Leaving aside John McCain's relationship to televangelist Rod Parsley, whom I've never heard of, there's nothing particularly shocking about calling Islam a false religion. If I were a devout Muslim, I would believe that a Christian who believed in the substitionary atoning death of Christ on the cross and the resurrection, as I do, believed in a false religion.
In fact, Muslim student associations all over America are proselytizing Christians on the argument that we falsely believe in three gods (Muslims condemn the Trinity).
All religions make truth claims. When we say they're all alike, we violate the law of noncontradiction. Good relationships between different religions can only be achieved when we respect their right to make a truth claim contrary to what we believe. But from my perspective, while I respect their truth claim, I obviously consider it false because it is inconsistent with my own faith. I don't see why anybody should be scandalized by that.
When it comes to using the words “should be destroyed," I would repudiate that language. The Bible teaches us to overcome evil with good and to winsomely present our own case.
It would be hard to keep the Islamic question out of this year's political campaign, since a particularly virulent movement that blends Islamist teaching with what is clearly fascism is employing terror in an effort to bring down the West. We don't want to ever condemn peace-loving Muslims. But we do condemn violence against innocent civilians, whether it's in the service of religion or ideology. I don't know whether McCain knows anything about Rod Parsley, but I feel certain that he would as a candidate for president and as president renounce the statement that any religion should be "destroyed." Combating terrorism is another matter.
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