The backstory…. On April 9 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (where I was a minister for 21 years), a local Muslim man named Ehab Jaber walked into a Christian Conference where hundreds were gathered to hear speakers (including an ex-Muslim speaking on the topic: “Sabotaging America: Islam’s March Toward Supremacy“). The local media hyped the entire event up as “anti-muslim” drawing out a sizeable protest, and in my view, we can thank them for their role in creating this incident. A Christian worldview event was spun by media as anti-Muslim and, surprise, it drew out a mad Muslim. If we want to de-escalate the tensions, maybe the media could help by not fuelling them.
What goes on in mosques, of course, is from the perspective of their worldview and what goes on in churches, of course, is from ours. These are not harmonious world views. Each believes the other is what is wrong with the world and that God is on one side, their side. I’m a Christian, and I have nothing nice to say about Islam. And of course, I don’t believe Islam to be just another way to relate to God. ((If there were other viable paths to salvation God would not have sent his only Son to die on a Cross to pay the penalty for our sin.)) Of course I think, as do all orthodox Christians in a variety of streams, that Islam is a grave deception and the antithesis of any sort of religion of peace.
So, on April 9, Mr Jaber walked into this Christian worldview event waving his Koran and made a scene until he was asked to leave by event security. In the parking lot he recorded a video and posted it on Facebook. In the video he showed off his collection of legal South Dakota firearms and kept repeating “be scared.” He has since been charged with making a Terrorist Threat, his weapons have been confiscated, and law enforcement found Meth in his home. He sits now in jail and laments bitterly how he has lost everything. The judge set a very low bail, $2500, apparently not considering Mr Jaber a threat to society. Mr Jaber told the court: “No one wants to bond me out so it doesn’t matter.”
My analysis… is twofold.
First, they have their guns and their book and we have our guns and our Book. Fellow South Dakotans will remember (lousy-)Christian US Senate Candidate, now felon, Annette Bosworth holding up our Good Book and her Big Gun during her failed 2014 Senate campaign. There are differences for sure in how Mr Jaber decided to make his video in the parking lot of an event in the heat of anger, thus the terrorist threat charges. But I think we should look more closely at the similarities. I’m not all that convinced what he did is all that different from what a lot of flag/gun waving Christians do. This meme illustrates the point.
If the book the gal on the left is holding up says don’t kill the other person, why is she holding that gun? Here’s why? Because since Constantine, the Church has embraced a grave heresy to find justifications to do the very opposite of what Jesus taught. The gal on the left believes her book gives her justifications to kill the other JUST LIKE the gal on the right believes her book gives her justifications to kill the other.
Second, I think it is high time Christians start acting like Christians and that means we start acting like Christ. That means we figure out a way to love this enemy. Missionaries do it all the time… they reach out to those who are hostile to them and who have even tried to kill them. That’s when the Gospel is most powerful. That’s when we are most like Christ. As is this guy is sitting in jail thinking hundreds of local Christians at an event hate him. I hope that is not true. He needs to know Christians love Muslims even though they take issue with Islam.
If the charges stick, a judge can sort through appropriate consequences. That’s Romans 13. Our job is Romans 12 (vss. 17-21). This guy has no prior offences, is not connected to some radicalised jihad sleeper cell, and he didn’t kill anyone– though I agree he was dangerously close to snapping in the near the future. It is GOOD that law enforcement got involved when they did. In this case, and I’m only talking about this case, I’m suggesting there is a window of opportunity for us to be Christians, for once.
So how do we love on our local (alleged) terrorist? My suggestion is that we post his $2500 bond and I’ll put forth the first $250. He needs to know there are people who care about him and that they are they very people who he views as enemies. This gesture would send this guy a message in a way that sending him a Bible wouldn’t. It would send him am important message that so far we have failed to communicate to him and others like him.
If this isn’t as good a time as any to finally try out that whole love-our-enemies thing, I’m not sure there ever will be a perfect time and way to obey what Jesus told us to do every time we have opportunity. It seems we always find spiritual-sounding and common sense rationales to not obey Jesus in this regard. We need to quit being kinda-Christians and start being Christ-like. It’s easy to love those who love us back, Jesus noted even the pagans do that – what sets us apart is enemy love and until we get to that point, we are still pagan in our love.
Last night I tried to set up a gofundme.com account to collect donations but gofundme cancelled my account because such a legal plea for funds is a violation of their terms and conditions. I’ll have to figure out another way this afternoon. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Still thinking about where people can send money to send this “message” to Mr. Jaber. Maybe I’ll ask the multicultural centre to put a donation jar in their office? Don’t send anything there yet. But I really ONLY want these donations to come from people who are “friends of Jesus” and preferably Conservative Christians only – it needs to come from us. Mr Jaber needs to think about the fact that he was bailed out by friends of Jesus.
UPDATE 2 (4/26/2017) 12:34 CST: A pastor in Sioux Falls reports to me that Mr. Jaber is no longer in the jail. And, the editor of the Argus Leader just sent me a text to take down that picture of Mr Jaber that I lifted off their website. I said, sure.
