost on us.
The book I have written is expressly intended to prepare us for the challenging days ahead.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Messages From Heaven: Pregnancy… Unplanned: What Do I Do Now?
Messages From Heaven: Pregnancy… Unplanned: What Do I Do Now?: The story has been repeated a hundred different times in a hundred different ways: an unwed teenager learns she is pregnant. But, on this...
Pregnancy… Unplanned: What Do I Do Now?
Rather than eagerly anticipating his wedding day, his heart is heavy—his dreams are dashed. Thoughts whirl through his mind as he tries to consider his options: What is he to do with the one who was once the “love of his life”? And what will happen to the child she is carrying?
Neither parent could have fathomed God’s plan regarding this
pregnancy. Never could they have known the path their lives would take,
nor the supernatural work God would accomplish through the child of His
making. This baby would be named Jesus . . . Jesus the Christ, the
Savior of the world! “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
An unplanned or unwanted pregnancy is a crisis for some and a “mere
inconvenience” for others. But regardless of the circumstance, the joy
of pregnancy and the pride of parenthood are painfully missing. Feelings
of guilt … hurt… anger… fear… all bond together like a ton of bricks
and press down heavily on the heart. Like Mary and Joseph (Jesus’
parents), you may not understand all that God has planned for you or
your baby, but you can know that it is God who formed your baby in the
womb, and He did so with a good purpose.
What God Says “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” Ecclesiastes 11:5
"Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies," Psalm 103:4
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
President Obama, You Have Crossed a Dangerous, Unprecedented Line!
I am referring, of course, to your signing an executive order Monday banning "discrimination" by federal contractors against LGBT people, allowing for no religious exemptions of any kind.
This was an outrageous act of discrimination against religion in the name of anti-discrimination—an act of bullying people of faith in the name of the prevention of bullying.
How can you, as a man who professes to be a person of faith and a follower of Jesus, throw religious Americans—in particular Christians—under the bus?
How can you attempt to force Christians, Jews, Muslims and others to violate fundamental aspects of their moral codes in order to appease a small but powerful special interest group, one that is not, in fact, suffering daily economic hardship by being fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation or expression?
Have you forgotten entirely that our nation was founded on the concept of religious freedom?
It was unfortunate that you did not reflect on the recent Supreme Court decisions that made clear that you and your administration have consistently overstepped your bounds. Instead, once again, you bypassed the will of the people, as reflected in their elected officials, and simply made a decision affecting millions of Americans.
Worse still, you ignored the appeals of trusted religious leaders, some of whom campaigned for you in the past and others of whom have been among your trusted advisors, deciding instead to side with radical LGBT activism.
These leaders made a righteous and reasonable appeal to you, writing, "Mr. President, you have spoken eloquently of your commitment to protecting religious liberty, our nation's first freedom. As you seek to promote the rights of LGBT persons, please also protect the rights of faith-based organizations that simply desire to utilize staffing practices consistent with their deep religious convictions as they partner with the federal government via contracting or subcontracting."
In response, you mocked these "deep religious convictions," and there are no words you can say to minimize the seriousness of your actions.
Mr. President, what was wrong with letting Congress make an informed decision on ENDA? Do you scorn the political process so much that you bypass it entirely?
You stated that, "I'm going to do what I can, with the authority I have, to act," but the implications of your actions are massive.
An organization like Prison Reform, which utilizes federal funds to help transform the lives of inmates, would suffer dramatic financial setbacks should they simply refuse to hire individuals who violate their time-proven, biblically based code of conduct.
Children supported by World Vision, with the help of federal funds, would be deprived of food and shelter unless World Vision leaders compromised their Christian convictions. (After much soul searching this year, they have made clear that they will not compromise).
Fine Christian universities, which provide important academic and ethical training for the next generation of leaders and which are also the recipients of federal funding, could suffer a massive blow unless they forsake the faith on which their institutions were built.
Mr. President, must you now even take the place of God and tell Christians what they can and cannot actively practice?
