Facing Issues That Divide: A Christian Response to Islamic Extremism

David Burns on July 13, 2016

Most of us believe it’s wrong to judge an entire category of people based on the actions of a relatively small number of extremists within that group. At the same time, terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists within our midst have heightened our concerns about future attacks. They also have contributed to fear and suspicion of all Muslims—to the point that many Americans believe there should be at least a temporary ban against people of the Islamic faith entering the United States from other countries. For the third in a five-part series of blog posts on issues that divide us, we’ll look today at Islamic extremism—and how we as Christians can respond to it. Along with some questions and ideas to think about, you can take a deeper dive into this issue through a link to relevant Scripture and video from a sermon at the website of the church I serve. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can also download a free leader guide to the series. Here are some thoughts to get you started: A CBS News poll in December 2015 found that more than 35 percent of Americans favored a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. from other countries. Yet the same poll also found that only 28 percent of respondents believed that such a ban would make the nation safer from terrorism. Meanwhile, 44 percent of Americans believe the government should maintain a database with the names of all Muslims in the U.S. Our Bible contains stories from Joshua involving what we would describe today as genocide against nonbelievers (such as the Canaanites in the conquest of the Promised Land). However, few Christians today believe that these passages are a call to kill nonbelievers. By the same token, most Muslims today do not view the Quran’s passages about violence against Islam’s opponents as permission for violent activities. Islam is far from monolithic. Just as there are many divisions among Christians, the same is true among Muslims.   Americans agree that extremist groups such ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) represent a grave danger that must be dealt with. Whatever the military solution to ISIS may be, our aim on American soil must be to show a better way to that small number of Muslims who might be drawn toward extremism. Paul’s words to the Christians of Rome—“never avenge yourselves” and “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21)—show us what a Christian response to Islamic extremism looks like. Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “A Christian Response to Islamic Extremism.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

Facing Issues That Divide: Immigrants and the Bible

David Burns on July 6, 2016

We are a nation divided. As Christians, we don’t have to agree with each other, but we do need to listen, respond with respect, and act as Jesus did, with love. This is the second in a five-part blog series looking at hot-button issues that divide us. I’ll introduce one issue per week on this blog, give you some initial thoughts, and then invite you to dive deeper by linking to Scripture and a recent sermon at the website of the church I serve. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can download a free leader guide to the series. Today’s issue is immigration reform. There’s a second, related issue regarding refugees from Muslim countries, which we’ll talk about next week when we discuss radical Islam. Today we’ll discuss immigration reform, particularly as it relates to what should be done concerning the undocumented immigrants in America. Here are some thoughts to get you started: A recent National Public Radio report noted, “Immigration is shaping up to be one of the most contentious and emotional topics in the 2016 presidential race.”   All Americans are descended from immigrants—from Siberia in the Ice Age, from Europe as Pilgrims, from Africa during the slave trade, from Ireland in the mid-1800s, from China during the late 1800s. A plaque on the Statue of Liberty reads: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned racial criteria for immigation. From that time on, people would be admitted “on the basis of their skills and their relationship to those already here” and to find refuge from oppression.   There are approximately 11.3 million persons in the U.S. today without authorization—without some kind of Visa or Green Card. Of these, roughly half came here on a Visa or Green Card that has now expired, and half came into our country by crossing the border without authorization. The Bible has many references to immigrants—in fact, foreigners, strangers, and aliens are mentioned more than 150 times.  In Leviticus, God says: “When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34 CEB). Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “Immigrants and the Bible.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

What Should Be Done About ISIS?

David Burns on February 27, 2015

I have had several of you write me regarding Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly’s call for pastors to speak about ISIS (click here to see the segment).  Bill and…