This
message was preached on the fifth anniversary of the so-called “9/11 attacks.”
I took the occasion to address some matters concerning the value of
Christianity. I might not preach such a
long sermon today but, instead, break it up into smaller bits.
If
you are interested in reading more about world religions, consider these
books: Win Corduan, Neighboring
Faiths; Huston Smith, The World’s Religions; or Eerdmans Handbook
to World Religions. These are
surveys and most public libraries will have at least one of them. Of course, there are online sites about world
religions—some intended to win converts to that religion and some intended to
educate about the religions. The website
for the North American Mission Board has downloadable fact-sheets on world
religions.
John 14:1-6
Do you remember where you were five years
ago tomorrow?
On November 22, 1963, I was sitting in a
high school English class when the principal broke in to announce that
President Kennedy had been shot; I’d
moved on to a bookkeeping class when the word came he had died.
Five years ago, I was sitting in my office
with the radio turned off. Oh, I’d heard
that a plane had hit the World Trade Center but thought it was merely a very
tragic accident. Then, shortly after
9:00, Philip called to make sure I’d heard a second plane had hit the WTC and a
third had hit the Pentagon—these were no accidents, they were deliberate.
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five
years. The world is a different place
than it was before September 11.
I suppose we’ve learned more about Islam,
in particular, than we ever would have if there had been no attack on
America.
In the past five years, President Bush has
made a great effort to portray Islam as a religion of peace and
brotherhood. I understand his motives—he
wants to distance the terrorists from the average Muslim we’re likely to meet
on the street, on the campus, or at the office.
I understand this.
Unfortunately, though the President may be
acting with the best of intentions, his words in pursuit of good will from the
Islamic community have sometimes been overstated. Listening to the President,
we might imagine that Muhammad, not Jesus Christ, was born to be “Prince of
Peace.”
As you know, our nation responded to the
attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 by interning thousands of
Japanese-Americans who lived on the west coast. Although it seemed reasonable
to many at the time, we’ve since come to see it as a reprehensible act against
patriotic fellow-citizens.
Maybe the memory of that shameful episode
in our history made some people afraid we would start rounding up all people of
middle-eastern ancestry to put them in stockades. While I think better of the American people,
I guess I can understand their concern.
In all of this, some have come close to
suggesting that Christianity isn’t that much different from other
religions. Of course, even before
September 11th it was considered intolerant to even suggest that one
religion might be better than another.
That’s an understanding of toleration that is far different from what I
learned as short a time ago as the beginning of my studies in church
history. Back then being tolerant meant
allowing any and all religions to be freely practiced; it did not, as it does
now, demand a conviction that all religions are equally valid.
My intention this morning is not to assault
Islam. The Islamo-terrorists aren’t
typical Muslims.
This morning I don’t intend to outline the
tenets and doctrines of Islam or any other non-Christian religion. There are lots of good books and articles
which will help you if you’re interested—I, however, would suggest you be sure
to read at least one published before September 11th.
That I may draw comparisons between
Christianity and Islam only reflects our new preoccupation with a religion
embraced by 800 million or more people around the world.
My intention is to try to answer the
question: Does it matter if you’re a
Christian?
It
matters if you’re a Christian because Christians have a realistic view of the
human condition.
The Christian world-view asserts that we
humans live in a state of rebellion against the Creator, whose image we bear, a
rebellion that has marred every faculty we possess and relationship we
share. The common word for this state of
rebellion is sin.
Our view of sin allows Christians to admit
that we have not always behaved Christianly.
We—or at least those claiming to be Christians—have sometimes been brutal
and bloodthirsty. Critics sometimes say
Christians are arrogant, yet we Christians have an almost infinite capacity to
confess we have done wrong in the past.
Christians, for example, admit the Crusades were wrong; f there have been similar expressions of
regret from the Muslims whose harassment of Christians in conquered lands
helped inspire the Crusades, I haven’t heard them.
There are dark blots on the history of most
religions. People calling themselves
Christians bought slaves sold by people calling themselves Muslims. Yet, no one successfully claims that the
failure of some to live up to the ideals of the religion they profess means
that religion is false.
Hinduism believes our problems are the
result of our having forgotten we are gods.
Buddhism teaches that our problems arise from desire, that if we stifle
all desire—even the desire to be an individual--we will attain perfection. Islam teaches that sin is disobedience to the
law of God but denies the notion of original sin; the solution to the problem
is resolute obedience to God’s law. For
the Muslim it all depends on human effort.
Christians,
on the other hand, insist that the solution to our problem cannot arise from
our own efforts.
