Reflective Thinking: The War on Terror

Because my philosophy studies have taught me to value reflective thinking, I deliberately make time to think clearly and carefully as I can about issues that I deem important. With this in mind, I’d like to introduce a new segment, entitled Reflective Thinking, to Reflections. At the beginning of each month, I will post an article sharing my ruminations on various topics, ranging from theology and philosophy to current events. My first topic is a hot one.

How to Do Battle against Radical Islam

I teach a comparative religions course in Biola University’s MA program in Christian apologetics. The course examines the world’s major religions, including Islam, in light of the historic Christian worldview. I tell my students that I believe only a small percentage of the world’s Muslims have adopted the radical political-religious philosophy that promotes and carries out acts of Jihadist terror against innocent people. Of course, with a worldwide population of 1.62 billion Muslims (approximately 23 percent of the world’s population), even if only 5 percent have adopted a radical form of Islam, like that of al-Qaeda, the numbers would be staggeringly ominous.¹ Ironically, many or most of the victims of radical Islamic terrorist acts are themselves Muslims.

Since the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001, I think the American government, via the military and law enforcement, has taken some effective measures to make America safer from the threat of terrorist acts. No doubt people question some of the difficult judgments and decisions made by both Presidents Bush and Obama in the War on Terror, but overall I believe America has been successful in navigating this new and difficult type of defense.

Force of a Different Type

However, to defeat radical Islam, Western democracies must also utilize a force more formidable than rockets and drones—namely, the force of ideas. An ideological conflict can be won only by presenting a superior philosophy of life.

Three years ago I wrote an article entitled “Ideas, Ideology, and Islam,” in which I highlight the Pakistani-British citizen Maajid Nawaz, a former Muslim extremist who now works to combat Jihadist ideology. Once a chief recruiter for the Islamic extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation”), Nawaz eventually concluded that radical Jihadist Islam is closer to a form of fascistic totalitarianism than to traditional Islam. Nawaz, a courageous and moderate Muslim, dialogues with and debates radical Muslims on college campuses and seeks to demonstrate their convoluted understanding of Islam.²

I think the Western democracies should solidly support such efforts. To effect real change, these radical Muslims must come to view Islam differently. After all, this war on terrorism is, at its core, an ideological conflict—thus, also a spiritual one.

Some Christians with whom I’ve shared my views suggest that supporting and promoting moderate voices within the Islamic world will fail. Why? Because these Christians view Islam as inherently violent. To them, Islam possesses no truly moderate voices.

Yet no religion is a monolith. I think it is possible to disassociate radical political ideologies from the traditional practice of Islam. Granted, it isn’t easy to change minds formed by fascist-like philosophies—but with such high stakes, we must make every effort.

Nearly a quarter of the world’s population is Muslim. We better hope that a majority of these are moderate Muslims, who affirm peace and tolerance, or else the world is in for an even greater tribulation than the one described by the eschatological views held by some Christians. The best scenario from a historic Christian perspective would be for Muslims to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The great challenge is that most nations with an Islamic majority do not allow Christian proselytization.

I encourage liberty-loving individuals to view the war against radical Islamic terrorism as similar to the Cold War: a long twilight struggle that will require military might and sound ideas, as well as concerted prayer. And I hope liberty-loving Muslims will join in this effort because most of the victims of Islamic terrorist acts have been, themselves, Muslims.

References:

1. Just after the events of 9/11, Middle East specialist Daniel Pipes estimated the number of Muslims who had adopted a form of radical Islam was approximately 10–15 percent.

2. In response to this problem, Nawaz founded the Quilliam Foundation, a think tank that seeks to counter the message of radical Islamic Jihadism.

Are You Skeptical of Your Faith?

It’s one thing to believe in Christ when you are healthy and everything is going well; it is quite another when you believe death is imminent.

Almost ten years ago I experienced a life-threatening illness when a bacterial infection invaded my lungs and brain. Early on, my doctors thought I might have stage IV brain cancer. Since most patients in that condition die quickly, the diagnosis led me to do some soul searching. Though multiple abscessed brain lesions made thinking difficult, I lay in my hospital bed late at night, alone, and asked myself whether I really believed that Christianity was indeed true.

This introspective mood was challenging and, frankly speaking, is an experience I will never forget. I asked myself whether it was a mistake to believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior. I wondered what my fate would be if another religion, such as Islam or Hinduism, were true. I also considered the possibility of atheistic naturalism being true where physical death is the final end. This existential reflection was brief, blurred by both the lesions and heavy pain medications.

In more lucid moments I refocused on my deepest Christian convictions. Lines from the Apostles’ Creed, this historic Christian statement of faith I’ve known and recited most of my life, came to mind. I concentrated as best I could on the middle section of the creed, which summarizes the great events Jesus Christ’s life.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his [God’s] only son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead.

Slowly, the objective reasons that supported my belief in Jesus Christ’s historical resurrection from the dead came back to me. These reasons include seven points of evidence for the Resurrection that I lecture about, time and time again, in my apologetics ministry:

1. Jesus’s Empty Tomb
2. Jesus’s Postmortem Appearances
3. Short Time Frame between Actual Events and Eyewitness Claims
4. Extraordinary Transformation of the Apostles
5. Great Conversion of Saul of Tarsus (to the Apostle Paul)
6. Emergence of the Historic Christian Church
7. Emergence of Sunday as a Day of Worship

Recalling and reflecting upon the facts concerning Jesus’s resurrection, even though my head was often spinning, genuinely helped me to face my life-threatening illness with strength and with courage.

