Have you noticed that whenever we experience an attack by those who claim to be followers of Allah it is immediately followed by attempts to soften Islam’s image. People quickly retreat to the use of adjectives to provide distance from the one’s who have committed horrific and cowardly acts of violence against others. The evening news features Muslim representatives repeating the same tired and worn out explanations. “Islam is a religion of peace.” “These violent acts do not represent all of the Muslim community.” “This suicide bomber was part of a radical Muslim organization.” Blah, blah, blah.

So what we have is a dichotomy. We have “radical” Muslims and we have “regular” Muslims. I find this compartmentalization mystifying. After all, what makes a radical Muslim radical? Is it not the fact that they have read the Koran and they are trying their best to live out its commands and teachings? In other words, they take their faith seriously!

We need to move beyond the radical and the regular to discover the REAL. Islam is an entire worldview encompassing every aspect of the Muslim’s life. The goal of Islam is clear – to see the worship of Allah spread around the globe. To see this goal achieved, the killing of infidels is both necessary and justified.    

The Koran teaches that if a man dies fighting for Allah he is guaranteed the forgiveness of all sins and is assured of a reserved place in paradise (3: 157; 169). Further, he is promised a crown of glory and the sexual pleasures of 72 virgins. He is also absolved from the suffering of the grave and the horrors of judgment. And then there’s the added bonus that if you die striving in the cause of Allah, you can bring 70 of your relatives with you into paradise.

Here’s my point. If you believe this to be true and you are not a radical Muslim, then you are either a coward or a counterfeit. We must move beyond the false labels to the real ideology of Islam. While our Muslim neighbors deserve our love and kindness, Islam, as a worldview, demands our firmest resistance.

One of my joys is teaching young people the importance of having a biblical worldview. Worldviews are similar to contact lenses. When you have the right prescription, they allow you to perceive the world around you with clarity. A bad prescription results in blurred vision, a pounding headache and a host of other undesirable side effects. A good worldview, one that corresponds with REALITY, will work in real life. It makes sense. It is livable. It bears good fruit. A bad worldview is like spitting in the wind. It fails to square with reality and produces a myriad of pain and suffering. Let me illustrate.

Abortion, ala Roe v. Wade, was a very bad idea. We often debate the moral implications of this horrid decision, with over 50 MILLION dead babies, and 100 MILLION emotionally, spiritually and physically scarred mothers and fathers left in its wake as prime evidence. But we need to look at another ticking time bomb this bad idea has created.

As a result of this ill conceived “right” we now have over 50 million fewer Americans. These are men and women who would now be in our workforce, perhaps creating new technologies , starting new companies AND paying taxes. The Heritage Foundation reports  that by “2015, Social Security will begin to inflict massive permanent annual deficits on American taxpayers. And Social Security is just one of the Big Three entitlements (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) that is set to bankrupt our country. Unless major reforms are made, spending on just these three programs alone will consume all federal government revenues by 2052.”

Ideas have consequences. The Bible tells us that God will not be mocked. Whatever a man sows he will reap (Galatians 6:7). We have selfishly sacrificed our own future on the altar of sexual pleasure and now it’s time to pay the bill. As my generation ages and looks to their children to provide for them in their golden years, they will be shocked to discover they have murdered the very ones God intended for their blessing.

The Lord, the Author of Reality, warns that, “Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster” (Proverbs 22:8, NLT). It’s harvest time in America. May God have mercy on our nation by allowing true brokenness and repentance to grip the hearts of our people. He is our only hope.

I am currently teaching a class in our Living Stones College entitled “Developing a Christian Worldview.” I love this class and its content because it is so relevant to all that is taking place in our world. For a worldview to be “legit,” it has to be able to pass four critical tests:

• The Test of Reason: Is it reasonable?
• The Test of Reality: Does it fit reality?
• The Test of Breadth: Does it explain all of life?
• The Test of Practice: Is is livable?

The last question poses a serious problem for our “Green without God” friends. Let me explain.

This month more than 170 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to discuss the reality of a world treaty designed to reduce greenhouse gases. There’s only one small problem with this gathering. Someone estimated that the conference itself will create an estimated 40,584 tons of carbon emissions. To put that figure into perspective, this is roughly the carbon footprint for the entire nation of Morocco in 2006!

So let me see if I get this right. We’re going to have a conference to create a document that will mandate the cutting of  greenhouse gasses, but the “environmental experts” will actually create an overabundance of gasses from all the hot air that will be released as a result of this gathering. Hmm. The very folks who are convinced we are destroying the planet with global warming will actually be expediting our demise by their own irresponsible behavior. Shame on you! How do you sleep at night?

You see, there’s only one reasonable, non-hypocritical conclusion for these well-meaning, but misguided, self-appointed saviors of Mother Earth – Shut up and stay in bed! To do otherwise only contributes to the problem.  I’m a big advocate of leadership by example. If you really believe in your worldview, then set an example by living a carbon-free lifestyle. Don’t eat, don’t breath, don’t move, don’t procreate and don’t consume. Call me in six months and let me know how it’s working for you.