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An evangelical supports mosque near Ground Zero
Today's guest blogger is Bob Roberts, Jr., the founding and Senior Pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas. NorthWood has started 130+ churches in the United States and trains young pastors here and around the world. He has led numerous development projects through a volunteer movement of mobilizing people to serve from one part of the world to another. He is active in multi-faith activities, as well as as an author. His most recent book is Realtime Connections.
Next week I will be in Hanoi, Vietnam with a dozen or more teachers from NorthWood Church where I pastor in Dallas, Texas as they will be working on education projects at the National University of Vietnam. I love Hanoi: the sights, smells, everything about it. I'll hang out with lots of my Vietnamese friends: painters, educators, businessmen, humanitarians, and even government leaders.
Last week I was invited to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. President Clinton, Senator McCain, Senator Kerry, and Ambassador Le Cong Phung all spoke. I got a funny response from the 200 or so people there.
"Who are you with?" "I'm a pastor from Dallas." "Why did you come?" "Our church works in Vietnam with the government." "Really! They have religious freedom there?"
"I would say yes and that it's growing, not without its challenges - but they are making some bold steps, and it's better than other parts of the world that I've been to by a long shot!" I even gave Long, the political advisor, and Ambassador Le a Texas Belt buckle - and they loved it! Vietnam had been on a list with our government as one of the countries with the worst violations of religious freedom in the past - they are now off that list.
This week I followed in the news all the articles (pro and con) on the Muslim Community Center being built two blocks from Ground Zero. I followed links and read about Muslim institutions being challenged in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and other protests against Muslims and Muslim institutions in America. I wondered, "What would my Vietnamese friends think about this?" I'll ask them next week.
It's as if the shoe is on the other foot now. The reality is, Vietnam feared Christians like Christian Americans fear Islam - we don't want our society destabilized. I heard of one man who's going to build a Christian Center at Ground Zero in response to the Islamic Center - that's the Jesus I've come to know and love! Right.
I also heard one of our top political leaders said, "When they allow churches to be built in Saudi Arabia, then they can build a mosque there". Well, this isn't Saudi Arabia - it's the United States of America - and thank God we have rule of law and freedom of religion will prevail!
You might think I'm a liberal or mainline Christian. Not at all. I'm an Evangelical, a conservative Evangelical at that, and an Evangelistic Evangelical to top it all off - that means I tell everyone I can in a polite way about Jesus. I believe Jesus really is the only way to God - but that doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else or gives me a right to be arrogant. If anything I should be humble and broken. I also believe in something called the Great Commission - simply stated that everyone should get to see and hear the Gospel at work so they can make their own call about Jesus. It's similar to the Dawa that Muslims also believe in their message getting out. Why in the world then would I be OK with mosques being built in America?
Here's why: I don't believe in "Us" against "Them". I learned the following in my experiences with Vietnam (I used to fear Vietnamese too), and I'm re-learning it with regard to Muslims.
First, theologically, I believe that God is in control and nothing happens without his approval and notice. If God is sovereign and in control, I need not fear.
Second, personally, I believe Jesus is God and is orchestrating things where the whole world can at least hear about who Jesus is. By the way, did you know the Koran talks more about Jesus than it does about the Prophet Mohammed? Did you know that the Prophet Mohammed told his followers they should learn from the Christian and Jewish books and ask Christians what they believe?
Third, morally: What we do here impacts what we are allowed to do around the globe. Everything is glocal. I can't tell you how many Islamic leaders I've visited around the world who believe that religious freedom should exist in every country - even theirs. For them to say so publicly would have negative consequences for them. Now is not the time for us to reverse over 200 years of America's tradition of religious freedom - the consequences not just for us, but the world, would be dire.
Fourth, practically, what an incredible opportunity as Americans for us to show the rest of the world how to get along with religious diversity! We have to model what we ask of others.
Fifth, philosophically, I believe my faith has the strongest case. I don't believe the best way to keep Christians "Christian" is to isolate them from other religions. If I can't make my case with another faith - maybe my faith isn't a faith after all.
Sixth, relationally - I've come to love a lot of Muslims. Yep, most of them know I want to see them follow Jesus and baptize them (I descended from the Baptist tribe) - but not a single one of them has disrespected me or condemned me for my view. I don't like people disrespecting my friends, whether they're Muslims, Jews, Evangelicals or other. When are we going to learn to stop disrespecting people? Didn't the civil rights movement teach us anything?
I don't know the details of the Muslim Community Center in Manhattan - there may be some hanky panky I don't know about. For me, it isn't about that institution in particular. It's about something America's founders got - the best way to preserve religious freedom for any of us is to make sure it is extended to all of us.
The content of this blog reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily reflect the views of either Eboo Patel or the Interfaith Youth Core.
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Eboo Patel
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July 26, 2010; 5:57 PM ET
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Posted by: MarkinTX | August 8, 2010 1:16 PM
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Dear Mr. Robert (Bob) Roberts,
Do everyone a favor.
1. Leave the Vietnamese alone. They don't need troublemakers to ruin their culture and society. Your obsession with Jesus is your problem. Don't be sneaky and try to pick off some vulnerable Vietnamese. You are just causing problems in far away lands. Help Christians in America if you are sincere & honest (which we all know you are not)
2. Learn about Islam and its ways.
3. Get a last name.
Posted by: clearthinking1 | July 29, 2010 12:35 AM
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Markintx suggests:
“After reading Abrahamhab1 I think we should be pushing for a new movement.
