What Do George Bush and Barack Obama Have In Common?

David James

Equipping Pastors International

At first glance, former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama don't appear to have much in common. However, that assumption deserves what has been called the philosophy of a second glance. This subsequent look reveals more affinity between the two than most people think. Surprisingly, the area of agreement is precisely where they appear to differ most--foreign policy. 

According to the conventional wisdom the two men could not be more different on the subject. There is some truth to that line of thinking. President Bush was extremely pro-Israel in his approach to foreign policy. President Obama is pro-Arab. The difference is obvious, right?

Not so fast.

Once you get past all the rhetoric Bush was not exactly anti-Arab, and Obama is not anti-Israeli. In some respects it's a matter of emphasis. Even many of the talking heads have noticed that Bush has said many of the same things to the Muslim world that Obama has said recently. He just didn't get any credit for it. Likewise, Obama has said things to let Israel know the USA will not turn it's back on its old friend and ally. He received little or no credit for those comments. At the end of the day this apparent dichotomy is a moot point. 

The real issue, and the one with the most severe consequences is this: both Bush and Obama have conducted their respective foreign policies with total disregard for Christians in North Africa and the Middle East. The results have been devastating for Christians in the region. Whatever else may be true, the Iraqi and Afghani wars have had at least one negative result--millions of Christians have had to go into exile. Both wars simply exchanged power from one sect of Muslims to another (allegedly more moderate) sect. This may be better for some Muslims than others, but it is equally disastrous for Christians in the region. 

In the same way that Bush and Obama's foreign policy are more similar than most people think, Israel and the Arab world share something too. They are both hostile to Christianity and the gospel. For Christians in the region, it doesn't really matter whether one president supports Israel and the other the Arab/Islamic world. Both approaches to foreign policy will result in the further disappearance of Christianity from its birth place.

This is why it is appalling to see so many Christians in the West blindly support either approach to foreign policy. It is tantamount to religious genocide. The Christian West is completing the work of Muhammad and the Islamic invaders of the seventh century. Unintentionally they are engineering the disappearance of Christianity from North Africa and the Middle East. 

At Equipping Pastors International we believe that the best way to defeat Islamic dominance in North Africa and the Middle East is by strengthening the church that is struggling in the region. In order to accomplish this task we need your support. A door of opportunity has opened for us in the region and we are on the ground and working diligently to see this region returned to the place of prominence it enjoyed in the first six centuries of Christian history. This region was once the intellectual and theological capital of the Christian world, and we are committed to helping it recover its true heritage.  It is crucial for the survival of Christianity in the region that the church in the West get fully on board to prevent the further disappearance of Christianity in North Africa and the Middle East. 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

David James

Equipping Pastors International

What is the proper way for Christians to think about Islam? As Americans, so much of our thinking about Islam has been influenced by a post 911 mentality and led us in the wrong direction. The chief error here is that 911 caused most Christians in America to think of Islam as public enemy number one.

As I've been preparing to minister in North Africa and the Middle East I have spent much time trying to determine the right way to think about Islam. Can Islam be thought of as a revealed religion like Judaism and Christianity? Or is it best to think of it as a natural religion like Hinduism, Buddhism, or Shintoism? Or should we think of Islam as a Judeo-Christian heresy of some kind?

It seemed to me that, as a Christian, the first of these options must be ruled out even though this is how Islam perceives itself. The revelation Muhammad reported to receive from the angel Gabriel is at odds with the revelation of the biblical writers of both testaments and therefore cannot be accepted by Christians as legitimate. So from a Christian point of view, Islam cannot be perceived as a revealed religion. 

Eliminating that view, however, did not solve my dilemma because Islam doesn't fit easily into the mold of a natural religion either. The third option is rather intriguing and I first read about it in a blog posting by Peter Leithart who was commenting on the work of AlainBesancon. For Besancon, Islam does not fit neatly into either of the categories of revealed or natural religion. So he has postulated a third way of viewing Islam as a "natural religion of a revealed God." I need to do more reading and research on this view before I can comment on it at length, but for now I'll just say there is much to think about here. 

It is Peter Leithart, though, who I believe has done the best thinking about this so far. Leithart argues that Islam is a religion raised up by God as a mirror of Christendom to show it all its flaws and corruptions. I believe that Leithart is really on to something here. In much the same way that God raised up the enemies of Israel as a mirror of their flaws and failings in order to call them to repentance, God has raised up Islam as a mirror of Christendom to point out her errors and corruptions of faith and practice to call the church to repentance. In this way God has used Islam as a parody, a kind of distorting mirror that exaggerates our flaws and corruptions. 

