Our recent posts about the Ground Zero mosque have generated several helpful comments. One reader has wondered why we seem to lump all Muslims into the Jihadist camp. That’s a fair question, and worthy of a public response.

The short answer: We don’t so lump.

For the longer, and more helpful response, please keep reading.

First, if you have a question about this, please review this post which articulates our treatment of the different camps of Muslims in today’s world. There you will see our acknowledgement that most Muslims are not Jihadists. That’s an important observation and we are grateful for the reader who raised the question. (Thanks, Dennis.)

Which leads to another question: If most Muslims are not Jihadists, why write only or mostly about Jihadists?

In a perfect world, every post would address every possible misunderstanding. The world we actually live in, though, requires us to make choices about what to say. DNA is about equipping the church of Jesus Christ to transform the world, discipling the nations according to Jesus’ command.

One of today’s challenges facing the church is the Jihadist movement. Although it represents only a minority of worshippers of Allah, its significance is disproportionate to its size because of its global agenda and passionate, often violent methods.

As Christians, we need to be thoughtful about our posture toward all faiths, and all Muslims. The influence of Jihadism raises a particular challenge because those who embrace it are spreading, by violence, their belief system which directly opposes the Bible’s claims that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe and the Savior of men.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

(For what it’s worth, secular atheism represents another significant battlefront faced by Christians. These two thought systems–Jihadism and atheism–are dealt with at length in a forthcoming book by Darrow Miller. Much of the material for our recent blogs has been taken from this developing book.)

Some Christian bloggers are writing about the need for civility in today’s religious conversations. Some lay stress on effective methods of evangelism. We applaud both, and other needed emphases. Our burden is to equip, at the worldview level, followers of Jesus Christ to effectively engage the battle for the minds and hearts of all people–moderate Muslims, atheists, Jihadists, nominal Christians, et al.

Jesus Christ died for them.

He is Lord of the world they inhabit.

He tells us to love our enemies. Including Jihadists.

He taught us to pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

May it be so.

– Gary Brumbelow

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