I read a post a couple weeks ago that I have been meaning to share with you. It is written by a Christian campus pastor in Arkansas whose dad is a Muslim Iraqi and lends a truly unique view on the war in Iraq. You can check out the original post here.
Here are some of the things I’d like to highlight from it:
- “Over the last five years, as I have shared my family’s story in churches and chapel services, I get a very common response: ‘I never saw them as human beings. I never thought to pray for the Iraqi people.’ This disturbs me. Even more disturbing is that many of the people who confess this to me are pastors and missionaries. They champion the need for food, plumbing, and medicine in so many parts of the world, but seem to hit the breaks when it comes to Iraq and the Middle East. I have visited many congregations around the country – Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Non-denominational – and I see a recurring pattern: nine times out of 10 the pastor will pray for the safety and success of the troops, but does not offer one prayer for the people and needs of Iraq.”
- “I have very few positive answers for my Muslim family members when they ask about how Christians in the U.S. perceive Iraq. Once, when I told a family member of some Christians I had met who support and work for human rights in Iraq and equal rights for Palestinians, he responded, ‘Wow. … I didn’t know there were any other Christians who believed that way.’ “
- “I have been in worship services all over the country, and I still see too many churches that rallied for the call to war in Iraq failing to rally for the call of Christ in Iraq.”
This post broke my heart.
