What about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)? Preliminary Thoughts

OK, as requested yesterday here are some very early, very preliminary thoughts on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The depths of the depravity of man have no limits.  When man sinned in the Garden of Eden we were all destined to have a sin nature.  Some of us seem to be able to better control our sinful actions while still others seem to find no limit to the evil that they can attain.

ISIS cannot possibly expect the majority of the world, the majority of humans, no matter what their religious belief, to agree with their tactics and actions.  How can anyone not be appalled, hurt, devastated and brought to their knees in prayer by the innocent slaughter (or extermination or execution, you pick the term) of over 1,000 unarmed men who happened to be at a training facility to learn how to protect their fellow citizens.  These men with their hands tied behind their backs were killed with no mercy.

So, what should the world’s response be?  It should be to take action, my opinion.  The world should come together and agree that this type of evil cannot be tolerated.

Yes, I quoted Luke 6 yesterday in a previous blog and stated that we should love our enemies.  Now let’s look at Romans 13 to see our governments role.  In Luke 6 we have our personal response to evil.  In Romans 13 we have the ruling authorities (government) response to evil.  One is called to love their enemy and provide them mercy.  The other is called, “the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” (verse 4b).

In regards to ISIS, I think we can all agree that their actions are pure evil.  As such our ruling authorities must act, must respond, must intervene, even if that means with deadly force to protect the innocent.

It saddens me that we have to put good people in harms way because of evil people. But I think that any military person would agree that they would take the fight to those who are innocently killing hundreds, even thousands, of innocent civilians.

For the person who asked why I didn’t address ISIS while addressing the unrest in Ferguson, MO., well, you are right, they both need to be addressed.  There are so many evil things going on in our world that we can’t take a back seat to any of them.  I see Ferguson, MO., as my personal, Luke 6 responsibility.  I see ISIS as our ruling authorities, Romans 13 responsibility.

Oh, and one small side note. What does the U.N. have to say, here is a post from June 16, by Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit; 

ISIS terrorists exterminated hundreds of Shiites in a mass grave in Iraq this week. They trucked them to a ditch and shot them dead.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the recent upsurge of violence in Iraq Monday and called on the terrorists to respect international humanitarian law.
India.com reported:

A statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson on Sunday night stated that reports of mass executions by ISIL were deeply disturbing and underscored the urgency of bringing the perpetrators of such crimes to justice, Xinhua reported. ”The secretary general warns against sectarian rhetoric that could further exacerbate the conflict and carry grave implications for the entire region,” the statement said.

Calling on all Iraqi leaders – political, military, religious and community – to ensure that their followers avoid acts of reprisal, Ban urged them to “coalesce behind an inclusive national security plan as well as political and social measures aimed at addressing, on the basis of the constitution, the substantial threat to the country.”

“The secretary general once again urges the international community to unite in showing solidarity with Iraq as it confronts this serious security challenge,” it said.

“He calls for full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law in efforts to counter terrorism and violence in Iraq.” The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) stands ready to assist the government and people of Iraq in overcoming the crisis, Ban added in the statement.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/06/united-nations-calls-on-isis-to-respect-international-law-while-un-baghdad-staff-flees-to-jordan/

I was a bit surprised yesterday when the United Nations Secretary General had a comment on Ferguson, MO.  I’m glad he spends more time on ISIS than on Ferguson, but his desire for both is peace and humanitarian treatment of all. 

Here now is the U.N. General’s comment yesterday regarding Ferguson, MO.;

(CNN) — The United Nations secretary-general issued a statement about the events in Ferguson, Missouri, on Monday, saying that he “hopes local and federal investigations will shed full light on the killing” of teenager Michael Brown.

Ban Ki-moon called on authorities to ensure that people are able to assemble peacefully and urged law enforcement to abide by U.S. and “international standards in dealing with demonstrations.”