I concur with Peter Sprigg who wrote that, "This level of coercion is nothing less than viewpoint blackmail that bullies into silence every contractor and subcontractor who has moral objections to homosexual behavior. This order gives activists a license to challenge their employers and, expose those employers to threats of costly legal proceedings and the potential of jeopardizing future contracts."
In truth, this is not a civil rights issue, as if gay were the new black. As Catholic leader Austin Ruse observed, "the LGBTs are the most powerful aggrieved minority the world has ever known," while, in contrast, "Black Americans really were aggrieved: enslaved, not allowed to vote, discriminated against in housing, banking and much else, hunted down and lynched."
As our nation's first African-American president, you must surely see the difference. Or is it true, as your critics claim, that you really intend to declare war on religion in America?
It is one thing to treat all people fairly, be they male or female, gay or straight, young or old. It is another thing to trample religious freedoms under foot and to attempt to coerce, with the full force of the government, men and women of deep religious faith and commitment.
Mr. President, there are millions of Americans who pray for you on a regular basis, and I have often called on my radio listeners to pray that you would be the greatest president in American history.
Despite those prayers, you took it upon yourself to enact an order which declares that, in the workplace, sexual rights trump religious rights. What a terrible, tragic shame.
I do pray for you, sir, as my president, that God would grant you the humility to recognize the error of your ways. At the same time, I assure you that there are countless thousands of Christian leaders and people of faith who will neither abandon their convictions nor be silenced from articulating those convictions.
And so, perhaps, in God's providence, what you intended as a religious restriction will become the impetus for a religious awakening.
After all, you might well be the most powerful human being on the planet, but we will all bow down one day before the throne of God, and He will have the final say.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Messages From Heaven: The HRC Is Inciting Fear and Hate!
Messages From Heaven: The HRC Is Inciting Fear and Hate!: The pictures are dark and ominous, the charges chilling: "There exists a network of extremists ... [who] spew venomous rhetoric, ou...
The HRC Is Inciting Fear and Hate!
Just who are these evil people, and what are they doing?
According to the Human Rights Campaign, the world's largest gay-activist organization, this "network" consists of American, conservative Christian leaders "who are working tirelessly to undercut LGBT people around the world at every turn."
I have made it onto this list—unfortunately, only with a "dishonorable mention"—adding to my already impressive resume of being marked by groups like GLAAD, which seeks to censor opposing viewpoints through its Commentator Accountability Project (which is why I have renamed them the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Disagreement), and the SPLC, which not only seeks to malign conservative Christians but also has blood on its hands. (Criminology professor Mike Adams has rightly dubbed them the Intellectual Poverty Law Center, evidenced in part by the SPLC's placing me on their list of "30 New Activists for the Radical Right," along with neo-Nazis, white supremacists and New Black Panthers. See also here and here.)
Not to be outdone, the HRC's latest report, entitled, "The Export of Hate," contains written descriptions of this alleged network of extremists as well as black-and-white sketches (or white on black sketches), depicting us with inaccurate and scary images. (About the only thing they got right in my sketch, on p. 22 of their report, is that I'm a male with a mustache.)
Given the fact that the HRC has an annual budget of roughly $45 million, one would think they could hire an artist who could actually draw, which suggests that the menacing images of this so-called "network" of "extremists" who allegedly export a "vicious brand of bigotry" are intended to incite fear and loathing toward us.
Why not simply report the facts?
Could it be that the HRC is describing its own work with the title "The Export of Hate"? Could it be that the HRC is guilty of spewing "venomous rhetoric"?
Other gay publications, like the flagship Advocate.com, are repeating HRC's claims, announcing "America's globetrotting extremists exposed" and stating that "the Human Rights Campaign has taken off the gloves to expose American extremist organizations and individuals in a new report about the homophobic hatred they spread around the globe." Indeed, "'The Export of Hate' profiles America's worst globetrotting homophobic offenders [with] a rap-sheet style that also puts them 'on notice.'"
Well, I'm here to the put the HRC on notice: Your fear-mongering tactics will be exposed and, speaking for myself (but with confidence that my words apply to others), I will not bow down to your bullying tactics or your rap-sheet nonsense.
