"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." [Exodus
20:7]
Perhaps you have seen this story already. Needless to say, I was suitably outraged, but not necessarily surprised. More and more people are loathe to say or do anything that can be construed as offensive to Islam, and are bending over backwards to seem inclusive. One is thought to be enlightened these days if one believes that 'there are many ways to God.' There was even a letter in the Indianapolis Star by a pastor's wife that professed such a thing.
Today I found a strong rebuttal to that sort of thinking. Hal Lindsey doesn't pull any punches, and says what few dare to say by comparing Allah to Satan.
But what he says is truth that any Christian should understand. If we are sincere in our belief in Christ, then all other gods by definition are false. Jesus himself said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." [John 14:6] It does not get any plainer than that.
I think that many Christians today give in too easily to the idea that faith is relative, or we do not want to be stigmatized as "intolerant." It should be clear by now, that no matter what we do, the world will judge us to be intolerant anyway, so we should stand firm on our principles and be faithful to Christ. He tells us that we will be despised because of him, and the world will persecute us.
Therefore, if you are a Christian, do not be afraid, but trust in the Lord. Spread the gospel! There is a basic truth missing from all religions; that Jesus alone can give us the peace of salvation, and through him we can have a personal and eternal relationship with God.
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