–From CNN’s Richard Roth

http://fox2now.com/2014/08/18/urgent-united-nations-secretary-general-issues-statement-on-ferguson/

So, what can our personal response be about the crisis in the Middle East regarding ISIS?  Prayer!  We also can exercise our responsibility to God’s word from Romans 13 and submit to our governing authorities and pray for them as, ‘they will be held accountable’ by God for their actions as his appointed authorities (Romans 13:1)

Again, these are just some preliminary thoughts.

A Biblical Response to the "pervasive deep distrust" after the Michael Brown Shooting

As we see the violence and tension escalate in Ferguson Missouri and start to spread to neighboring areas we are left to ponder what can be done to heal this “pervasive deep distrust” that the community has with the police.  That term, “pervasive deep distrust,” is one that multiple politicians and community experts keep citing, or they use terms very similar.

When asked how to dig into that deep distrust and bring about healing I am amazed that those who so quickly identify this symptom don’t have a clue as to how to start healing it.  The platitudes and talking points usually revolve around the need for “quick justice.”  What is quick justice?  What they typically mean is that they want the police officer punished immediately.

Well, if you want an answer about how to solve the “pervasive deep distrust” you need just turn to the Bible for an answer.

Luke 6:27-36 quotes Jesus as saying, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High; For He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just a your Father is merciful.”  (New American Standard Bible)

These words give us a framework for working peace within our community and within our own personal relationships.  What a difference we could make if we extended grace and mercy first instead of anger, bitterness and distrust. Right now the politicians and some community leaders are calling the police the enemy.  Well, if we love our enemies and treat them how we want to be treated that might go a long way towards lowering the level of tension in our community.

Verse 27 says, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”  The English Standard version replaces the word “mistreat” with the word “abuse” you.  Either one is a good word to describe the feeling of people about the police.  They feel mistreated and abused.  OK, that may be true in their circumstance.  But Biblically Jesus tells us to pray for those who mistreat and abuse us and to love our enemies.

How different would the Rev. Al Sharpton’s words be if he would exegete Luke 6 and ask the public to pray for their police officers and those who they feel mistreat and abuse them?  His words would ring a bit more clearly as words from a “religious” leader if he would follow the teaching of his Lord and Savior.

To quote a popular saying from today, “I’m just saying!”

Please continue to pray for our community and pray for all of those involved on both sides of this issue.

The Morning After the First Curfew in Ferguson, MO

Last night was the first night of the State Imposed Curfew in the city of Ferguson.  The curfew was to run from midnight until 5:00a.m.  As stated by the Governor and others this curfew was imposed to give the citizens of Ferguson some peace from the civil unrest that has been targeting their community since the shooting death of Michael Brown.

I was very encouraged by the response of the citizens of Ferguson to the curfew.  The first four interviews aired by KMOV channel 4 St. Louis were very positive.  These citizens said they understood and were grateful for the action.  The intended to abide by the request.  They also said that they would continue to peacefully protest each day up to the curfew.

I was further encouraged by the New Black Panther Party Leader, Malik Shabazz and his efforts to encourage the protestors to disburse by the time of the curfew.  Shabazz and others from his group went throughout the protest with bullhorns requesting the people to disburse before the curfew deadline.  To me this showed that they want to be heard, but they also want to honor the residents of Ferguson by not advocating violence.

But unfortunately not everyone had this same thought process.  One young man interview by KMOV as he lead a group of protestors towards the police, stated, “They got guns.  We got guns.  We are ready.”  That type of thinking is what causes problems.  This also happened after the curfew.  Oh and by the way, the young man, whom I will withhold his name (but KMOV was not as generous) was not a resident of Ferguson.  He came from outside of the area.

It is also interesting that just 45 minutes later the police had to respond to a report of a shooting at the site of the protests.  One protestor had shot another one and critically injured that person.

My question is this, “Why don’t people protest the shooting of a protestor by another protestor?”  It would seem to me that if you want “justice” which is what they are chanting, then you would want justice for the others that are being gunned down and critically injured.

So, far this makes six protestors who have been shot by other protestors, not by police.  That is unacceptable.

