some thoughts

From New Horizons, the monthly periodical of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

The Supreme Court ruled this week in favor of the individual right to bear arms, and struck down the DC law against handguns. This is refreshing!

Thanks to SP for the tip!

I received yet another email today with a subject in the vein of “Was Muhammad Really a Man of Peace?” and “Is Islam REALLY a Religion of Peace?”

I’m sure you’ve seen them. The emails and related articles go on to decry the violence of Islam’s founder, Islam’s sacred text, and even Islam’s god, with the express purpose of discrediting the religion on account of its being a “violent religion.” Before you groan and exclaim “not another commentary on the wrong-headed violence of Christians in the past,” or “here we go again, another one pleading ‘we misinterpreted our scriptures too!’ ” hear me out. I may not be headed where you think.

Jihad (by the sword) is not an inherently evil means of kingdom advancement. What else was Joshua’s campaign against Canaan(1), if not precisely that–a holy war against the infidel Philistines (and all the surrounding “ites”)? Isn’t his “taking of the holy land” exactly that? A holy jihad? And it was commanded by the God of the Bible. Speaking of him, wasn’t it precisely a jihad when he came against the gods of Egypt–and their devotees? What’s more, wasn’t the entire history of redemption kicked-off by his declaration of holy war (between “her seed and the devil’s seed”) in Genesis 3? Every man born of a woman since then has been born into an epoch of cosmic jihad.

Jihad is not, therefore, inherently evil. The morality of jihad depends on its end (or goal), and on the conditions under which it is waged. Why, then, was the Conquest of Canaan (a jihad if ever there was one) legitimate–even moral? Why, then, was the Egyptian massacre not only warranted, but in fact quite glorious? For one reason: the true Creator of all that is commanded it. His very person is the alone standard of Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Justice. His perfect will is the very measure of our own virtue or vice. With pleasing him as the end, and under the condition that he orders it, jihad is not merely permissible: it is praiseworthy. So, why is Islamic jihad necessarily evil?

To put it quite clearly, there is only one reason why Islamic Jihad is evil: Allah is not God. Jehovah is.

To drive this point home, imagine the reverse. If Allah was the true Creator of this cosmos, and if Muhammad truly was his prohpet, and if (therefore) the Koran truly is the word of God, then heaven and earth would be his, all non-Muslims would be his enemies, and he would have every right to drive them out of his holy cosmic temple by any means that he wishes–by sword or by spear. If Allah is God, then jihad would not only be permitted, it too would in fact be praiseworthy, and any who would not participate would be considered “faithless.”

Once more, if Allah is God, and is therefore the true king of the cosmos, then jihad would be the right response to his supreme lordship. If Allah is God, then vehement jihad would be the very mark of covenant faithfulness and zeal for his renown. If Allah is God, then his cosmic temple ought to be purged of treasonous “infidels” — his holiness and justice would require it.

But Allah is not God, Jehovah is. This is why jihad done in the name and under the “orders” of Allah is wicked, and why Joshua’s jihad was utterly righteous–why it was praised for “faithfulness unto the Lord.” This is why the Egyptian massacre was the exacting of perfect Justice and why carbombings are thoroughly wicked. No, Joshua did not misinterpret his sacred text(2). He was commended for getting it right.

Jihad is not inherently evil. It is not merely an Islamic thing; it is a holy war thing. We’d better get that clear in our heads. Otherwise, just what exactly is it that we think Jesus is coming back to do?

I’m becoming a fan of DA Carson, who I’ve read before but never really ‘clicked’ with. Also, I recently had a wonderful first experience with Michael Horton when I read God of Promise: An introduction to Covenant Theology with the Men’s reading group at the church. I was especially pleased to find them joining up for a little conference recently, and I would highly recommend given their talks a listen.

They’re all linked to from Justin Taylor’s blog, Between Two Worlds, here.

Enjoy!

If, as the Iron Lady once put it, “there is no such thing as society,” then perhaps it could be said that there is no such thing as a militia. I pray the SCOTUS rules in favor of liberty. (Washington D.C. v Heller).

I heard a rumor that audio of the oral arguments will be available online — if anyone has any further information, please do post a comment or shoot me an email (see above right).

Before resuming my Sunday-afternoon journey down the rigorous road of Milton’s Paradise Lost, I decided to duck under the side-boughs and explore a few of the lesser well-known glens of Milton’s shorter poems. There I discovered friends old and new, made aquaintance and reminisced.

My walk was disturbed shortly by the familiar twin voices of L’Allegro and Il Penseroso–campaigning, making caricature, self-justifying–arguing which was the better temperament and lifestyle. (Or perhaps the voice is single; the banner over which daily reading, “…yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.”) I heard Lycidas again lamented; next a blind widower awake from a dream to redoubled loss in Sonnet XIX (”…I woke, she fled, and day brought back my night.”).

And newer friends were found: a better tribute to Shakespeare (On Shakespeare), lofty and wise; a taunt toward Time (”…that two-handed engine at the door, [which] Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more.”), to echo Donne’s to Death (On Time); a thankful hymn for the sirens’ song, which warmed my heart most strangely (At a Solemn Music). Last, but not least, this little gem (Translation from the title-page of ‘Areopagitica’), a translation of Euripides:

This is true liberty when freeborn men
Having to advise the public may speak free,
Which he who can, and will, deserves high praise,
Who neither can nor will, may hold his peace;
What can be juster in a state than this?

(A worthy gem to consider these days, I think.)

They say Sunday afternoons are for visiting, and well they say it. But not all friends are living, nor all corporeal. Today in these glens I’ve visited friends of gold, and along the paths befriended silvers, and their company has been most refreshing. But I have lingered too long; back on the main road Raphael soon will speak of the making of worlds and of kingdoms king’d, while Adam’s ancient chorus of inquiry ebbs toward the bounds of permission…and I have miles to go before I sleep…

(I am thankful for the Sabbath.)

…as the saying goes, “only outlaws will have guns.” The problem with gun violence is that there aren’t enough responsible, would-be heroes carrying guns. Same goes for the recent campus shootings: the problem is that there aren’t enough guns. Think about it: how long would those cowardly crybabies have lasted if they showed up all Matrix-clad with high hopes of blowing away lots of people (”just like on my video game!”), only to be shot down by the first normal-johnny-well-adjusted kid before Neo-wannabe even lifted his gun above his waist? Not long. Body count: murderers 1, innocents 0.

This might be surprising, but if you think about it, gun control laws are actually government-enforced subsidies on crime. How, you ask? By removing natural competition. Private gun ownership is “the great leveller.” DC’s crime rate pre- and post-gun control makes this pretty clear.

The SCOTUS will be hearing a case in [on] March 18th. Mark your calendars, and let’s hope that the Constitution is upheld, and that this right that “shall never be infringed” begins to be restored across our land (especially here in New Jersey!).

For more information: Townhall.com, Washington Post, etc.

YouTube - IN 52 SECS WHY BARACK OBAMA CANNOT WIN A GENERAL ELECTION

In Summary, “We’re sorry for being so big and intmidating; please, come and attack us, gain ground, that you would acheive a higher sense of national self-esteem!”

God help us all.

This has got to be the best presentation of the gospel I’ve heard in a very, very long time: RC Sproul Shares the Gospel

It just never gets old, does it?

HT: Mad Sanity