According to Leithart, the flaws or corruptions we should see as we gaze into the mirror of Islam fall into four categories:Christological, ecclesiastical, sacramental, and political.

The first sight we see as we gaze into this mirror is an impoverishedChristology. Islam came into being during a time when the church was in crisis over the nature of Christ and the nature of the Trinity. Much of the church where Islam flourished did not follow the orthodox view of the ecumenical creeds and therefore held to an unorthodox view of Christ and the Trinity. It is possible that Muhammad  never heard the orthodox view of either doctrine. Would to God that we could say there has been much improvement in this area, but the opposite is actually the case. Broadly speaking the church's theology and Christology are more impoverished than ever. Looking into the mirror of Islam ought to cause us to conscientiously preach and practice a more TrinitarianChristianity. 

The next reflection we see as we gaze into the mirror of Islam is an impoverished view of the church. The church in the time of Muhammad was a deeply divided church into multiple schisms. A party spirit characterized the day. The various sects of Christianity had gone the way of courting political power as a means of gaining power for their particular party. The oppression of the Byzantine church during this time was so great that many Christians felt they were being liberated by the conquering forces of Islam. It seems, though, that the old cliché is right, the more times change, the more things stay the same. The party spirit in Christianity is rampant, and the churches never ending efforts to court the power of the state is as predominant now as it ever was in history. In this case the mirror of Islam is to be seen in contrast. Islam has always seen itself as a nation, a civilization, a people of God in unity. To be sure their are sects of Islam, and it is in reality far from a monolithic religion, but it has always thought of itself with a certain global self-consciousness. The church must abandon its tribalism, and strive for the peace, purity, and unity of the church. We must remember that we are churchmen, ambassadors of the kingdom, and not agents of the state. 

The third image in the mirror is an impoverished view of the sacraments. Islam emerged from within a Christian world that was deeply ascetic. Monasticism had become the definition of what it meant to be a disciple. While Islam has in one sense moved away from the most severe monastic practices, it may be best seen through the idea of the fast of Ramadan. Fasting is one of the five pillars of faith for Islam. It's part of who they are as a religion and a people. It is part of their self-identification. Jesus and the disciples, however, came eating and drinking. Biblical Christianity is much more a feasting religion than a fasting religion. Yet for centuries we have worshiped and celebrated the sacraments in an austere way that is not at all unlike a reflection of Ramadan. From this rather severe practice which is supposed to be a marriage banquet one would hardly believe that the bridegroom has actually arrived. In this way Islam is God's instrument to call the church back to a frequent and joyous practice of the Lord's Supper.

The final image in the mirror of Islam is political. Islam has always understood itself as a civilization, a body-politic, a nation. It is not merely a set of beliefs or teachings; it is a part of the world that has been subdued by Allah, for Allah. Faithful Muslims will not be satisfied until the whole world is under Islamic law and Islam has infiltrated every area of life. This reflection, of course, is a rebuke to the kind of Christianity practiced in the west today. We have lost this all-encompassing vision of and all-embracing faith. Christianity is a civilization, a holy nation, a culture, with its own language, customs, and laws. We have a King who has subdued the earth and filled it with a new people, in a new creation. This is the meaning of the resurrection. Only we don't believe it. We do not believe, as Leithart, has said, that it is inevitable. Rather, we think it is impossible. We think it's impossible because we really don't believe the gospel--the power of God to everyone who believes. 

Islam is God's rebuke and chastisement. It is God's mirror reflecting our biggest flaws and corruptions. May we gaze into this mirror and see that public enemy number one is not Islam, but a church that has failed in four ways: Christologically, ecclesiastically, sacramentally, and politically. 

At Equipping Pastors International we are looking into the mirror of Islam in order to learn of our flaws and corruptions, repent of our sins, and help the body of Christ to have a truer understanding of itself both at home and around the world. It is only then that we will see North Africa and the Middle East return to the glory of it's Christian past. Please join us in this effort.  

Barack Obama

David James

Equipping Pastors International

As I was traveling in Cairo a few weeks ago something strange happened that caught me off guard. Security was relatively high in the city due to a terrorist bombing that took place just a few days earlier in the Khan el-Khalili market. This was compounded by another incident involving a Muslim man stabbing an American  just a few days later in the same place.