Changing Freedom of Religion to
Freedom From “
The crimes committed in the name of Islam over the past 1400 years had not prodded you to take a stand against the ideology masquerading as a religion. Yet a simple observation by me about the fondness of Muslims for symbolism made you wish to start a movement for freedom from religions; all religions. Amazing!
Historically building mosques over churches, synagogues and temples symbolizes to Muslims dominance, permanence and superiority of their faith.
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | July 28, 2010 8:05 PM
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From 45 Park Place, the former Burlington Coat Factory building that will make way for the Cordoba House, it's two blocks, around a corner, to get to the WTC site. Park Place doesn't lie between the construction site and any mass transit stations, so you would need to go out of your way to have it offend you.
This pastor is absolutely correct, if he doesn't mind a Pagan saying so. Freedom of Religion means EVERY religion - and the freedom to have no religion.
Posted by: Athena4 | July 28, 2010 6:07 PM
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After reading Abrahamhab1 I think we should be pushing for a new movement.
Changing Freedom of Religion to
Freedom From Religion.
Ban all of it.
Right now it's Christians vs Muslims. You have Republicans calling Islam a cult and it does not deserve constitutional protections. Once Muslims are out of the way then probably Mormons will not meet the standard and be called a cult. Strip their rights away. Eventually, Baptists, Church of Christ, Way of Life, the variants are endless of what a "christian" is. Sub Religous culture after sub culture will eventually be eliminated until only one "true" religion remains right? That is the road that these so called "Christians" are pushing for except they are so focused on the road they are not seeing the cliff drop off just a mile ahead.
It is ironic how a group of people claim to be a force of good for the world and yet through their actions cause so many troubles in this world.
Posted by: MarkinTX | July 28, 2010 12:47 PM
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Sad, this pastor does not understand what he is backing when it comes to islam and its victory mosque at ground zero. To brush aside the tasteless nature of this building is shameful.
Posted by: svengerald | July 28, 2010 11:12 AM
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Eboo, & Roberts, how arrogant of you b@%#&*(ds to invoke your magic man from the sky, to tell us to accept this deplorable grotesque concept of yet another indoctrination center for the magic man in the sky. If you want to promote tolerance you would do lot more by opening these centers in few of those 47 paradises. Keep the damn houses of worship to the magic guys and gals in the sky. We have far more than there are people in the country. Do you know there are thrice as many seats in these places of worship as the population. And in that may be only 10% use these monstrosities of extravagance. That is 30:1 waste index. ENOUGH ALREADY
Posted by: Secular | July 28, 2010 9:07 AM
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Wow - this Pastor Roberts seems decent, fair and full of compassion and empathy. How can he be a Christian? The Christians I see nowadays are filled with hate, bigotry and intolerance. Were it not for the fact that he will be condemned for his views by many so-called Christians, I might start to question my conviction that Christianity causes more evil than good.
Posted by: bpai_99 | July 28, 2010 3:47 AM
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Pastor Bob: "I don't know the details of the Muslim Community Center in Manhattan"
There is a lot you don't know about the Community Center but that did not prevent you to become a useful idiot for Eboo and company.
"the best way to preserve religious freedom for any of us is to make sure it is extended to all of us. "
The questions being asked are 1) Why build a mosque at ground zero and not somewhere else? Why not in one of the suburbs of NY? and 2) Who is exactly providing the $100 million? Publish the list of the donors and let the public know where the money is coming from.
Instead of transparency, full mode of stealth jihad is on, and you, Pastor, have been recruited as a useful idiot dhimmi.
Posted by: AKafir | July 27, 2010 11:34 PM
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Bob,
"I'm an Evangelical, a conservative Evangelical at that, and an Evangelistic Evangelical to top it all off..."
Well, I'm a non-believing, skeptical, heathenish, infidel.
I win!
Posted by: PSolus | July 27, 2010 10:05 PM
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Pastor! You are an good example of what is known as “useful Dhimmi”. Eboo posted your message because parts of it serve his agenda while not accepting its entirety. Muslims are very fond of symbolism. The attack of 9-11 was symbolic, as much as the converting of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues into mosques. Building a huge mosque at the scene of the downed huge buildings is symbolic at more than a level.
The freedoms we afford those who do not believe in it are a first step in our losing that freedom. They used our technology against us and now they are using our laws (Freedoms) against us. You and those others who are not versed in the Muslim ideology need to heed what an Islamic scholar conveyed to the archbishop of Izmir as quoted by Abdullah al Arabi in his book "Islamization of America". The imam pontificated thus; "THANKS TO YOUR DEMOCRATIC LAWS WE WILL INVADE YOU; THANKS TO OUR RELIGIOUS LAWS WE WILL DOMINATE YOU."
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | July 27, 2010 7:29 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
abrahamhab1:
"The crimes committed in the name of Islam over the past 1400 years had not prodded you to take a stand against the ideology masquerading as a religion." By crimes do you mean killing in the name of their relgious beliefs? Just like Christians have done for an equal number of years?
and when you state. "Historically building mosques over churches, synagogues and temples symbolizes to Muslims dominance, permanence and superiority of their faith. " Are you also including the many places across the world where Churches to Christianity were built over so called "Pagan Holy sites"? Christians even went so far as to convert holidays so that it would fall more inline with their beliefs to bring converts to it. Look up the origins of the christmas tree as but one small example.