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Apr 26, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Steve
Just for fun I’ll paste below a bunch of comments on this post that are from my Facebook friends:
– Yes, lets put a now more than likely angry, unstable, meth head back on the streets.
– Wow what’s the American Citizens Death Toll up to now 6000 , and you want to give a radacal Muslim respect , Wow what if he killed everyone of your family except you ? Are you still going to cry him a river ???
– Why not obey Jesus by helping the homeless, veterans, widows, Native Americas who are caught up in addiction in our city rather than a guy who obviously has plenty of ammunition, guns and the exact words he shared were to “be terrified”.
– Sometimes being a Christian means doing the difficult thing. Once the fund is set up, count me in.
– There’s many considerations here but he also has to face the consequences of his actions. If he is an addict(meth found in his home) and has addictive personality traits, things will always be blamed on others. If he needs to be jailed, he can still have visitors. I don’t think he should be enabled by bailing him out.
– Steve I’m in…..lets send a message to our Muslim community and the World….
– I feel sorry for him, he needs mercy more than jail. He needs grace more than condemnation. I know my opinion isn’t popular, but honestly as a person who calls myself a follower of Christ, I need to remember that I am called to love, forgive, give grace, offer love, and stand up for the voiceless. I think here was some verse that speaks about visiting those in prison.. Or something like that….
– Do you have a gofundme setup or a pay pal? I will donate. I love the idea of loving our enemies.
– He still deserves pumishment. Christians can exhibit grace to him, in other ways.
– It looks like most of you forget the Ten’s of Thousands of Middle East Christian’s that have been Beheaded and there female Children And Wives that have been forced into Muslems sex Slaves , along with the Muslim Invasion Destroying the world with there Stone Age Savagery and expecting the whole world to concid to Islumic Law and every Non Muslem is now there Slaves. I just can’t see Jesus make us all lower our head’s to be chopped off like a Chicken… There is a vary good reason for the Crusades , to stop the Muslim Raping & Murderding Invasion… Heck they have been killing themselves for hundreds of years , Savage’s.
– I agree with Steve! I will donate
– Back in the day the people cried, “Give us Barrabas.” You who want to fund a man who practices strong belief in Allah are giving permission for genocide of Christians. A former Muslim, now Christian, TOLD me so. Do not be blind; these people are serious in winning the entire world over in the name of their god, Allah (who has nothingh remotely to do with our Christian God). They BELIEVE that what they are doing is right. By getting rid of us infidels, they think they are pleasing Allah, whom they are willing to die for.
– I’m in.
– Not a cent for this one. Better to visit him in jail and minister to him with God’s truth. Never ‘fund’ an addict, especially a terrorist with these kinds of weapons on him and standing back there with the Koran that gives him permission to kill those infidels in the room.
– Praying about this Steve this is awesome idea love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.. let me know were I can give as well
– IMO It would probably be better if some churches collectively would do that. I’m with some here, it is a bit of sowing and reaping. But kindness does win souls.
– Pray for his salvation yes, but to raise money to get him out of jail??? I was at the conference. I personally felt threatened after watching this video….I would suggest watching it again as he waves his weapons.
And my favourite…
– You can’t even convince me of Christ, much less this Meth head terrorist. Would you fuck the devil to see if he shits an angel? How dare you offer to put all of us at risk to appease your god. Stop funding terrorists.
Apr 26, 2017 at 7:04 pm
CAHeidelberger (@coralhei)
On your comments about media hype:
1) It is accurate to describe the event as “anti-Islam.” It preached more than Christian worldview—it also peddled conspiracy theories about the Islamic Center in Sioux Falls being part of the Muslim Brotherhood and Lutheran Social Services bringing in dangerous people. None of that is theologically based.
2) The article you link about the protest came after the event; that article thus could not have drawn out Jaber or anyone else. The local media thus did not create this incident.
Apr 26, 2017 at 11:29 pm
Manny Steele
Steve, with all your education I think your brain is getting fuzzy.
Example, look at the picture of the two women. The one on the right appears to be a Muslim and gives you the choice, convert to Islam, become a second class citizen or be killed. The Christian on the left is protecting her faith and her constitution, and is a defensive position.
Hope that explains the “Difference” to a pretty dump question.
Apr 27, 2017 at 9:15 am
Steve
Cory 1) are you comfortable calling the activities in mosques anti-Christian? Anti isn’t the right now. 2) I need to correct the link because there are numerous media stories about the coming “anti-muslim” speaker which resulted in 70 protesters showing up the day of the event in addition to Mr Jaber.
Manny, so one picture is defensive and the other is offensive? Perhaps, except the pic on the left is easily construed as defensive as well. And, the good ole USA is on the offensive in these countries as much as the defensive and this gal on the left communicates that message to the Muslim world. What is clear is that she is NOT communicating a Christian message, despite the fact that she is holding up a Bible. Blessings to you and Barb.