This episode is a sister to Episode 126: Israel and Palestine. Many depictions of Muslims in the West picture Islam as a religion of violence, and in a post-9/11 world, it’s certainly not difficult to believe that this is true. But while there is certainly violence in its past, the vast majority of Muslims share with other humans a deep desire for peace and safety.
For Christians, being on guard against this false narrative is absolutely essential. St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of self-control. Fear is what holds us back from loving each other and living out the Gospel for our neighbors. Specifically, fear saps the three gifts Paul identifies:
- Power: Fear keeps us from the strength it takes to live with selflessness and love in a broken world.
- Love: Fear keeps us from the love that’s needed to serve those who disagree with and maybe even dislike us.
- Self-Control: Fear prevents the kind of self-control needed to proactively, instead of reactively, respond to others with love.
Since Jesus has risen from the dead and won the victory over the world, we don’t need to be afraid of or angry with anyone.
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