Peaceful protest is a right in our country.  I applaud that right.  But when it gets out of hand we need to take a step back and ask ourselves, “What are we trying to accomplish?” 

Let’s stop the violence.  Let’s begin the healing.  Let’s restore the community to a place where neighbors can live, laugh, love and congregate together.  Let’s get the flow of groceries and necessities started back up.  To do that the senseless looting and violence need to stop.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for our communities in North County St. Louis.

Thoughts on the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson Missouri

An unfortunate situation has taken place in our community.  When those who are sworn to protect and serve are faced with an impossible choice, to use deadly force or not to use deadly force. 

Because of this impossible choice a young man, Michael Brown, is dead and a police officer’s life has changed forever. Two families are facing the terrible.  One the untimely death of a son. The other the feelings of guilt and dread over the taking of a life.

We will never know the complete truth of what happened that night as Michael Brown is not alive to tell us what his thoughts were and why he did what he did.  Earlier in the evening he had stolen a seemingly small dollar item, a box of cigars. Yes, he intimidated the storeowner and that is uncalled for (this fact was admitted in public by the friend with Michael that night).

Maybe those actions lead him to another poor action when the officer confronted him, we will never know.

But having worked as a Chaplain for twelve years with police officers I know that they do not desire to inflict harm.  They do not go out on their shift looking for someone to hurt.  The majority of them truly serve because they want to protect the public. But when faced with a life-threatening situation they will react and they will react as they were trained.  That sometimes ends in the death of a citizen.

Now, the question comes, why is our community responding with hurt and pain and anger?  Why are there destruction of property and the looting of stores?  What does that accomplish?  I understand the pain and anger from people who feel disenfranchised by those in authority, but in a civilized, educated society I would hope that we would behave better and be able to come to the table and dialogue about what happened.

If the officer acted poorly and abused the use of power he will be dealt with.  If he acted within his authority let us remember that we the people are the ones that gave him that authority in the first place. 

I think it is a sobering fact to realize that out of the first 47 arrests that were made in Ferguson during the looting that 34 of those people had previous criminal pasts and that they didn’t even live in the Ferguson community.  They came from outside the community to inflict the damage and try to gain some material gain.

Ferguson is a good community.  It is filled with kind, generous, loving people who are good neighbors to each other.  They want their community back from those who seek to bring harm to others.

Why does the media report all the violence and crime, but they refused to report the good that is happening?  Why don’t they report of the prayer meeting at First Baptist Church of Ferguson that saw over 400 people, both black and white, come together to pray together and seek God’s guidance together.  Eight pastors lead this evening, four black, four white.  Why didn’t the media show that positive event?

Then what about the groups of church members and community groups who have come together to serve the community by cleaning up the areas that have been destroyed? What about the citizens that have come together to try and protect business from being looted by non-violently standing vigil at the stores?

Don’t let the media give you just their one sided nature of this issue.  Look for the good and realize that our community is strong and will show the good that it is.  The family of Michael Brown wants the truth, they have asked for the truth, and they have asked for the violence to stop.  The police want the truth and they will get to the bottom of it if allowed to do their job.

Let’s just realize from both sides that sometimes the truth is hard to accept, whatever it turns out to be.

At Bluebonnet Lake, by Amanda Cabot, published by Revell

Bluebonnet Lake Resort in Texas use to be a booming Christian Resort that could house approximately 40 guests at a time.  But it has fallen on hard times.  It's conservative Christian nature has not held up well with the cultural changes of people wanting more exciting vacations than just a place to go, relax, unwind and slow down.

Enter Greg Vange, a software designer and former company owner who has made millions of dollars in the dot.com hysteria of the last couple of decades.  His product was instrumental in helping many small businesses get their work under control and put in orderly fashion.  Greg has sold his company and made, well, made a billion dollars.  He is now in hiding a bit and trying to find out what God wants him to do with the remainder of his life.

Kate is an up and coming Ad Executive for a major firm in New York.  She is on the fast track to becoming a partner, which she believes will bring her happiness and security.  She was raised by her grandparents and her grandpa Larry was in advertising and taught her a lot.

