Although I am a critic of Catholic theology, I commend Pope Francis for recognizing the 21 Coptic Christians murdered by ISIS as true Christian martyrs. “They were killed for the simple fact that they were Christians,” said Francis. He went on to say, “The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ!”
The unavoidable truth is that many are becoming desensitized. When the Holy Spirit no longer fills hearts and minds with a passion for purity and holiness, there is a general lack of conviction.
Christians slaughtered in droves. Videos of unspeakable terror. Threats of blood running in the streets.
Last Sunday in Libya, masked militants linked to the ISIS terrorist group led 21 Egyptian Christian men to the Mediterranean shore and made them kneel. Then the Islamic jihadis took out knives and cut each man’s head off.
Before the Lord God made man upon the earth He first prepared for him a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. In the Genesis account of the creation these are simply “things.” They were made for man’s use, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to Him.
President Barack Obama’s speech at the 64th National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D. C. (February 5, 2015) has sparked considerable, but not unpredictable, controversy. For just one example, Franklin Graham, President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, issued a strong response. Graham asserted that when people have used the name of Christ to do evil they were departing from the authentic teachings and example of Jesus but when people do evil in the name of Mohammed they are being true to his original teachings and example. Graham’s comments voiced objection to the perceived implications of President Obama’s assertion that religious violence is not exclusive to Islam but has also occurred in Christian history. Unlike his father, Billy Graham, who for decades worked with many presidents on both sides of the political aisle, Franklin Graham has shown a propensity to denounce publically those with whom he disagrees personally.
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