I went through a long and painful recovery—experiencing significant ups and downs—but thanks be to the Triune God I did recover fully. At Easter time I often think of that difficult period of my life and the existential introspection I experienced.

Atheists and Introspective Moods

When I was teaching philosophy at a local community college many years ago I once asked a skeptical student whether he was skeptical of his skepticism. I asked him specifically, “Do you ever have doubts about your unbelief?” His immediate response was an unequivocal—“No!” I informed him that I was skeptical concerning the certainty of his response.

Former atheist C. S. Lewis reveals a different response upon reflecting back on his earlier days in unbelief. In his classic apologetics work Mere Christianity Lewis wrote:¹

Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.

Does this mean that in their quiet, reflective moments, when the voice of Dawkins and Harris has faded, even some atheists have doubts about their faith in atheism? It appears so.

From a biblical point of view, maybe in C. S. Lewis’s case it was a type of divine prevenient grace (a grace that precedes the human decision in salvation). But for the late, hardened atheist Christopher Hitchens, it may have consisted of an intuition of pending and inevitable divine justice.

Christians and atheists sometimes accuse each other of engaging in wishful thinking (assuming that a position is true based upon one’s desires)—yet it appears that those darn introspective moods can strike both believers and nonbelievers alike. It’s in those sober and candid moments that the objective historical facts appear to better support the truth of Jesus Christ’s resurrection other than not.

Something for both camps to think about at Easter time.

References:
1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1980), 125.

A Thought for Veterans Day

“Rest easy, sleep well, my brothers. Know the line has held, your job is done. Rest easy, sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held. Peace, peace, and farewell…”

– Inscription at Arlington National Cemetery (authorship unknown)

Reflecting on Baseball and Life

At eleven years old I fell in love with baseball. From that time forward it was on my mind constantly. I was either playing the game, watching it on television, or thinking about it—even while I was supposed to be doing my schoolwork. At the time, the only subjects that could compete with baseball in terms of my life’s priorities were the Lakers and the Beatles. Those three subjects were my adolescent trinity, so to speak.

Working Hard in London

Here’s a list of my speaking events over the last seven days in the United Kingdom:

• 4 radio interviews
• 2 television interviews
• Lecture at Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics: “The Authority of Scripture (Sola Scriptura)”
• Lecture at City Temple Koinonia: “Best Explanation Apologetics”
• Talk to London pastors about Reasons To Believe
• 3 talks at the Unbelievable Conference: “Confessions of a Compulsive Thinker,” “CLEAR Reasons Christianity Makes Sense,” “Evangelism in a Multifaith World,” plus a Q&A with the other conference speakers
• Sermon at City Temple: “Do All Religions Lead to God?”
• Sermon at Duke Street Church: “What Does It Mean to Be Made in the Image of God?”
• Debate at Gunnersbury Baptist Church: “Old-Earth Creationism vs. Young-Earth Creationism”

I often describe myself as “a thinker, but not a doer.” But after this busy week in London, it seems I qualify as both!

My Time in the United Kingdom

I had a great day today (Thursday: 5/24). It was long and tiring but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First, I got to tour C. S. Lewis’ home (called The Kilns). Michael Ward, a leading scholar on Lewis, gave us a tour of the house and then gave a lecture on The Chronicles of Narnia. The house was great and Ward has a deep knowledge of Lewis’ life and writings. I felt honored to be in the home of one of my fathers in the faith (the first Christian book that I ever read was Mere Christianity).

Walking the Streets of London

Walking the streets of London last night I envisioned the German bombers above London during the blitz campaigns of World War II. I thought of C. S. Lewis on the BBC radio, broadcasting his talks that would become his book Mere Christianity. And I remembered prime minister Winston Churchill giving his “We Shall Never Surrender” speech. I also thought of the Beatles during their early days.

All the things I enjoy (history, theology, music). There’s no city I would rather visit than London.

Thinking about Suffering and Death, Part 2

Whether it was losing a loved one, becoming the victim of a violent crime, or facing a life-threatening illness, my immediate reaction to experiences of genuine suffering has been a profound feeling of being alone in that condition. I don’t know if other people react that way to sorrow. For me, suffering is a deeply personal issue that I don’t often discuss with other people. But I recently heard Christian psychologist Jim Wilder state that people who undergo trauma often lose a sense of relationship for a time—thus feeling personally detached and numb.

Thinking about Suffering and Death, Part 1

Take it from me, here are two words you never want to hear come out of your doctor’s mouth—“brain cancer!”

Last May, hall of fame baseball catcher Gary Carter was diagnosed with this dreaded illness. When I read the sad news that Carter’s most recent MRI revealed new tumors in his brain, I felt a deep sense of empathy for him and his suffering. Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks later, in February of this year, Carter died of the cancer.

An Inconvenient Duty

Christmas is by far my favorite time of year. I never tire of hearing the incredible message that the Son of God took a human nature and became the God-man at his Incarnation (Philippians 2:5–11). But this past December, just as I was finishing up last-minute editing on my new book and planning much needed vacation and holiday time with my family, I was unexpectedly called to jury duty.