Sally comes to Rainbow's end (the resort) with her grandmother, Sally. The purpose is to spend time with Sally and let Sally relive a previous trip with her husband Larry.  Kate wants only for Sally to be happy.  But Kate is also driven and taking a month a way from work is difficult.

Rainbows end is falling into disrepair and it isn't helped by the fact that the new owners have no idea how to make it profitable.  There are few guests, fewer paychecks and more and more repairs needed.

Greg is hiding his financial status because he doesn't like how people treat him when they find out how much money he is worth.  He definitely is waiting on God to show him his next move.

Sally is not hiding, but she is obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder.  Will she learn from Greg that this is not the most fulfilling thing to do?

This is a great Christian Romance novel.  It is well written.  It is a bit predictable but as you get into it you start to forget the predictability and just enjoy the ride.

This book would be great for a church group book club.

Enjoy!

Chasing God by Angie Smith

Angie Smith in her book Chasing God gives us a nice testimony of her spiritual journey. She hits many topics right on the head of the nail. So many of us expect life with God to be peaches and cream. We expect that there will never be trials or tribulations or problems that we believe are to great to overcome. We believe that walking with God means that life will be easy and encouraging. Wrong!

In Chasing God Angie does a good job of addressing and dissecting what plagues many Christians, that is they have a wrong conception of what it means to walk with God. So, instead of walking, they end up Chasing God, or Chasing a dream that they think is what the Christian life should be.

Let's recall that Christ told his disciples that they would be treated no better than he was treated (and if you have forgotten he was crucified). He reminded them that he had no home, no place to lay his head. He reminded him that every where he went there were religious leaders looking to trap him in his words and then excoriate him in public.

Walking with God is a life that is fulfilling, but it is also a life with trials, a life with temptations, a life where others will ridicule us and treat us no better than they treated our Master.

I didn't find Angie's book that deep in regards to dig through scripture, it really is more her describing her walk with God or her life of trying to Chase after Him.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed her writing style and found that she had many great insights that will challenge all of us to take a good look at what we believe in regards to our walk with God. I'm sure you will enjoy the book and enjoy getting to know how Angie grew in her walk with the Lord.

Enjoy!

Taking God at His Word, by Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung has always given us good books to help us grow in our walk with Jesus Christ.  This book is no exception.  His desire is to help us embrace Scripture as it rings true in our heads and resonates in our hearts.  He wants us to see how this is God's word and can give us immense security in understanding that God is Knowable!

His introductory Chapter points out three things (yeah, Pastors always have three points:),
1.  God's word says what is true
2.  God's word demands what is right
3.  God's word provides what is good

I appreciated also DeYoung's candor in his writing about scripture.  He states, "To be sure, the Bible can feel dull at times, but taken as a whole it is the greatest story ever god, and those who know it best are usually those who delight in it most."  I like the fact that he doesn't shy away from peoples perception of scripture (that it can be dull at times), but he goes right after the criticism and reminds us that as a whole the Bible is a tool for understanding God, understanding His attributes and understanding His desire to love His people and provide and protect them.

The Chapter titles give you a good idea of what he is after in his writing:

Chapter 3, God's Word is Enough
Chapter 4, God's Word is Clear
Chapter 5, God's Word is Final
Chapter 6, God's Word is Necessary

Along with those topics he also talks about how Jesus validates Scripture through using it in His teaching and in using it to defeat the wily attacks of Satan in the desert.  DeYoung writes with a solid style that is easy to read and understand.  His writing will move you to desire to read your Bible more, work at understanding it better, and finally to listen to the still small voice of God as He speaks to you through Scripture.

Finally, if the book isn't good enough to answer your questions, which I think it is, DeYoung gives you an Appendix of Thirty of the best books on the Bible.  He even rates them for you as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.  This list is worth the price of the book itself.

I know you will learn much from DeYoungs writing and that you will be encouraged through his good defense of the Inspiration of Scripture.

Enjoy!