I watched the Presidential Address tonight while working in the garage (see next post) and heard something again that really ticked me off. Again, he referred to the terrorists as practicing a perverted, radical form of Islam. I sure hope he knows better… and that someday he’ll just come out and say the truth?

I’m a fundamentalist Christian. I read my Bible every day, work to memorize key verses, believe it’s the inspired word of God, and I do my best to live my life accordingly. I’m not a “radical” Christian, although in these days of prosperity preaching and the church growth movement, Christians who actually read their Bible do tend to stand out. But I’m taking my faith at its fundamentals by reading the “instruction manual” that God provided, putting my faith and trust in it, and doing my best to conform my life to God’s teachings in it.

These terrorists are fundamentalist Muslims. They read and memorize the Koran. They believe it’s the inspired words of their god allah and his prophet. They do their best to follow the teachings in it. They are not radical Muslims, they’re just reading the instruction manual that mohammed gave them, and trying to follow it.

How many Christians do you know that are sold out for their faith… witnessing to people, eagerly giving their testimony, and trying to tell others of their need for Jesus Christ as their savior? Certainly not the majority of them. But that’s what God wants us to do: the great commission, as it’s called, is to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” While any Christians who do that may stand out in this day and age, they’re the only ones doing what God told them to do.

The same thing pertains to the terrorists. They think a god told them to convert people to their twisted religion, by the sword if necessary. And, while they’re mistaken, they’re doing just what the book they read tells them to do. They might stand out from the millions of peaceful Muslims out there…but if one uses the Koran to judge them, they’re the ones who are really practicing it.

Political correctness will be our undoing. When grandmas are pulled aside and searched while middle Eastern men are given a pass so as not to offend them, then we’re sunk. If we can’t refer to our enemy as what he truly is, then we’ll never defeat him.

Oh, and one more aside; if we figure that these terrorists are just a minority among the nations of Islam, we’re fooling ourselves. Look at all the hate that’s being taught in mosques all around the world, including in our own country. And we’d be naive to think that the peaceful Muslims will make a difference; have you EVER heard a representative of Islam condemn a terrorist act against the West? Never. CAIR is proof that they realize how to beat us over the head with our own politically correct sensitivities. Well, if the “moderate Muslims” here and abroad won’t even speak out against terrorism now, what makes anyone think they’ll make a difference when things get worse?

President Bush: If you really think that it’s a perverted version of Islam that we’re fighting, get better advisors. If you know the truth, please say it. America’s ready to hear it. Take a stand and call on CAIR and other such groups to denounce terrorism… we all know they won’t. Let’s make them show their true colors instead of being afraid to point them out.

No, these aren’t protestors…just people carrying out the Great Commission. For an hour on Thursday night, members of the Open Door Baptist Church answered the challenge in this post’s headline, holding up Bible verse signs and quoting scriptures at State Street and Capitol Avenue.

I’m surprised to say that there was a ton of positive response: people waving, words of support, friendly smiles. I’d never been present on one of these events before, so I simply expected the worst. It was a neat experience. First was a round of singing, pictured above, then people split into groups in the corner of the intersection. The guys took turns belting out their favorite Bible verses while the kids held up signs.

Yes, the church did have a meeting permit from the city, and no, this is nothing like certain wackos you may have read about in the papers a short while ago. This is a Bismarck church, a legitimate Christian one, just putting out the word: You must be born again. That’s a term I thought was just feel-good nonsense before I became a Christian… then I realized that Jesus himself coined that term in John 3:3 and 3:7.

So it was an uplifting evening. Some people walking by took some gospel literature, we got to sing, and it was a really positive experience. Like I said, we got lots of honks and waves. The only person to flip us the finger had a North Dakota Peace Coalition bumper sticker on his truck…I guess that helps clarify the liberal position on God.

Most people have no problem getting up and cheering or telling the world about their favorite football team or NASCAR racer. They’ve got t-shirts, hats, stickers, sleeping bags, the works, all emblazoned with logos. But if you put a Bible verse on any of those articles, people tend to take a step back and calling you names. Have you ever pondered why that might be?

Despite the best efforts of modern-day “liberals” (or “progressives” or whatever other branding they apply to themselves), we will always be a country that was formed on Christian principles. The quote above is from our second President, written after he signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s amazing to go through old writings of our founding fathers and find that that yes, without a doubt, this is a nation with a Christian heritage. It doesn’t matter how hard people try to deny it.

That’s why our country is so blessed. That’s why we have such hope, such energy, and such prosperity. It was made evident to me in the presentations given by a bunch of the young ladies in our church who joined a missionary organization on a trip to Poland a couple of weeks ago.

