Most
of us are familiar with the charge of homophobia, that we Christians, allegedly,
have an irrational fear of, hatred for and intolerance toward homosexuals. We
are labelled thus because we have the audacity to teach that homosexuality is
sin. Much has been seen in recent years—bakers sued because they would not make
cakes for “gay marriages;” florists and photographers sued because they refused
to participate in such ceremonies; and Christian street preachers arrested for
calling homosexuality a sin.
A
new phobia controversy erupted in Belfast, N. Ireland some months
ago—Islamophobia.
Pastor James McConnell is the
septuagenarian preacher of Ulster’s largest church, the Whitewell Metropolitan
Tabernacle. On Sunday, May 18, 2014, he preached a sermon with the provocative
title, “The Sermon that Ministries and Pastors Will Not Be Allowed to Preach in
the Future.” The text of the sermon was I Timothy 2:5-7 (a better theme would
have been, “The One Mediator between God and Men,” a theme which actually
encapsulates what the text teaches). The sermon was a typical Fundamentalist,
Arminian presentation delivered with rhetorical bluster—much shouting, hand
waving, pulpit thumping, and little exegesis, the kind of sermon a SB reader would hardly care to hear.
However,
the sermon caused a stir because of what McConnell said about Islam: “The
Muslim god—Allah—is a heathen deity. Allah is a cruel deity. Allah is a demon
deity ... Islam is heathen. Islam is satanic. Islam is a doctrine spawned in
hell.” Later in the same sermon, McConnell opined, “Now people say there are
good Muslims in Britain—that may be so—but I don’t trust them.”
Soon
after the sermon was preached, it became the most talked about story on local
BBC media. Opinions varied. Some called McConnell a courageous preacher of
truth; others labelled him a bigot. The PSNI (Police Service of Northern
Ireland) launched an investigation, treating the case as a possible “hate crime
incident.” McConnell was unapologetic; he claimed that he was preaching the
gospel; he insisted that he did not have a hateful bone in his body; and he
defended his right to free speech. Even some prominent Northern Irish
politicians weighed in on the controversy. As part of the investigation,
McConnell was interviewed for almost two hours at Newtownabbey police station
on Friday, June 6. Afterwards McConnell issued a statement apologising for any
offence but refused to retract the sermon itself. “I had no intention of
causing any offence or insulting any member of the Muslim community,” he said,
adding, that he did not intend to “arouse fear or stir up or incite hatred”
toward any member of the Muslim community.” Ostensibly, McConnell’s aim had
been to raise awareness for the plight of Meriam Ibrahaim, the Sudanese woman
condemned to death for “apostasy from Islam.” The PSNI have not pressed
charges, but surely the prospect of an interview at a police station has a
chilling effect upon anyone who might dare to speak in the future.
Let
me make some comments on the case.
First,
McConnell, while he has freedom of speech, was not wise in his words. The
pulpit is not the place for political advocacy, and his congregation would have
been served better, if McConnell had carefully and systematically explained the
core differences between Islam and Christianity on the Trinity, the Incarnation
of the Son of God, the atonement of Christ, and other matters. If McConnell
would like to equip his people to witness to Muslims—and not just to rant to
them or about them—he needs to teach doctrine. McConnell and his flock should
read the Qur’an, so that they know what Muslims believe and can effectively
witness to them. There are also excellent Christian-Muslim debates online by
James White, where White respectfully engages with the arguments of Muslim
apologists and presents the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not compromise—it
is doing research; it is knowing why you believe what you believe and why, and
what the person to whom you witness believes and why. To say, “Islam is evil”
is true, but it will not open many doors for a fruitful discussion with a
Muslim co-worker.[1]
Second,
the reaction of the media was grossly hypocritical. Had the BBC not taken the
story and run with it for several weeks, very few would have heard about or
cared about it. Does the BBC really believe that those who would commit racially
motivated attacks—Islam is not a race—need a theological justification for
their behaviour, or that such thugs ever darken the door of a church, or that any
of them would ever have heard of the sermon, had the media not broadcast clips
of it on TV and radio? If anyone is guilty of stirring tensions, it is the
media. Moreover, McConnell was demonised and ridiculed as a bigot, because he
had the audacity to criticise Islam, and (regrettably at the same time) to lump
all Muslims together with their violent Jihadist coreligionists. His infamous
“I don’t trust them” statement drew most of the ire of the media—although
“Islam is satanic” was more suitable headline fodder. Several Islamic spokesmen
were interviewed. While McConnell was subjected to gruelling interrogations,
the Islamic representatives were thrown softballs. One would imagine that Islam
had never said anything negative about Christianity!
Third,
the churches in Northern Ireland—and elsewhere— need to have an answer to Islam
which goes beyond foolish, ignorant ranting on the one hand, and craven fear
and compromise on the other. As a case in point, the Irish Presbyterian
Moderator was interviewed on Sunday 25 May on BBC Radio Ulster. When asked
about McConnell’s comments, Rev. Dr. Rob Craig
reluctantly said about McConnell’s comments: “They are not consistent with the Gospel of Christ and the love of God.” This
was later reported sensationally with the headline, ”Presbyterian Moderator
Slams Pastor’s Islam Comments.” In the
interview, it was clear that Dr. Craig had “slammed” no one, but had only very
reluctantly commented, and a condemnation—if one wishes to call it
that—was dragged out of him. When asked if he planned to follow the example of
a colleague who had visited the local Islamic centre to show solidarity and
support, he said he had no immediate plans to do so, but was not entirely
opposed to the idea. This is the same Presbyterian Church in Ireland, whose
Doctrine Committee reported to the 2007 General Assembly, “If we are guided by
biblical vocabulary, it seems difficult to extend the word ‘idolatry’ to Islam,
for example. Judaism is clearly not a case of it.” Islam is difficult to describe
as idolatry? Islam, which denies the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ is
not idolatry? What the Moderator should have said was this: “While Pastor
McConnell’s words were ill chosen, it should not be a surprising thing to learn
that Christianity and Islam are two religions diametrically opposed to one
another. Islam denies that Jesus is the Son of God; Islam denies that Jesus
made an atonement for sin on the cross; Islam denies the only way of salvation.
Of course, Islam is a false religion.”
Fourth,
it is a sign of things to come that Islam, many of whose adherents persecute
and oppress Christians on a massive scale worldwide, can call upon the police
to investigate a pastor for “hate crimes” simply because he criticises that
religion. The hate crime charge may not have stuck this time, but there will be
more cases. Pastors need to be courageous, but they also need to heed Christ’s
words: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”
(Matt. 10:16).
Rev. Martyn McGeown
The Standard Bearer, Vol. 90, No. 20, pp. 467-469
[1] Interested
readers may view a number of blog posts on Islam on the Limerick Reformed
Fellowship website, www.limerickreformed.com;
and James White’s ministry can be accessed on www.aomin.org/
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