Greg Sinclair

I can totally relate to this as a pastor/missionary. I am curious though - what titles are you using now as an alternate to pastor in order to open doors to communication - do you have any favorites? Thanks!

Salaam thank you for this "wake up call" I agree that the church does need this and that we are challenged by the rise of Islam and extremist Islam. As Calvin has reminded us in the Reformation, Islam challenges our theology and it is important that we know our Scriptures, our theology, and are able to defend out faith. I also think you are right that our young people should be challenged to engage in missions with Muslims even at significant cost and suffering. The time is right for missions to Muslims.

But I do not support violence and reprisal type cycles of violence. Security and limited war maybe necessary by states but individual Christians are called to love Muslims and our response even to violent attacks has to be forgiveness coupled with witness. While I admit that extremists have Quranic support (and also from the Hadith) many Muslims and Christians continue to see them as extremists (on the fringes) because of the type of Islam they follow. Labelling all Muslims as extremists potentially could lead to the closing of doors to Syrian refugees as we are seeing in some US states (and possibly some Canadian provinces).

Let's try to reduce the fear factor and encourage respectful engagement with our Muslim neighbours.

One other comment in light of this discussion that I think we can all agree on is that Jesus came to extend the message of God's grace to from the Jewish people to all people and to condemn the idea of a theocracy separate from the kingdom of God which elevates the servant over the master the last over the first. In the words of Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 the message is for the prisoner, the oppressed, the blind, the outcast. It is the restoration of exodus and exile and good news for all people, even ISIS.

While I do agree that the church has a responsibility to help our suffering Christian brothers and sisters from Syria, Iraq, Libya, Eritrea and other conflict zones, I don't think we should discriminate on the basis of religion or ethnic background when it comes to refugees. The Gospel requires us to help all who flee violent environments and experience immense suffering. Plus, we have the added opportunity of not only helping but also witnessing to God's love to those who do not know Jesus. So I would encourage the church to open its doors to all refugees, Christian, Muslim, Yazidi, etc.

This view assumes that Muslims who immigrate or come as refugees will want to live out this hijrah narrative. I think that many who come to Canada will repudiate such views as being "un-Canadian" and un- democratic and will participate in a pluralistic society that separates church and state - even though that is an un-Islamic concept. While there will be some "extremists" and there is a need for security, I think the percentage will be low. So I don't see Islamic immigration as a threat to western democracies. The situation in Europe is different because Europe was overwhelmed in a sense by it's colonial ties that allowed populations to migrate and become disaffected and alienated (ie North Africans in the suburbs of Paris). A further problem is the weakness of the church in Europe and the spiritual vacuum that has resulted.

I do think it is good for Christians to be aware of this history, and that Muslims and Christians have different values. To follow the cross means sacrifice and suffering and that may involve risks in accepting refugees. Better to work with the diversity of the Islamic world, encourage peaceful solutions to these difficult conflicts, while at that same time isolating Islamists who do pose a danger to western society.