Christian theologians Lewis and Demarest
have written:
…the
most profound human predicament is rooted in the inner person. The fallen human heart has a basic tendency
to turn away from God's ways. Until the
inner self is born anew all the education, culture, and environmental
improvements, like aspirin, may remove symptoms, but they do not address our
most radical need. Until a provision is
made for reconciliation to the transcendent, personal God, all other spiritual
disciplines are only like Band-Aids.
This portrait of the human condition is
confirmed throughout the Bible but perhaps nowhere more succinctly than in
Paul’s statement: “All have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.”
It
matters if you’re a Christian because Christianity presents a realistic way of
salvation.
Every world religion offers some scheme by
which we might hope to escape from the problems caused by our human
condition. All except one places the
responsibility for that escape on the believer.
Buddhism teaches that through disciplined
self-renunciation the believer will, after many reincarnations, finally will
attain nirvana. But the way to nirvana
involves the careful following of some 227 rules for men and 311 rules for
women. Originally, Buddha did not plan
to have women disciples but when he was finally persuaded to make a place for them,
he fabricated more rules for them than for men.
Islam speaks of faith but the Muslim’s
primary hope for forgiveness rests in living in light of the “five
pillars”. But even this is no sure way
to salvation.
Christianity teaches that the resolution to
our great problem of sin rests in God’s decision to reach out to fallen
humankind in Jesus Christ who died to pay the debt of our sin and then offered
full and free salvation to all who put their trust in him. The Christian view of salvation begins with a
realistic view of our sin and consequent helplessness; it continues this realism by showing us how
God graciously did for us what we could not do for ourselves. As Peter wrote, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God…” (I Peter 3:18)
Whereas both Hinduism and Buddhism picture
salvation as involving countless reincarnations to purify our karma,
Christianity promises immediate spiritual rebirth to those who trust
Christ. As Paul says, “the one in Christ
is a new creature.”
It
matters if you’re a Christian because Christianity offers a comforting hope.
The
hope of the Eastern religions is summed up in the notion of Nirvana. Itself a confusing concept, Nirvana is not to
be confused with the Biblical heaven. In
the final state of Nirvana individuality is extinguished (as one would blow out
a candle); in heaven, so Christians believe, individuals—perfected by God’s
grace—continue to exist as individuals.
Your identity is not lost but enhanced because the corruption of sin is
eradicated.
For the believer, heaven is not to be
experienced only after many, many, many incarnations; it is experienced
immediately upon the believer’s death. A
vivid reminder of this is found in Jesus’ words to the repentant thief who died
with him on the first Good Friday: “Today
you will be with me in paradise.”
In heaven Christians enjoy the presence of
God for eternity. John in the Book of
Revelation pictures this.
REV
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2] down the middle of
the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,
bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves
of the tree are for the healing of the nations. [3] No longer will there be any
curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants
will serve him. [4] They will see his face, and his name will be on their
foreheads. [5] There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a
lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they
will reign for ever and ever.
Islam also pictures heaven as a great
garden, but it is so very different.
Because Muslims believe Allah is so transcendent, so far above us, many
Muslims place little emphasis upon having a relationship with him and his
presence has little role in their view of heaven. Instead, they see heaven as a place of continual
sensual delight for those who have lived well enough to please Allah.
So our hope involves the affirmations that
we, as individuals, will live for eternity, all the while enjoying the glorious
presence of God.
It
matters if you are a Christian because Christianity offers a noble moral ideal.
Before I address this issue let me make two
points:
· Many of the practitioners of non-Christian
religions live exemplary lives, lives marked by generosity and compassion. No one would deny that.
·
A second observation I want to make is this: It is possible to judge a
world-view by the actions it inspires.
While there have been no true “Christian nations,” there have been those
in which the Christian world-view as been the dominant influence. It’s also important to remember that in
nations and cultures where the Christian world-view has dominated even those
who make no profession of faith in Christ are often influenced by it,
influenced enough to act in light of it.
For example, during WW II Japanese soldiers, especially in the
Philippines and on Okinawa, brutalized the native populations. The conquering Americans, on the other hand,
provided food, water, and other help to those same people. Such actions were the result of the dominant
Christian world-view.
[If
I were preaching this sermon today, I would spend more time talking about those
sad occasions when those supposedly representing “Christian” nations or
communities failed to behaving in a truly Christlike way toward others. While Cortèz, some of the Puritans, and
others did commit outrages against natives in the new world; were always those
individuals who bravely voiced opposition in the name of Christ.]
What do we see when we compare the impact
of those dominant world-views?
