(This post is not about the legalities of “free speech” in America – specifically Dearborn, Michigan – or how much the police did or did not do to protect the “Bible Believers” when they were pelted with water bottles and other items by Muslim teenagers in June, 2012 at the Arab Festival. I will leave all of that up to others to debate and for the courts to decide. My point here is simply to address the words and behavior of the “Bible Believers” at the Festival and encourage all of us to examine them by the teachings and actions of Jesus.)
The words on the young boy’s sign above are so true: somebody keeps giving Christianity a bad name at the annual Arab Festival in Dearborn, Michigan.
Of the more than 325,000 people who attend the festival each June on Father’s Day weekend, it is not the festival organizers or the Dearborn city officials or the police who give Christianity a bad name. Nor is it the majority of Muslims or Christians (many of whom are Arab) who attend the festival who cause the trouble. They actually get along quite well together and are just there to have a good time. No, the people who attend the Arab Festival and give Christianity a bad name are mostly a small group of visiting protesters who call themselves by the name, “Bible Believers,” and act (in my opinion) more like bigots and racists than true followers of Jesus. See the video here if you like:
It seems to me that these visitors come just to create an uproar and then feel good about themselves when both epithets and eggs are thrown at them! Their satisfaction when this occurs is a false and twisted understanding of Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness sake” (Injeel, Matthew 5:11).
Instead of sharing “Good News” about Jesus, the “Bible Believers” used their terrible signs and voices of contempt last summer and this summer in Dearborn to spread a lot of “Bad News” and give Christianity a bad name. These people might have stood in the “free speech zone” at the festival but Jesus never gave them the freedom to point their fingers and speak the foul words that came from their mouths.
Below is one last picture of their group – one that I photographed last June:
When I approached one of the man in the picture and rebuked him for his lack of Jesus-like behavior, all he could do was berate me and call me names in a mean-spirited and arrogant manner. I was ashamed of him for conducting himself in such despicable ways and at the same time associating himself with the beautiful name of Jesus. I told him exactly that. No one bearing the name “Christian” should ever, ever behave in such a horrible and hateful manner toward Muslims (or anyone else).
So what does the Bible itself have to say about the behavior of these so called “Bible Believers” – these so called “Christians” – who shout at Muslim kids, walk around the festival with a pig’s head on a stick to incite anger, and carry signs filled with words of vitriol? Well, it says a lot. Please check out just two well-known statements from the Bible from the mouth of Jesus:
*** “Love your neighbor” – Jesus repeated this command from the Torah (Leviticus 19:18) over and over again (Injeel: Matthew 19:19 and Matthew 22:39 for example). It is crucial to a life of following him. Muslims are our neighbors. The “Bible Believers” never seem to have gotten the message to love them.
*** “Love your enemies” – Muslims are not my enemies but I guess – at least by their behavior – that the “Bible Believers” think they are their enemies. If so, it seems like they never got this command of Jesus either (Injeel: Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36). This begs the question, “What Bible are the ‘Bible Believers’ believing anyway?!”
I sincerely hope that all of you who are Muslim readers can easily see that these “Bible Believers” who show up at the Arab Festival don’t accurately represent the Bible, Jesus, Christians, or Christianity. They just give it a bad name.
As a “Christian” – one who tries to follow Jesus and proclaim the truly “Good News” of his death and resurrection – I say to all Muslims: “I love you with the love of my savior, Jesus Christ.” And I think I speak for countless other Christians who feel the same way.
Great post! I’m sorry to hear that this is continuing to happen. To our Muslim friends, please know that these few people do not represent what Jesus has called his followers to live like!
Pete,
Thanks for responding! You are a real friend. And yes, I so agree: the few so called Christians like these who make headlines don’t represent us. This is probably the exact message Muslims want us to understand about some Muslims who make headlines also!
Oh, Mark, i grieve that too! We saw a group just like that at the Art Fair in Ann Arbor. They were not at all like the Jesus I know. I wanted to weep at the impression they were giving.
Norma, how sad. In a way I wish I could have been there to rebuke them – in love of course!
We as Christians are commanded to love one another as Jesus loved. We do not win Muslims to the gospel by talking disrespectfully about their religion and their prophet. Our main mission to them is to simply lift up Jesus.
Carmen,
Thanks for your response! Yes, love is our chief calling!
Very well said brother. I publicly rebuked a preacher who was using hateful words at the Preachers Conference I attended in the late 90’s…and was kicked-out of the conference by the host! God justified me not long after by having this host and his ministry kicked-off the property he was renting from the Catholic Church.
Preacher Dave,
Thanks, my friend. I think it would be fair to say that, “I hate hateful words!” Can I say that?
Thats really strange becuase every video I have seen shows muslims attacking other faiths at the festival and items for sale calling for the death of all jews.
Thameris,
Thanks for your comment. I don’t know what videos you have seen from the Arab Festival. Yes, the teen age kids did throw water bottles at the “Bible Believers” at the Festival. That was not good at all. I am totally against that. It should not have happened.
However. . .it was the Bible Believers who attacked Islam and Muhammad in entirely inappropriate and non-Biblical ways through their huge signs and the terrible and hateful words they shouted at the Muslim crowds.
Never saw any items for sale calling for the death of all Jews but did not really look at any items for sale. Do you have some evidence of this?
Bottom line for me, Thameris, is that God calls Christians to love all people. Period.
How about the Christians that are beheaded by muslims in Middle East?
Shoshone,
Of course, Christians being beheaded by Muslims in the Middle East is a very tragic, horrible thing. It is inexcusable.
But. . .I hope you know that Muslim vs. Muslim violence is even greater.
And. . .I hope you know that if those “Christians” were true followers of Jesus, they are in Heaven as martyrs – rejoicing in the presence of God.
Paul wrote about beheadings before he himself was beheaded for the sake of Jesus (Romans 8:35-39):
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.