Pastor Terry Jones and the English Defence League have one very important thing in common – fear. As they perceive Islam to be a major threat to their freedom both here and in the US their natural and very human reaction is to be fearful. And of itself there is nothing wrong with being fearful. Indeed it is a necessary reaction in the face of a threat and can keep us safe where otherwise we would be in danger.

The question to be addressed is how we deal with fear, how we respond to the situation we are facing. It is clear that both Terry Jones and the EDL respond, or maybe react is a better word, with aggression and hatred: we well remember the book burning stunt that never was organised by Pastor Jones some months ago, and the picture at the top of this post comes from the EDL’s Facebook page – it is a poster for a demo organised by them. Two men wearing face masks in a public demonstration is surely meant to display aggression and is hardly congruent with the title ‘Peacefully Protesting in Luton’.

Both Pastor Jones and the EDL claim to be Christian. (One of EDL’s reasons for existing is as a defence of England’s Christian heritage.) But is aggression and hate the right response from Christians to any situation in which they feel fear?

Of course, we’ve all been caught out by our knee-jerk reactions to fearful situations and have made the wrong responses, so let’s not be harsh and judgemental towards Jones and the EDL for getting it wrong. But as followers of Jesus we do need to learn what the correct response should be when faced with fear inducing enemies. And if we insist on making Islam our enemy, then the only response is to love, for that was his command.