As we went from place to place there were check points, and metal detectors, and requests for identification. All of this was fairly routine and to be expected due to the circumstances. I was traveling with two Egyptian companions who, at each security post, were always thoroughly questioned, asked to show their identification, and subjected to body searches. 

On one occasion when I was following my Egyptian friends through a security check they went through the usual procedures as mentioned above. As I approached the security check myself, I was not subjected to any of the same treatment. Just before I walked through the metal detector I reached for my passport in my back pocket, but before I could pull it out the head of the security team said, Barack Obama and waved me through without having to show my identification or being subjected to a search. 

I was stunned.

The popularity of President Barack Obama was never high among conservative Christians in America, and it has been falling rapidly. Yet in North Africa and the Middle East his popularity remains very high.

However, I'm not so much interested in what Americans think about our 44th president. I'm not even concerned with sharing my political views at this time. What I am desirous  of is convincing conservative Christians that the most important thing for us is how we can capitalize on the popularity of this president overseas (especially in Arabic speaking nations). 

As Americans we are not wrong to be concerned about America, but as Christians we are obligated to be more concerned about the advance of the kingdom. We must always look at these things providentially. God has put this man in power at this time in our history. 

Why? 

So Christians in America can rally together between now and the next election in order to get their guy in the Oval Office? I'm afraid that's all the foresight many of my friends and colleagues have. 

What if, providentially, God put this president in office so that what is bad for America is good for the gospel and the kingdom (especially in Arabic speaking nations). Remember, the spread of the gospel in the first few centuries was made possible by an imperial superpower that shared none of our Christian values. 

At Equipping Pastors International we believe that, in God's providence, the time may be right for the gospel to spread throughout North Africa and the Middle East. It may be that what is bad for America is actually good for gospel and the advance of the kingdom in Arabic speaking nations. Please join us in this mission. 

David James

Equipping Pastors International

How realistic is it? This was a question I was asked by a friend of mine recently. We had been talking about North Africa and the Middle East once again becoming the intellectual and theological capital of the Christian world. It was a good question. 

Before answering that question, though, let's lay out the strategy for those who may just be getting in on the discussion. My thesis, simply put, is that Egypt is the key. If you control Egypt, you control the entire Mediterranean region. This has been the understanding of every great historical leader from Alexander the Great to Napoleon, and every great Empire from Greece to Great Britain. Islam knows this to be true today. That is why Egypt remains one of the largest exporters of Islam today. Historically, however, Egypt was one of the chief exporters of Christianity in the first six centuries. I believe that it is possible for Egypt to return to her former glory as one of the leading nations in the Christian world. 

So the question is, "How realistic is this thesis." 

In answering that question let me sate that one of the reasons Egypt is the key is because the Christian population of Egypt has never been less than 10 percent. Now this is unusually high for the region. Yet the numbers are somewhat misleading. I say misleading because these are the official numbers. The real numbers are most likely much higher. The number I hear bantered around the region is something like 20 or 30 percent. The truth of the matter is that no one really knows because people who convert from Islam to Christianity don't usually advertise their conversions--it's simply too dangerous. So surveys, and statistics are pretty unreliable. But let's say that the number is approaching 30 percent in a country that has little outside evangelical missionary involvement, very few Christian books in their mother tongue, and little historical knowledge about their own Christian heritage that dates back to the time of the evangelist Mark. Here is a nation that under these extraordinary circumstances has grown to around 30 percent of the population. 

Imagine that we are able to radically increase missionary involvement, translate hundreds of books of the best Christian literature available in the west, and educate these peoples regarding their true Christian heritage. If we were able to do this, do you think that we would be able to increase the Christian population by at least 20 percent of the general population? If you answer yes to that question then Christians would then make up 50 percent of the Egyptian population. 

What kind of change do you think that would bring to the region?

I believe that a 20 percent change in the religious population in Egypt would probably be enough to tip the scales in that country toward the favor of Christianity and quickly lead to a Christian majority. And if my thesis is right, the rest of the region will soon follow Egypt. 

So "How realistic is it?" It could be a reality within our lifetime. 

Imagine, we could see the decline and fall of the Islamic empire in our life time. 

The prospect of that reality is what now motivates me to devote all my time to that effort. Please join us at Equipping Pastors International to make this thesis a reality. The realization of a Christian Egypt, North Africa, and the Middle East is going to require our mutual cooperation for the good of the Kingdom of God. 

What's Missing?

