Always Hope

The 11 th September, when Christians all over the world will be praying for those still suffering the consequences of 2001, and that Christ's rule of peace will triumph over violence in the world. Except those few who think that it's a better idea to perpetuate the cycle of violence. Terry Jones has apparently called off his book burning , but the damage is already done, as Christians in Muslim countries are being threatened and attacked in retaliation for his cheap, publicity-seeking antics. There is no longer anything funny about this. No words can express the contemptibility of people who use the name of Christ to inflame a war of hatred, a war in which other Christians will die in while they sit in safety - but Canon Andrew White does a good job here , combining passion, dignity and integrity in a way that few of us are qualified to.

Thanks to the incredibly well-informed eChurch Christian Blog for putting the spotlight on the Qur'an-burning church in Florida. Today's post on that blog highlights the way in which their actions are endangering the lives of Christians in Islamic parts of the world. As another example of when biblical Christianity goes bad (see my previous post of that title), I invite you to explore the website of the book-burning church, the inappropriately named Dove World Outreach Centre. While there might be some comic elements about it (Q: "why would we put up a sign like this?" A: is it because you don't own a ruler or have any grasp of the proper use of capital letters?) this is actually in a different league to the curious madness of the Latter Rain Ministries. Dove is nasty. Quite apart from frothing at the mouth at their own local authorities for refusing them a "burn permit" (what?), this church seems to be intent on defining itself by what it opposes, ra...