This man (above) became a Christian while in a concentration camp at Auschwitz. He survived and prayed for sixty years that someone would come to his home city in Poland, bearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This year, they came. During their week or so stay, over a hundred thousand copies of John & Romans were handed out, and people were invited to a meeting at the end of the week.

The missionaries, and participants from around the US who had joined them, didn’t know what kind of a response they’d get. Decades of communism kills the spirit of the people; they aren’t like we are here. Tough soil to plow, I guess. But when the night came for the meeting, the auditorium they’d rented was filled to capacity! When the attendees had the opportunity to get a free Bible at the end of the meeting, it was nearly chaos. They were so excited, and so accustomed to having to press the lines to get anything, that they rushed the tables. Everyone got their Bible.

The picture above brings tears to my eyes every time. Despite his age, this man is holding his first Bible. He had never had a Bible before, and he’s kissing the one he just got. Shouldn’t God’s word be that precious to all of us? We’ve got it so good here in America that we lose sight of what we have.

I’ve got my study Bible, one in my truck, one in the trunk of my motorcycle…and I don’t read them nearly enough. Jesus said, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I haven’t lived up to that lately. What it takes is to see what it’s like to have lived one’s entire life without that gift. To see this man’s joy in finally getting a Bible, in his language at that, is very convicting.

We live in a country where we don’t get arrested for having a Bible. If we don’t have the five measly bucks to get one at Wal-Mart, someone will give you one. They’re in the dresser drawers at hotels. Maybe that’s why we don’t spend much time with our nose in that book. Take a few seconds to put yourself in the shoes of these people, who were desperate at the thought that they might not get a Bible that night. Then thank God that you live in a country that was founded on the faith in God, who provides all the many freedoms and blessings our country enjoys today.

Two of our soldiers from Bismarck who were killed in Afghanistan will be laid to rest this Thursday and Saturday. As if this week won’t be hard enough on friends and family of these two brave men, the Fred Phelps cult has notified the town of its intent to protest the funerals.

Who are they? Well, Fred Phelps and his relatives have a “church” they call the Westboro Baptist Church. First off, they’re not a Baptist church. Second, they don’t teach a Christian doctrine. They’re just plain insane. They have a website titled godhatesfags.com where they spew hate and claim to be Christians, which they are not.

Before we go any further, let me be plainly clear about one thing: homosexuality is a sin. You don’t like that? Tough. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take my church’s word for it. Take God’s word for it. The Bible is very explicit in the Old Testament and New Testament that homosexuality is a sin. Take it up with him if you don’t like it.

Rather than quote you verses on that subject, which I’m sure you’ve seen, let me stay on topic and point out that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Or how about a verse that I’m sure everyone in America has seen or heard at one time: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) That “whosoever” includes everybody, Mr. Phelps.

The Bible says that if you’re a liar, you must repent and trust in Jesus. Likewise, if you’re a thief, adulterer or murderer, you must repent and trust in Jesus. If you engage in homosexuality, you must repent and trust in Jesus. See the theme here? ALL SIN IS SIN. It doesn’t matter how great or how small, how culturally acceptable or how disgusting.

If you’re a member of the Phelps cult, listen to this: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” (1 John 2:9) “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11) “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15). I think that’s pretty plain about where they stand. If they’ve got a burden about homosexuality they should be out trying to deliver the gospel in a loving way, not simply going out and hating. God isn’t glorified in that.

In times past there have always been those Christians, a group of whom the Phelps cult is NOT a part, who like to point the finger. It started with the first believers, who looked down on the Gentiles. Paul had to whip them into shape: “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:9-11) We’re reminded that we were ALL sinners before coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If God can forgive us, who are we to say he can’t forgive someone else?

Having said that, what this cult (I don’t think cults like being equated with the Phelps Phamily) does is not scriptural, is not appropriate, and is not indicative of Christianity.

Hopefully we can count on them being no-shows, as this article says they often do. According to this Bismarck Tribune article, they’ve notified police of their intent to protest but have not acquired a permit.

Our church, a REAL Baptist church, has done some street evangelization where we hand out Bible literature, maybe hold a sign with a Bible verse on it, and invite people to church. That group was broken up by police because a permit was required. If the Phelps cult doesn’t have a permit, and actually do show up this week, I hope the same ordinance is used to break up their hate rally as it was against a group of Bismarck residents inviting people to church.

Look…there are thousands of people out there, including some presently or formerly homosexual friends of mine, who would love to call me a hater for this post. I’m willing to put up with that; all I’ve done is say what the Bible says. Not just what Clint thinks or what my church or its doctrine say. Just the Bible. I know that’s called “intolerance” and a number of other buzzwords…but I can’t help that. All I can do is say, lovingly and rationally, that we’re all sinners of one sort or another. Fred Phelps and his inbred bunch, though…they’re in a category of their own.