A Word to My Muslim Neighbors and Christian Brethren: PART TWO

A Personal Declaration: A Pastor's Call to Christians and Muslims
Pastor Larry L. Long

Yesterday I began posting a document that I wrote and presented at a Ramadan dinner (after sunset) a little more than a year ago. A group of area Muslims hold this annual dinner toward the end of Ramadan in an effort to encourage dialog and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.

The document is in the form of "A Personal Declaration" (with articles of declaration), because I believe that the place where dialog must start is with a clear statement of who we are, what we believe, and where we stand on the issues at hand. This was my attempt to do just that.

I am posting it here because the recent tragic events at Fort Hood have again brought to the forefront the need for Muslims and Christians (and non-Christians) to spend more time talking to rather than about or at each other. I am hopeful that, upon reading it, you will likewise have something important to "throw in."


This "Declaration" will be posted in several segments because the document is long.

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Preamble: My need for such a Declaration

If not before September 11, 2001, then certainly since that infamous day many have become painfully aware that there are some who share our planet but not our worldview, who think it their responsibility to forcefully conquer us and thereby subjugate if not convert us in the name of their God. Judging the seriousness of the situation is not always easy, and while I do not wish to be an alarmist, I regret to say that something akin to World War III may be upon us—a war that is motivated as much by religion as by politics or economics. And because this war lacks geo-political boundaries, and inasmuch as the enemy seeks to live among us and yet lacks the cultural strength and courage to attack our face, believers of all religions—including the Muslim religion—find themselves dealing with an enemy that attacks their backs through terroristic violence.

Our enemy is indistinguishable by virtue of race, gender, age, geography, or uniform. He may in fact be our neighbor. Unfortunately, his one common characteristic is that he is probably motivated by a twisted view of his religion, which makes identification all the more difficult, because not all (not even most) religious persons share this murderous mindset. More particularly, I can no longer ignore the fact that an increasingly organized group of radicalized Muslims have declared war on everyone who does not share their religious perspective (including even peaceable Muslims), as evidenced again by the recent attack Fort Hood, Texas. Adding to my concern is the results of the 2007 Pew poll that reported that a quarter of Muslim youth in America support the use of homicide bombings to defend Islam, and that only 40 percent of U.S. Muslims believe that Arabs carried out the September 11 attacks.

Now please understand what I am saying. I am not so naïve as to think that all Muslims are terrorists, or that only Muslims are terrorists, or that only Christians are their targets, or that Christians cannot also be guilty of such evil acts. But I do think it is necessary to recognize that most terrorists today (at least those at the forefront of terroristic violence) are radicalized Muslims who commit acts of terrorism in the name of Allah and according to the teachings of the Qur’¬ān as they understand them.

This presents a dilemma for those of us who wish to live according to the teachings of our faith as we understand them. We Christians, for example, are commanded to not only love our neighbor as ourselves, but to love our enemies (Mt. 5:44). But which is which, and what does loving each according to his kind look like? Christians must love their Muslim neighbor by defending his or her right to worship according to conscience, even as the Christian seeks to share the truth about Jesus. And the Christian will love his or her Muslim neighbor who chooses to be his enemy by opposing those designs with every just and right means afforded by the laws of his country.

But how can I lovingly distinguish between the Muslim terrorist and the Muslim faithful? I cannot, unless my Muslim neighbor who does not share the religious and political perspectives of the militant sects is willing to separate himself or herself from these radicalized elements by denouncing their acts of violence and publicly opposing and even exposing such individuals within their own communities.

This "Personal Declaration," then, is my attempt to pledge myself as a Christian to love my enemies and my neighbors according to Christ’s example, call, and command. I also call upon my Muslim neighbors who do not wish to be my enemies to show themselves as such, so that we can stand together in opposing those who are pulling our religions in such evil directions. These are dangerous times. Taking this stand may make us targets of these cowardly enemies. But I desire to stand together with my Muslim neighbor against every enemy of freedom and justice.

Article I: My commitment is to be a faithful follower of Jesus, the Messiah.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, some who choose to call themselves “Christian” have so modernized the faith as to make it essentially non-Christian. Many others in our community claim the name of Christ even though they have little understanding of, or commitment to, what it means to actually follow Jesus. But I regard myself as among those who remain committed to faithfully living the historic truths of the Christian faith as found in both the Old and New Covenants (Testaments) of the Holy Bible, which I believe is, and have experienced to be, the divinely inspired, verbal, self-revelation of God, and as such is fully trustworthy in its affirmations of truth.

Individuals wishing to join me in making this Declaration from a Christian perspective need not represent one church or Christian denomination. We Christians are a diverse group even within our own ranks. But we are united around the person and work of Jesus Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:6-11, NIV).

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I accept his Lordship over my life, and I believe in his Lordship over all creation, even over those who refuse to recognize it. I am therefore committed to obey all he has commanded, including his call to personal and social holiness, and his command that I love even those who would choose to be my enemy. Consequently, I reject all forms of racism, sexism, and ethno- and religio-centrism that would hate others because they are not like me. I believe that when I live as Christ modeled, commanded, and empowered me to live, no one will have cause to fear my Christian faith; rather, they will find me to be the most tolerant of other faiths, even though I believe them to be wrong.

