CIU Today Winter 2016

35 / 36

Terrorism: How should the Church respond?
ISIS. Only simple letters, yet they immediately produce mental images of brutal savagery that
cause many to want to retaliate not only against ISIS but against all Muslims. Is that how the
Church should respond?
The prophet Jonah faced similar emotions and attitudes in his day. God commanded him to
preach to Nineveh, capital of the feared Assyrians. They notoriously tortured their enemies when
they conquered them, and they were becoming more aggressive and powerful all the time.
Jonah ran from his assignment preferring to let God’s judgment fall on Nineveh. He would have
rather died than take the Good News to those people. Yet God’s compassion was greater than
Jonah’s hatred, and once Jonah’s heart was changed in the belly of the great fish, he preached
and Nineveh repented.
Yes, ISIS and other terrorists cause us great concern. We want to protect ourselves and our loved
ones. Desiring protection from harm is not just normal; it’s biblical. That is exactly the role God
has assigned to government. Consider 1 Peter 2:13-14. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to
every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him
for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. So God clearly tells us that
government is called to protect us. But what is the responsibility of the Church?
Our fleshly desire may be like that of Jonah, to just let God’s judgment fall on the Islamic world.
God, however, calls the Church to be radical. Believers must respond by taking the gospel to
the Muslim world. We must spread the message of God’s love and forgiveness to those who
consider us their enemy. We forget that we, too, were once enemies of God. Romans 5:8, 10
reminds us of that truth. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us … For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
If Christ so loved us, then we need to love others with the same sacrificial love. On the wall of
Memorial Residence Hall hang plaques in memory of six CIU alumni who gave their lives for the
sake of the gospel; a gospel meant to be shared with every tribe, tongue and nation, including
the Muslim world.
CIU has a passion for Muslims. In addition to our M.A. degree in Muslim Studies, we house
the Zwemer Center, which provides research, training and resources to effectively minister
to Muslims. Discover how you can reach out to the Muslims you meet at
When the newscasts and headlines arouse strong feelings of ill-will toward others, remember
that ultimately the Church’s responsibility is not to defeat terrorism, but to boldly proclaim
the gospel of Christ.
May God continue to raise up men and women dedicated to proclaim Jesus Christ – even
to ISIS!!
Yours for His glory,
William H. Jones
President
THE FINAL WORD
Believers
must
respond by
taking the
gospel to
the Muslim
world.
35
THE FINAL WORD
CIU Today