Burning the Quran equals Christ Crucified….

…so says John Piper….better put, so John Piper quotes in agreement.  And though his short blog leaves one wanting a further discussion, I can say I agree.  As far as the details I am curious about there are several, but the idea is compelling, that the parallel between Islam & Christianity is not Jesus viewed against Mohammed and the Qur’an against the Bible, but it is as Piper notes, Jesus viewed against the Qur’an.

http://frstephensmuts.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/john-piper-koran-burning-is-parallel-to-christ-crucifying/

In Islam there is the written holy word of god (the Qur’an).  In Christianity the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ.  So for Muslims to see the Qur’an burnt by a Pastor (no I am not going to call him a nut job, maybe intentionally provocative) in Florida it is like them witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  What this assertion does, is help one to see things a little more clearly.  To have a clearer understanding of how intense an act it was to burn the Qur’an.  We have dear friends who work and live in Muslim nations and I know they take great pause to see something like this happen in Florida.

What this doesn’t do is justify the outcome.  I am a sensitive person, but to me political correctness and moral relativism reach an end when they begin to trump reason.  There was evil in this provocative news story and it wasn’t that pastor.  It was a rampaging mob raiding a U.N. compound, dragging innocent people out, murdering them and decapitating them.  I am not compelled to find some moral equivalency in the history of Christianity nor find a way to put this pastor on the same playing field in the Evil meter.

What does the outcome of this tell the world if we can take off our PC blinders?  It tells us there is something very wrong in Islam.  Is there a solution?  Yes, and though it may sound simple minded, the solution is Jesus.  My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would rush into the hearts of men and women around the world and transform them with Jesus’ salvation, Jesus’ love, Jesus’ peace, Jesus’ joy, Jesus’ hope….I pray everyday for men & women who are going out into the world and bringing the power of Jesus Christ with them.

Piper ends his blog with this observation about the Crucifixion of Jesus…”In the process of being crucified, Jesus rebuked the use of the sword (Matthew 26:52) healed his enemy’s amputated ear (Luke 22:51), prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers (Luke 23:34), and sent his followers out to love their enemies and do good to those who hate them (Luke 6:27).  So the Qur’an has been burned and the Christ has been crucified—and continues to be crucified.  The test is in the response.”

Indeed the test is in the response…and how will I respond the next time I see my savior crucified?