The notion of Karma which plays so large a
role in Buddhist thinking looks at an individual in a tough situation and says,
in essence, “Karma is working itself out—he is getting what he deserves.” Hinduism looks at the same situation and
says, “Suffering is an illusion.”
Beliefs have consequences. World-views impact the world.
[Should
you want to read more on this topic I recommend Alvin Schmidt’s How
Christianity Changed the World. The
book was published earlier as Under the Influence—the title change was
probably made because in the US “under the influence” is associated with what
some English-speaking nations call “drink driving.”]
The Christian world-view which sees each
person as made in the image of God allows neither indifference nor denial when
faced with human suffering..
It was this world-view that prompted Mother
Teresa of Calcutta to spend more than four decades helping the forgotten men
and women dying on the streets of that city.
The problem had been there for centuries but the dominant world-view of
that culture led to nothing being done.
African American poet and novelist Alice
Walker points out that nowhere in the Muslim world is a woman treated with true
respect. While this will vary from
country to country, the Muslim attitude toward women is directly related to the
teachings of the Qur'an. The Islamic
holy book teaches that there will be more women than men in hell; it also teaches that men may “scourge” or
whip unruly wives and female servants.
[Today
I might take more pains to point out that some Muslim nations have a far better
record in promoting women’s rights than others. Still, Walker’s observation
should not be quickly discounted.]
This is far from Paul’s statements that
wives are to submit to their husbands; in fact, the corresponding instruction
to husbands is “love your wives.” Only
sick minds or radical critics can find any sanction of spousal abuse in the New
Testament.
Individuals Christian writers and sometimes
groups of Christians have failed to follow the example of Christ, but most
objective historians will admit that Christianity has done more than any other
philosophy or world-view to elevate the status of women.
The moral ideals of Christianity, when
applied, have changed the world for the better.
It
matters if you’re a Christian because Christianity upholds spiritual freedom.
From
its beginnings Christianity has taught that the choice to follow Jesus must be
freely made, that no one can be coerced into faith in Christ. While it’s regrettably possible to point to
incidents in the history of the church when people were forced to be baptized,
such forced conversions took place only when there was an unhealthy marriage of
church and state. And, even then there
were critics of such methods. Ramón
Lull, a fourteenth-century Italian scholar and monk, went as a missionary to
the Muslim nations. He insisted that
love, not the sword, was the way to win the hearts of the Muslims.
Those who defend Islam insist that Muhammad’s
preaching, not coercion, won the first converts and those who did not convert
were to be left alone, In fact, the
Qur'an says that non-believers may be slain wherever they are found. Surah 9:5 states, “When the forbidden months
are past [Ramadan], then fight and slay the idolaters wherever ye find
them….” While Jews and Christians may
have been allowed to continue to practice their religion at first, in time they
were placed under such economic and social pressure that many chose to convert.
Today, no nation where Christians form the
majority religion practices forced conversion.
In no nation where Christianity is the dominant religion is there any
threat of punishment for converting from Christianity to another religion or
for abandoning Christianity for no religion at all.
Today, there is no Islamic country where a
man or woman may convert to Christianity without threat of punishment or even
death. In most Islamic nations, Christians
face intense pressure and sometimes persecution just for practicing their
faith.
I saw an interesting interview last
week. The journalist was speaking with a
group of American Muslims. They all
agreed that the acceptance they had received in America was unprecedented in a
non-Islamic nation. Cells of angry,
plotting young Muslims are rarely found here because economic and educational
opportunities seem open to everyone, regardless of their religious background. [In
recent days, there may have been American Muslims who have been “radicalized”
but this isn’t due to a change in our nation’s openness but to changes in
recruiting techniques, economic downturns, etc.
The economic downturns impact everyone but those susceptible to radical
propaganda may fail to see that fact.] Such
cordial openness is not despite our nation’s long association with
Christianity, but because of it.
Amazingly, however, one of the most
frequently repeated criticisms of Christianity is that we Christians try to
force our religion on others. How sad
that passion and enthusiasm are considered coercion.
It
matters if you’re a Christian because Christianity has the privilege of
offering Christ to the world.
No other world religion, no matter how
sincere their practitioners, has any figure to match Christ. The ultimate difference between Christianity
and any non-Christian religions is Christ.
Buddha denied he was the savior. At his death he told his followers, “Buddhas
do but point the way; work out your salvation with diligence.” While we appreciate Buddha’s honesty what are
we to make of Jesus’ statement, also made just before his death, “I am the way
the truth and the life. No one come to
the Father except through me?” Compared
to humility of Buddha’s statement, Christ’s statement seems to reflect a
monumental arrogance.
