Let's Talk Mosques...

1 Kings 18:36-39

"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.

Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"

For the last several weeks, the topic of discussion before our Bible studies and at work and at other gatherings has centered around the current state of affairs in our country and the controversy over the building of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. Rarely have I seen a topic generate such controversy and discussion and vitriole as this, from both sides of the political spectrum and from various religious traditions. I have not responded to the discussion in any meaningful way, but feel it might be prudent to do so now just to offer a different voice in the mix.

Generally (and I know I'm speaking very generally here), the two sides of the argument tend to polarize around: 1) The United States is a land of religious freedom, and it is a right for anyone to build a religious structure anywhere; and, 2) The United States is a Christian nation and it is a slap in our face to have a mosque built at the site of a terrorist act that occurred at the hands of Islamic Terrorists.

Now, what I have found curious about both of these viewpoints is that the reasoning behind both of them use the same source document to prove their point -- The U.S. Consititution. Even among Christian friends and in discussions at church and at other religious gatherings, I have heard no viewpoints other than these being offered up.

These arguments point to a great concern with the church in America today. Somewhere along the line, Christianity got blurred with American nationalism, not unlike the situation when the Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of Rome. The result of this blending is that to be an American is to be a Christian, and to be a Christian is to be an American. In other words, rather than living as foreigners and aliens in America, for the most part American Christians have moved to the conclusion that you are a Christian if you live in America, and thus, anything offered counter to Christianity is anti-American and anything offered counter to America is anti-Christian. Hence, when Muslims exercise their right to freedom of religion under the Constitution, the act is regarded as both anti-Christian and anti-American. Conversely, as I stated above, some leaders have affirmed the Muslim's rights under the Constitution to build the mosque, but still express concern with their proposed action. But, still, the argument holds -- Christianity has merged with American nationalism to form an organic movement that affects all of life in America: religious, political and cultural.

But, is this what Christianity is supposed to look like? Are we supposed to yoke ourselves so closely with a Government to the point where our religion is taken to be the same as our political alignment?

If you read the Bible, this is definitely not the picture that we see portrayed in the New Testament. The early church struggled under both the yoke of Roman rule and the persecution of the established Jewish religion, but operated outside the bounds of both. To be a Christian in the first century A.D. meant that you lived outside the political, religious, and cultural norms and formed a new society, a Kingdom within a kingdom. The early Christians considered themselves first and foremost members of a greater country, the Kingdom of God, who just happened to be living in a foreign land as strangers and ambassadors. In other words, the politics of the land were not tied with the Christian religion, and Christians lived and worked and played as Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, whoever, while maintaining an independent relationship within the overall body of Christ.

Unfortunately, this is generally not the case in America today as evidenced by the fact that good Christians on both sides of the mosque argument are using the Constitution to defend their positions rather than the Bible, which should be the source book for us instead of any law or national document. Which leads me to ask the question, "What should be the Christian response to the building of a mosque at Ground Zero?" Or, more pointedly, "Why do Christians seem afraid of the building of a mosque at Ground Zero?"

For the majority of Christians today and throughout the history of the Church, Christians have existed in opposition to Governmental will. In places like China, the Soviet Union, and even early Rome, it was illegal to be a Christian, and to be a Christian was a national crime. Still, the Church persevered and even prospered in the face of persecution. They did so because their allegiance, first and foremost, was to God and not to the authorities that God had placed above them. Because of the persecution, they knew they were aliens, they knew they were strangers and outside the bounds of society, and they lived that way. More importantly, they lived without fear.

Take the example of Elijah that I quoted above from 1 Kings 18. Elijah and other followers of God were living in an oppressive regime with a pagan religion promoted by the authorities of their day. To be a believer in Yahweh was to face persecution and death. But, rather than hiding in fear, Elijah confronted the false gods of Israel in this dramatic show-down at Mount Carmel. For, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" If our God is the true and real and only God, then why do we fear false gods or idols? And on that day, Yahweh showed His power and majesty and glory and the pagan religions and false gods were felled.

Now, back to the mosque and the question of our biblical response. What would the early Christians have done if someone was to build an altar to a false god in their day? I think the response of Paul on Mars Hill is a good example. Rather than fighting against the various pagan altars and temples, rather than tearing down the monuments to false gods, Paul used this obvious desire for the transcendent as a jumping off point for evangelism. He spoke to the Greeks gathered at the Aeropagus and told them of the true and real God that their hearts were longing for.

Why don't we view the mosque in this same way? As Christians, we reject the religion of Islam. But, as Christians, we are called to witness to our faith to others. Rather than fighting the mosque, why don't we view it as an opportunity for evangelism?

Throughout this entire national debate, I have been reminded of the example of Brother Andrew, the missionary from Holland who carried the gospel behind the Iron Curtain in the days after World War II. In a sermon I heard one time, Brother Andrew talked about the invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union. As the Polish people were fleeing their country in advance of the Soviet troops, Brother Andrew loaded up his car with Russian Bibles and did the opposite -- he headed towards Poland and met with a church that he previously knew in that country.

Brother Andrew made this statement to the leaders of that church (and this is a paraphrase): "You have had the opportunity for many years to carry Bibles and the gospel to the Soviet Union and you haven't done so. Now, since you wouldn't go to the Russians, God has sent them to you. Go out and give them Bibles and the gospel and witness to them the grace of God."

Perhaps the building of the mosque is God's response to our inaction. If America is truly a Christian nation, then why haven't we reached out to other nations and shared with them the truth of the gospel? Could it be that because we refused to go to them, God is sending them to us? (Could the same be said for the illegal immigrants from Mexico, too?)

Rather than regarding the mosque as an affront to Christianity, perhaps we should welcome the Muslims into our country and take this opportunity to share with them the truth about Jesus and the salvation that He brings. It is time that we divided American nationalism from Christianity, and started being the church to those God has placed in our path. If Elijah didn't fear either Ahab and Jezebel or the false gods of his day, then why is the Church in America fearing the same?