Is Islam Christ-Friendly?

Is Islam Christ-friendly, as its proponents insist?

Apparently not. Being a true friend of Christ can get you killed. As Christians, we need to be prepared to die. Most of us will never experience martyrdom, but the possibility comes with the territory.

If this guy was gay, the CBC would be all over it. But he's just another Christian, so don't expect them to get too excited. I'll be happily surprised if they do. The photo headline above was from Fox News.

Lord, have mercy on this man and on his family -- and on his persecutors too.

Canadian Adjudicator To Refugee Claimant: "Not Catholic Enough"

Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

You're a refugee claimant. You're in a refugee claimant review. You're nervous. You're in a new country in the midst of strange people who seemingly hold life-or-death powers over you. You're sweating. You're a Christian. You're asked who the mother of Mary the mother of Jesus was, and who the mother of John the Baptist was.

Quick now, what's your answer? (please post in comments without looking at other comments' answers)

If you balked, you may be a Christian, but, in the eyes of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), not Christian enough.

He knew Mary was Jesus’ mother and that John baptized him but not the names of Mary’s and John’s mothers; correctly answered questions about the rosary and the seven sacraments; named books of the Old Testament but was uncertain what they were about; failed to note that 2009 was dedicated to St. Paul by the Catholic Church, and gave other answers that fell short of Ms. Andrachuk’s expectations. 

“I find, on a balance of probabilities, that the claimant is not and never was a genuine practicing Roman Catholic,” Ms. Andrachuk wrote. “I find that the claimant’s level of knowledge of the Catholic faith is not commensurate with someone who has been a Roman Catholic for three years.”

Fortunately a Canadian court had the good sense to strike down this ruling.

IRB adjudicator rebuked by court for refusing man who failed Catholic ‘trivia’


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Muslims Killing Egyptian Christians

                                   Image via Wikipedia

When the press reports there is fighting between Christians and Muslims, what it usually means is this: Muslims are attacking and killing Christians. But. Mustn't. Take. Sides.

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"Iraq's Dwindling Christian Population"

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Just overheard on the BBC World TV: "Iraq's dwindling Christian population...".

Dwindling population?

Why would the Iraqi Christian population be dwindling?

Because Muslims are killing them.

The latest attack follows the October massacre which killed over 50.

If a gathering of 50+ homosexuals had been slaughtered the world would have been outraged.

But, it's just Christians.

Christians weep while the West sleeps.

Happy new year -- maranatha!

Remembering Christians Persecuted for their Faith

Remembering Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

             Image by Stewf via Flickr

Herod has his current imitators. In 1991, China’s state-run press noted the role of the churches in undercutting Communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, adding that if China did “not want such a scene to be repeated in its land, it must strangle the baby while it is still in the manger.” Al-Qaeda has declared that all   Middle Eastern Christians should be killed, and many Christians in Iraq have cancelled their Christmas celebrations lest they be targeted. 

Christianity is being suppressed in China and strangled in Muslim countries while the West looks the other way.  The West readily accepts the idea of Muslim states yet reacts in horror at the thought that a country might consider itself Christian. We readily tolerate Muslim countries squeezing out the Christians but insist that once-Christian nations remove even the symbolic trappings of their faith from the public square.

The cosmic battle between good and evil found its ground zero at the Cross. The outworking of Christ's victory achieved there was initiated in the early persecutions against those who named his name; it continues to this day. Fortunately, we know that "he shall reign forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end". But, until then, "there shall be blood".

Every true Christian identifies with the persecuted and weighs the cost of following Christ in his own life. We remember them as our brothers and sisters at this time of year.


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Quote of the Day: "Those Who are Attracted to Atheism are First Repelled by Theism”

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"History strongly suggests that those who are attracted to atheism are first repelled by theism." -- Alistair McGrath.

The Church's message is not, "look at us". It is look at Christ. The Christian's message is not, "look at me". It is look at Jesus.

Image via Wikipedia

When I became a Christian, it was not because I was attracted to the Church. I did find my New Testament professor an attractive person, but he was the exception. What I was attracted to was the person of Christ. He is the idealist's best friend, and the moral perfectionist's best hope. When I looked at him, the gap between "is" and "ought" made perfect sense.

Dissatisfied with the "is" of your life? Look to the "Ought".

You want to see moral perfection? Look at Christ. You want to see God-at-work? Look at Christ. Want to hear words of wisdom? Listen to Christ. Want to see a man who loves God with all his heart, mind, soul, and body? Look at Christ. Now, look at him on the cross.

Do you want to see evidence of the saving power of God at work -- the power of God to overcome the evil of this life and "make things right"? Look at Christ raised from the dead, ascended, and seated on high. Do you want reason to hope that evil will be finally overcome? Look to Christ, the soon-coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will establish the rule and dominion of God on this earth.

Speaking of dominion, do you want to know what Canada's destiny is? "He shall have dominion from sea to sea."

"We preach not ourselves, but Christ crucified".

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U.K. Christian Hotel Owners Sued For Upholding Marriage Standard

"Here at Chymorvah we have few rules, but please note that as Christians we have a deep regard for marriage (being the union of one man to one woman for life to the exclusion of all others). Therefore, although we extend to all a warm welcome to our home, our double bedded accommodation is not available to unmarried couples – Thank you."  -- Peter and Hazelmary Bull, owners of The Chymorvah Private Hotel, Marazion, Cornwall, England.

They apparently had little or no problems with respect to their moral standards from 1986 on.

Until last August....

A clash of values:

'Under the European Convention on Human Rights, people are able to hold a religious belief and manifest it in the way they act.'

A spokesman for Stonewall said: 'We look forward to the hotel changing its policy to reflect equality, the 21st Century and the law.'

In PEI, Christian owners were hauled before the PEI human rights board for declining to accommodate two men in the same bed.  They were fined and ordered to submit to a state-sponsored, state-mandated re-education program. I called it the velvet glove of Canadian totalitarianism.

They declined. They paid their fine and closed their business.  Like Eleanor Rigby, nobody cared.

Also, this.