David James

Equipping Pastors International

I recently visited the Egyptian National Museum at the Cairo Citadel. Near the entrance of the museum there is a wall that depicts the four periods of Egyptian history frame by frame: the Pharonic Age, Islamic Age, Modern Age, and Present Age. As I stood in front of this wall staring at the panoramic history of one of the worlds great nations I was struck, not by what I saw, but what I didn't see--nearly a thousand years of Christian history was missing. 

Where are the historians--real historians--who care about the truth? Of course, secular historians have never seemed to mind the erasure of history as long as it's Christian history that is being rubbed out. I have come to have no expectations for most of what passes for history in the secular world. Revisionism is the rule of the day. 

However, I had a different set of working suppositions when it came to sacred history. It is one thing for Islamic governments to wipe away nearly a thousand years of Christian history, and for secular historians and observers to look the other way while it happens. It's another thing altogether for sacred historians and Christian observers to be almost entirely silent while it happens. 

I was appalled. Not at the Islamic government of Egypt. Nor at the revisionist. I have no expectations regarding these two collaborators. No, I was disgusted with myself. Why did it take me so long to get it. I have been a Christian for 23 years, and involved in the ministry for most of that time. How could I miss it? How could I be so caught up in my own little world that this escaped my attention?

There are multiple reasons, but none that excuse personal responsibility. I was not taught this at Bible college. I was not taught this at seminary. I was not taught this at church. In short, this simply was not taught. I'm sure it was probably mentioned in passing somewhere. I'm sure a professor, or journalist mentioned this in class, or wrote about it in an article for a journal or Christian periodical. I'm sure.

Regardless, all my dismay is with myself.  

Therefore, I will not be silent anymore. I will not be complicit in the erasure and the revisionism of Christian history. That is why I have joined Equipping Pastors International to focus all of my efforts on resurrecting and recovering the lost Christian heritage in North Africa and the Middle East. If you would like to partner in this ministry than here's how you can help.

First, get mad. There is a lack of appropriate outrage regarding the lost history of this region from the invasion of Islam in the seventh century to the present. Righteous indignation will precede any meaningful action. Our maxim here is found in Paul's words to the Ephesians: Be angry, but do not sin. 

Second, get the word out. Write, talk, share in any way you can. Refer people to this blog, the EPI web page, or to me personally. Use every bit of influence you have.

Third, give to this cause. There is no way around the reality that this cause is going to cost money. I am completely unashamed to ask for your support. I am so convinced of the importance of this mission that I have no reservation or shame about asking you to support it with sacrificial giving. We are talking about the overthrow of Islam. It will require nothing short of giving until it hurts. 

Fourth, Pray. I do not say this casually. I make sure to never ask for prayer in a meaningless, trivial way. For that reason, I do not call my newsletter a prayer letter. In my newsletter I am attempting to accomplish two things: distribute information about our mission, and raise financial support to accomplish this objective. I will not cheapen the mission or the medium with a cloak of prayer. That being said, however, we will not defeat Islam, and all the principalities and powers of spiritual darkness that surrounds it without much labor in prayer. 

Please join me in this effort. Get mad, get the word out, give until it hurts, and pray without ceasing for this mission. 

The Myth of a Muslim Country

David James

Equipping Pastors International 

I keep hearing pundits use the phrase Muslim countries when talking about the nations in North Africa and the Middle East. It makes me wonder about the criteria used to arrive at such a designation. Do they ever speak of Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, or Christian countries? I think not. 

It bothers me that most of these so called Muslim countries have significant minority populations of Christians that are almost completely ignored. But what really bothers me is the subtle prejudice that is betrayed by the designation. To call a nation a Muslim countryis to imply that Islam is the true heritage of that particular nation. Yet, in order to arrive at this conclusion one has to over look nearly a thousand years of history--Christian history.

The conventional history goes something like this: these countries were traditionally Islamic, Christianity came with colonialism in the 19thcentury, both Christianity and colonialism were rejected by these respective Muslim nations at various times in the 20th century. 

Of course, what makes maters worse, many Christians have perpetuated the same line of reasoning tracing Christian involvement in these countries to the modern missions movement in the 19th and 20thcenturies. In this view, Christianity is primarily a European and North American phenomenon that moves from north to south into North Africa and the Middle East. 

The reality, though, is quite different. 

Historically, these so called Muslim nations were actually Christian nations from the first to the seventh century. Even more, this region was the theological and  intellectual  capital of the Christian world. It was from North Africa and the Middle East that Christianity spread into Europe and North America, and not the other way around. These nations were some of the first to follow Jesus and the apostles, and they spread their teachings throughout the whole world.

