Similtude:
As I was listening, it dawned on me that Paul seemed to basically tie two of Christ's Sermon points together via the proverb, "If you're enemy hunger ....., for by doing so you will heap coals of fire on their heads." He uses BOTH the point of NOT avenging yourself while doing GOOD to overcome evil AND the point that this particular mode of overcoming evil is practically applicable to ENEMIES, not just one's more intimate neighbor. And he does this by quoting from the OT. As Jesus had said, the proper adjudication of the law and prophets uses every jot and tittle--even the ones that had to do with doing GOOD to enemies.

 

Yessir.  Overcoming evil with good (particularly to enemies) is about as BIBLICAL as it gets.

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Similtude:
He's saying since, per a non-pacifistic ethic, there can be a time for war against one's enemies, and that since, per his understanding, this includes Christians fighting in such wars, that Christians some times do what doesn't look like love. Per universalism, even just war can be love because of the nature of post-mortem consequences. Regardless, it is beyond me how he can infer that what he's advocating will do any good whatsoever. All I can imagine it doing is provoking some people to wrath and others to fear, while provoking animosity towards his own congregation.

1) His chief intent is provocation...of all sides. He's said as much repeatedly.

2) I really do believe that the Biblical authority/Lordship issues are the only ones where discussion can take place with Pastor Jones. It does not seem like he's listening to anything else, like pragmatic concerns of loss of human life or whatnot. Before Dove World Outreach Center's website and contact information became inaccessible, I went there, looked it all over, and listened to multiple sermons of his. He hammers insistently upon the truth of God's word and Jesus actually being "the Way". He's big about obedience to God's word and all that. He's big on Jesus being Lord. He's big on trying to convince other Christians that they should "stand up" to Islam the way Dove World is doing right now.

But that's the thing. Jesus' words are plainly obvious:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Something I keep in mind is this: when we talk about Pastor Jones and his congregation, we aren't talking about soldiers in an army fighting in an actual a war. We aren't talking about the moral dilemmas of a Christian soldier having active combat in Afganistan. We are talking about a civilian church body who, overtly AS church body, is reacting to a perceived growth in extremist Islam in the world by knowing doing offensive, provocative activity for the sake of effect. The church itself describes the International Burn a Koran Day as "neither an act of love or of hate."

That seems patently against 1 Corinthians 16:14...

"Let all that you do be done in love."

And we don't even have to mention 1 Corinthians 13.

For Pastor Jones to genuine wish to convince Christians (like me) who believe in a high view of Scripture and a high view of Jesus' lordship to participate in Burn-A-Koran-Day as a response to Islamic "enemies", he has to be able to explain how said response is completely consonant with those beliefs.  That's what I'm asking for.

Post Edited (Hesychia) : 9/9/2010 12:12:06 PM (GMT-5)