Here are some salient facts:
First, there is no "network." Virtually all of the individuals and organizations listed work independently, and a good number of us have never met or worked with most (or even all of) the others on the list. This means that the HRC chose the term "network" quite intentionally to give the impression of some type of worldwide collaboration, when no such thing exists. (Shades of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.)
Second, the annual budgets cited in the report underscore the fear-mongering, hatred-inciting nature of the HRC's report, with chief offender Scott Lively's ministry listed with an annual income of $90,259, Peter LaBarbera's organization listed at $110,000 (surely way too high), and others listed at $54,494 and $26,569. Yet the HRC, which draws guest speakers like President Obama, Vice President Biden and Attorney General Holder to its annual fund-raising events, states that their report outlines "some of the resources at [the] disposal of this "network." What resources!
As for the larger organizations, like the ADF (the Alliance Defending Freedom) and ACLJ (the American Center for Law and Justice), with budgets in the 10's of millions of dollars, the quotes associated with them can in no way be construed as a "vicious brand of bigotry." (For example, the ADF's Benjamin Bull is excoriated for stating that "HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE FREQUENTLY BEEN A RALLYING CRY FOR PEOPLE INTENT ON IMPOSING THEIR WORLDVIEW ON OTHERS"; their emphasis).
Third, the HRC report blatantly misrepresents the truth in claiming that all of us on their list are guilty of exporting hate. Since I can't speak for everyone in the report (nor would I agree with the approach of everyone in the report, although some on the list are respected friends and colleagues), I will speak for myself.
According to the HRC, "in March 2014 ... Michael Brown made the trip to Lima [Peru]. Brown ... addressed the Peruvian Congress on 'the consequences of redefining marriage' and warned lawmakers to learn from the 'mistakes we've made in America' by allowing civil unions or full marriage equality."
My talk, which was also aired on national TV, began with these words (displayed on PowerPoint slides, before being translated into Spanish): "My purpose is not to demonize those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, nor is this about inciting hatred against anyone.
"It is very possible that you have family members or friends of colleagues who identify as gay or lesbian, and they may be some of the finest people that you know.
"That is not the issue. The issue is what happens when you normalize homosexuality in a society? What happens when marriage is redefined? In which direction will the nation go?"
And I simply reported the facts in terms of American culture and education and the media and religious rights in light of LGBT advances.
How then could a speech that began with these words and maintained a tone of civility and grace throughout, earn me a spot in the "Exporting Hate" report? How does this amount to spewing "venomous rhetoric" and equate to a "vicious brand of bigotry"? How does this put me in the class of the "worst globetrotting homophobic offenders"? (Again, I only use myself as an example; others on the HRC's list have been just as egregiously mischaracterized.)
I was invited by a Peruvian congressman to deliver the speech to congressional members, university chancellors and others, and Peru, it must be remembered, is a conservative Catholic country that has placed pro-life values at the beginning of its constitution. (For the record, I had to supplement my airfare, and I received no money for making the trip.)
Yet today, in the hate-filled climate created by groups like the HRC, if you say that you don't believe it's best for a man to "marry" a man (or a woman another woman), you are attacked in the harshest and ugliest terms imaginable.
That is the small-mindedness of gay activism. It cannot recognize any possible moral or social or cultural or religious argument against redefining marriage. Those who reject same-sex "marriage" are simply haters and bigots of the worst order.
The Advocate cited Ty Cobb, the HRC Foundation's director of global engagement, who stated that, "Hate is not an American value, and we must expose and fight these individuals and their extremist allies." He continued, "This is a destructive group of activists spreading anti-LGBT rhetoric, promoting laws that criminalize LGBT people, and seeking to restrict their speech and those who support them."
The truth be told, it is the HRC that is engaging in destructive activism by spreading misinformation and inciting fear, and it is the HRC that must be exposed.
Thankfully, they got one thing right in the report, stating that our "voices are being heard" and our "impact is being felt."
By God's grace, as we continue to speak the truth in love, the real bigots will be revealed.
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