I find it ironic that Christianity became the dominant religion of the world through the efforts of those who live in what some insist areMuslim countries. How long does a a nation have to be Christian before it can be considered a Christian country, or before it's history can be considered Christian. Is a thousand years enough?

What's interesting, however, is how all this happened. The Christians in North Africa and the Middle East, like Jesus and the apostles before them, used preaching and persuasion to spread their teachings throughout this region and the world. Islam, on the other hand, used the sword to conquer these Christian nations. 

The realist in me knows that those who propagate the idea of Muslim countries are not going to be persuaded, but I hope that those who engage in Christian missions in this region will be convinced. The true history and heritage of this region ought to inform our practice. 

First, we should stop talking about unreached people in this region. They are not unreached, they are forgotten, and the Christian history in that region has been erased. Therefore, we should talk about resurrecting and recovering Christianity there. To do that we must use the literature and liturgy from their true Christian heritage to remind them of their true Christian identity. I believe that all but a minority of people in these nations know that something is missing from their history, that something has been systematically erased and revised from their heritage. Deep inside they know that part of their identity has been stolen from them, and their is a longing to return to what they were, and what they really are. 

Second, we need to stop thinking of Christianity in the region as if it started in the 19th century. That only feeds the notion that these areMuslim countries rather than Christian countries. Remember, that while Christians are minorities they still number in the millions and they are not without their influence. However, they need to be reconnected to their Christian roots. So many only know their Christian history from around the 1860's to the present. We need to take them back to their roots.

Third, we need to put our resources (time, energy, money, literature) into this effort. Too little is being done in this part of the world. It is shocking to discover how few of our great Christian books have been translated into Arabic. It is equally surprising how little our Bible colleges and seminaries are focusing on preparing our future pastors and missionaries to focus in this part of the world from a more historical perspective. Too often they have bought into the myth of theMuslim country. 

Fourth, the Christian future is very bright in this region. As I said in my last post, Islam is not growing and flourishing as much as you might think. Rather, it is collapsing and dying. The time is right to labor in these fields. 

At Equipping Pastors International we are doing just that--we are focusing significant resources to this region. Please join me in this effort for the glory of our King and the good of his Kingdom. These countries belong to him, not Islam. In that way, they are Christian countries. Christianity is not only their true past, it is their future as well. 

Islam Is Collapsing

Equipping Pastors International

Islam is collapsing and will be gone in ten years. 

These are the words of Massab Youssef, the son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Youssef, who recently converted to Christianity. If Massab is right, Islam is not rapidly spreading as it is portrayed in the media, it is dying. The reason it is dying, according to Massab, is not because it is being defeated, rather it is imploding from within. Islam is dying simply because it's not true, and because it cannot deliver on the promises it makes.

As I was ministering in Cairo, Egypt last week I observed a phenomenon that caught my attention, namely, that the Islamic call to prayer that is issued five times per day, goes largely unheeded. Very few Muslims actually stop and pray. The streets of Cairo are teeming with activity throughout the day. The calls to prayer ring out all through the city in a cacophony of voices. Yet nothing happens. No one pauses. No one stops. No one prays. In fact, no one even seems to notice. The call to prayer is issued to summon the faithful, but it's as if no one hears. The faithful are no where to be seen. 

There is an Arabic expression that has become something of a cliché. It can be loosely translated like this: Islam is easy. 

The idea here is that everything about Islam is easy compared to other religious systems (especially Christianity). Islam is easy doctrinally (I don't have to use complex logic to explain the Trinity or the two natures of Christ), and it is easy in terms of practice (if I can't stop and pray now I can make it up later, or if I want to get a divorce, no problem).  Islam is easy. 

Yet it seems to me that this approach to religion has not resulted in the desired outcome. It has not produced faithful practitioners, rather it resulted in a people that no longer even hear the call to prayer. 

While all of this is anecdotal, it seems to lend credibility to the assertion of Massab that Islam is not really growing, or thriving. At least not an Islam anyone would recognize. The question then is how long will this cultural form of Islam last? How long before this religion collapses and implodes on itself in much the same way communism collapsed in the former Soviet Union. 

However long it takes, the church needs to prepare now to minister to those coming out of Islam. This is why at EPI we are focusing significant resources to North Africa and the Middle East.

If we begin to equip leaders to train their own people now the church will grow strong and healthy and be ready when Islam finally collapses.