Yet, Christ was known for his
humility. During his trial he refused to
defend himself or answer his accusers.
Muhammad once ordered the death of a slave
girl and her master because the slave had written a poem making fun of him.
Humble or not, Christ made a statement
which demands our attention. That
statement and others he made call for us to make a decision about him. C. S. Lewis and others have understood
this: Anyone who said the kinds of
things Jesus Christ said about himself is either an arrogant liar who merits
our contempt, a lunatic who deserves our pity, or he is the most remarkable
person who ever lived.
Jesus claimed to be God, Jesus claimed to
be bringing full and free salvation, Jesus claimed to be the one who held the
destiny of the world in his hands. Jesus
claimed that not even the cross would undermine his mission—in fact, the
claimed the cross was part of his mission.
Those claims, fantastic and exceptional as
they were, received their confirmation on the first Easter morning.
CONCLUSION
When Paul preached before the adherents of
other religions in Athens he treated them with respect and courtesy. At the same time he presented the claims of
Christ with clarity. He concluded by
pointing to the great confirmation of the gospel—the resurrection.
Those who follow Islam, the religion
founded by Muhammad, know his remains may be found in his tomb at Medina.
Those who follow Christianity, the religion
founded by Jesus Christ, know his tomb may be found in Jerusalem, his empty
tomb.
If you’re a Christian, that matters.
*****************************************************************
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Following the presentation of this sermon
I was asked several questions which I believe merit some response on this page.
1.
What
about Nazi Germany under Hitler, wasn’t Germany a “Christian nation?”
First, we should understand that many
German Christians were unaware of Hitler’s evil plans; they saw him as one who
would lead the nation from the terrible economic conditions which prevailed
after World War I. When these Christians
finally came to see Hitler as he was, it was too late—he was already in
power. Hitler placed his own bishops in
power to force cooperation from pastors and churches.
Second, some German Christians were merely
nominal Christians. Sadly, this is true
in every culture.
Third, some Christians bravely opposed
him. The Confessing Church took a bold
stand against him and many pastors suffered for it. Bonhoeffer and Niemöller
were both imprisoned, Bonhoeffer was executed.
Fourth, Christianity was “used” by Hitler
who tried to use it as a vehicle for his ideas.
He had no real faith of his own and planned to destroy the church when
he had finished with the Jews.
Fifth, numbers of ordinary Christians risked
their lives to rescue Jews in Nazi controlled lands. Their stories have often been untold.
2.
Weren’t
the Crusades acts of aggression against Muslim lands?
The Crusades had complex origins, some
fought for religious reasons, some fought for adventure and glory. The Qur'an
promises protection for Jews and Christians, “People of the Book,” yet
Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Lands were being harassed by Muslim
authorities or at least authorities failed to intervene when bandits kidnapped
such pilgrims. Unfortunately, this was
enough to start the bloodbath which became known as the Crusades. The Crusades shouldn’t have happened but they
did. [While
I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, sociologist Rodney Stark has written
an informative book on the Crusades: God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
(2009). Propagandists on both sides
probably exaggerated the atrocities committed by the other side.]
3.
Since
poverty breeds depravity isn’t the hatred directed toward the West by Muslim
nations rooted in the differences in wealth between industrialized nations and
non-industrialized nations?
The Christian world-view actually holds that depravity breeds
poverty. Poverty is the result of a
number of dynamics, including exploitation of the powerless by the more
powerful. It is more complex than that
alone. Yet, blaming the poverty of
Islamic nations on the West seems disingenuous.
Poverty in some of these lands has existed since before some Western nations
even existed.
More importantly, some of their own policies have contributed to poverty
in Middle Eastern lands. How often are
the oil sheiks and the political despots asked to share their wealth? Then, too, some of the repressive policies of
nations like Afghanistan invite poverty.
Remember, it was naïve young women from the west who traveled there to
teach Afghan women how to establish cottage industries. [The
reference here is to Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer whose story is told in their
autobiographical book Prisoners of Hope.] Imagine how different our standard of
living would be if women were not allowed to learn to read or to have jobs.
4.
Is the
lack of freedom in Muslim countries caused by the religion or by zealous
militaristic regimes hungry for absolute control?
It’s impossible to answer this question
except to say that the Christian world-view, with its notion of total
depravity, warns against any individual or group having absolute power over
others. It doesn’t matter if the
individual or group is a Christian or not.
No one can be trusted with such power. [Today I might point out that in nearly 1500 years few, if any,
western-style democracies have developed in an Islamic land. If freedom of religion is a hallmark of
democracy, than there are no true democracies in these lands. Of course, my comments represent a bias
toward democracy.]
