Forgive the tired saying, but responding to the Quran burning event in Florida is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. I often use mild sarcasm in this blog to make my point and I could so easily spread it as thick as butter on toast in addressing this issue. But as many are now warning, this is a serious issue and will almost undoubtedly draw violent reprisals in many parts of the world.

You’re probably aware of the story of a Florida pastor, Dr Terry Jones, who is planning to burn a number of Qurans in the yard of his church property in the town of Gainsville, Florida, to commemorate the 9/11 atrocity. His church, the Dove World Outreach Centre, is a congregation of 50 strong according to the BBC website and is rooted in the Pentecostal tradition. On the church’s own website Dr Jones is featured on a 10 minute YouTube video explaining the vision he has for his ministry – to call the church to stand against the evils of this world. This is partly to be done through protest and there are photographs and reports from previous protest marches that his church has been a part of. It would appear that the Quran burning episode is the latest action to be taken.

There is much to commend in the wider vision that Terry Jones has for his congregation. They believe that their role is to grow men and women of faith who will themselves be witnesses to the love of God in the world. They set out to release Christians into their gifts and callings. They abhor the evil that is spreading in society and want to do something about it. Whatever we feel about some of the language and actions, we cannot be critical of many of their values.

Dr Jones offers 15 reasons why it is right that they burn Islam’s holy book – the main one being that he believes the book to be representing false religion. He has authored a book entitled Islam is of the Devil, which has its own website, www.islamisofthedevil.com (both the church and book websites were down when posting this - so no links). He firmly – and no doubt sincerely – believes that Islam in all its forms is a force for evil in the world today and that it needs exposing. By burning the Quran he acknowledges that he is seeking publicity for his cause.

And Terry Jones is not alone in his campaign. The Facegroup page for the burning event has attracted over eleven thousand followers – though not all of them may be supportive. We also know of many others – on both sides of the Atlantic – who share these feelings and that while Jones’ book burning may be on the extreme wing of this movement there is do doubt that they represent a significant voice in the Western church today.

And they have a point. Secularism is advancing at a pace; the church is loosing influence; and the more radical elements of political Islam should be of concern to all of us. Western society – the world we know – is changing and not always for the better. These seem to be indisputable facts to me. The question arises, however, as to how we should respond to such changes. In yesterday’s post I quoted the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann and his view that those Christians who react to a changing world without seeing the opportunity for reform in church life, speak out of fear. And as I studied the Dove World Outreach Centre’s website along with the site accompanying Jones’ volume on Islam and the Facebook page, what came over very clearly was this same fear in the face of change.

It is ironic, maybe, that it is not only Christian fundamentalism that has grown out of fear of the modern world, but fundamentalist Islam also. Both movements, even though they are directly and dangerously opposed to one another, stem from the same reactionary root. In the face of the unstoppable march of modernity from the late nineteenth century onwards some have sought refuge and security in hard-line conservatism. But such an entrenchment has not stopped them from feeling the fear as modernity and now post-modernity have continued apace and the reactions are getting increasingly extreme.

One point to end this post: if fear is the driver behind this extremism then could the reaction be a negation of the very gospel they purport to defend? Jesus came to set us free from fear. He died and rose again so that we did not have to live under the fear of the consequences of sin. He promised to be with us through all adversities. He sent his Spirit to fill us and give us the power to defeat all evil. He came to love us just as we are. And perfect love is supposed to cast out all fear. Rather than attack that which causes fear, therefore, maybe the first response to a changing world is to look inside ourselves and see what needs to change.

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