I do not understand this kind of Christian charity to mean that I must simply accept or embrace the religious beliefs of those who don’t share my Christian faith. I do not believe that “truth” is a matter of personal preference, or that all so-called “truths” are equally valid. I have encountered Jesus both personally and objectively, and I know him to be “the way and the truth and the life.” I believe he prophesied truthfully and knowingly when he proclaimed that no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Because I believe this to be true, and because it is a truth that excludes all other options, I do not apologize for wanting others to know and embrace it. It is love that compels me to call all who believe differently from me to come to Jesus and believe on him for the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of eternal life. According to Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus as found in the New Testament, Salvation is a free gift that must be received by faith; it cannot be earned through good works, no matter how sincere, and regardless of which religion (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Article II: My desire is to see all people brought into the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance of eternal life that the Holy Bible, in both the Old and New Covenants, teaches is the gift of God given to faithful followers of Jesus the Messiah.

Whether Jew or Gentile, Muslim or infidel, Christian or pagan, it is my belief that there is only one way to heaven, and that is by placing ones personal faith in the saving work of Jesus the Messiah on the cross of Calvary.

I reject universalism and all forms of ecumenism that would blunt the gospel message of salvation by faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, and the exclusive claims of Jesus being the one name under heaven by which all must be saved (Acts 4:12). While I will defend the right of every man, woman, and child to believe and worship as they choose, I will not hesitate to share with them the good news of the free gift of salvation in Jesus, nor will I apologize for doing so. Love for my neighbors does not require me to pretend that their beliefs or unbelief do not matter. Indeed, my love for those who do not share my faith is such that I am willing to welcome their attempts to share their faith with me by similar, peaceful, non-coercive means.

Article III: My common burden with my Muslim neighbor is a shared abhorrence of the moral decadence and continued decline of western civilization, and the uncivilizing influence our culture is having on the rest of the world.

The United States of America is a nation founded on Christian principles, even though it was founded to be a secular nation (not controlled by any particular religion). While there has probably never been a time when the majority of our citizens have been committed followers of Jesus Christ, our Christian heritage—the moral courage, spiritual hope, and ethical mindset engendered by it—played a major role in making our nation great. Two great spiritual awakenings helped defeat tyranny, eliminate slavery, extend education to all, reform prisons, build universities and hospitals, ameliorate poverty, extend aid to the world, and make religious and political freedom a reality—not only for Americans, but for many around the world. Our economic prosperity and principled equity are a direct result of this spiritual influence. The fact that so many citizens of the world desire to come to America is a testament to our residual greatness.

Regrettably, however, the influences of naturalistic secularism over the course of at least the last 75 years have affected a significant decline in the moral and spiritual strength of our nation. Adultery, homosexuality, vulgarity, drunkenness, drug addiction, abortion, and child abuse—just to name a few of secularism’s consequences—now permeate our society at every level and in increasing measure. Even more regrettable is the fact that this secular cancer is spreading to the cultures of other nations as well.

This reality grieves me just as it does my Muslim neighbor, so I am praying and working to bring about a spiritual awakening that will positively change the moral and spiritual fabric of our nation and the world. But while I share a common burden for righteousness to be extended throughout this world, I do not share a common perspective of how to accomplish this goal.

Article IV: My uncommon solution is to recognize that the moral decadence and decline of society is not something that can be remedied solely or even primarily by law, as though by forcing outward compliance we have somehow solved the problem; rather, I believe that it is only through the spiritual rebirth of each individual—as affected by the regenerating power of God’s Holy Spirit at conversion—that the spiritual renewal we all seek will be accomplished.

My understanding is that my Muslim neighbor believes that righteousness will be accomplished through Šarī‘ah Law. I believe it will be accomplished by the proclamation of the good news of salvation by grace through faith in the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. Christianity teaches that, as people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ—having put their faith in him—their sins are forgiven and they are made spiritually new. The righteousness of Christ then becomes their righteousness, and their outward moral behavior reflects his Lordship in their lives.

Our Founding Fathers believed that the Rule of Law as they fashioned it—the kind of rule that affirms human dignity, allows for the greatest individual freedoms, and yet controls sinful passions—could not succeed apart from a Christian nation. This is because they understood that human depravity would not—could not—willingly yield to law without the fear of the severest oppression and punishment, which can itself become a form of tyranny when executed by sinful men. Without an inward desire and motivation to be righteous, law can only leave such sinful people without eyes, hands, and heads.

It is my belief that law, even divine law, whether understood as coming to us in the form of the Decalogue or Šarī‘ah, cannot ultimately control human behavior or bring about the Kingdom of God when humanly enforced. Only by changing a man from the inside, through spiritual regeneration, can outward laws effectively guide behavior, because only then will his conscience be free to choose what is right. This truth is at the heart of the Christian gospel, for rather than seeking to accomplish external righteousness through law, the Spirit of Christ enters a man’s heart to make him new, accomplishing internal righteousness through grace. This is what was meant when the Prophet Jeremiah spoke of the day when the Messiah would come and the Law of God would be written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33-34; comp. Hebrews 10:5-25).

Articles V through IX will continue tomorrow, followed the next day by a conclusion that calls both my Christian brethren and my Muslim neighbors to action. If you would like a complete copy of this "Declaration" in "pdf." format, please e-mail me and I will be happy to send you a copy.