Pentecostals on Publically Burning the Quran
In July 2010, Dove World Outreach Church (DWOC), an independent congregation, announced that it would hold an “International Burn a Koran Day”.
By Tony Richie
Church members would hold book burnings of the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Subsequently, the city of Gainesville, Florida fire department refused to grant the church a burning permit, stating that open burning of books is not allowed in the city due to fire hazard. The church reportedly plans to proceed with the event despite the potential of being fined.
Thus, on the morning of September 1 my phone rang. A member of the Church of the Brethren was calling from Chicago to a Pentecostal in Knoxville with a pressing question. Over the last few years we had done national committee work together on interfaith relations in the USA. Right to the point, he explained that an interfaith group with whom he works is preparing responsive action to the DWOC incident and wished to accurately understand the Pentecostal position. Then he asked me bluntly, “How do Pentecostals feel about this proposed public burning of the Quran?” I assured him that most Pentecostals are not into book burning in general or burning other peoples’ sacred scriptures in particular. He seemed pleased, even relieved, and promised to report accordingly.
Why would my interfaith friend desire a Pentecostal perspective on public Quran burning? Possibly it’s because their website describes DWOC as “a New Testament, Charismatic, Non-Denominational Church”.(1) As a member and minister of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), I understand that important and sometimes sharp distinctions exist between a Classical Pentecostal organization like my own and an independent/autonomous, charismatic congregation such as DWOC. However, I also understand that many Christians and non-Christians more or less lump all Pentecostals and Charismatics together. So the rest of the world wants to know what Pentecostals think about public burning of the Quran.
Furthermore, DWOC has also posted signs on their church property saying “Islam is of the Devil.” Pastor Terry Jones has published a book by the same title. The church even sells t-shirts carrying the same provocative phrase. DWOC explains that their intent is “to expose Islam for what it is” and “to raise awareness and warn” that “Islam is a danger.” (2) Not everyone agrees with their approach. In fact, many Evangelicals and Pentecostals have spoken out against it.
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) represents more than 40,000 local churches and 45 denominations, including Pentecostal organizations such as the Assemblies of God, Church of God (Cleveland, TN), International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, International Pentecostal Church of Christ, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Open Bible Churches. On July 29, 2010 it issued a press statement on “NAE Urges Cancellation of Planned Qu’ran Burning”(3). Basically, it describes the proposed public burning of the Quran as disrespectful, offensive, and unchristian. Instead, NAE “encourages increased understanding and reconciliation between those of different faiths and backgrounds, and it laments efforts that work against a just and peaceful society.” Furthermore, the evangelical organization “calls on its members to cultivate relationships of trust and respect with our neighbors of other faiths.” NAE suggests all human beings are created in God’s image and should be treated accordingly. It also reminds Christian readers how they would feel if anyone publically burned the Bible. This NAE press release appears to me to represent a balanced and considered approach that affirms religious freedom without compromising Christian faith or values.
In addition, “Evangelical Leaders Pan Qu’ran Burn Plan” appeared in Christianity Today (July 30, 2010) (4). “I think it is appalling, disgusting, and brainless,” said Richard Land, director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “I think that those of us who find what they are doing abhorrent should say so, and say so publicly and often.” George Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, believes that events like the Gainesville Qur’an burning could make things harder for Christian-Muslim relations. “It only drives Muslims further away from the Lord Jesus and reinforces the false notion that followers of Jesus are crusaders from the Middle Ages,” Wood said. “Such actions as these only make it more difficult to effectively witness to Muslims.” I could hardly agree more. I might even remind that on April 6, 1933 book burnings began in Germany as a campaign conducted by Nazi authorities to ceremonially burn all books which did not correspond with Nazi ideology. That’s where this sort of thing leads in the end.
Hanging up the phone with my interfaith friend, I suddenly thought of Acts 19:19. “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver” (NKJV). A shocking thought darted unbidden through my mind. Was this passage some kind of biblical precedent justifying book burnings after all? Imagine my surprise when I discovered this statement on DWOC website: “Like the Christians in Acts 19, we are publicly burning a book that is demonic.(5)” But, I must ask, is that what this text means?
Ancient Christian commentators who lived in the world and near the age in which this “book burning” occurred offer helpful insights. All point out that Acts 19:19 occurs in the context of Christian conversion. For Ammonius a major point of the passage is that Christian conversion requires renunciation of magic’s detrimental and damning influence on the soul as well as of the profit that would have come as a result of reselling their books on magic. Eusebius of Caesarea suggests their act, in the context of ancient Ephesus, infamous for its dark arts, signified their complete break with paganism’s practice of sorcery. Bede stresses the themes of repentance and pardon as well. Didymus the Blind explains that Luke records this event to help Romans realize that Christians were not another cult of magic as were then so common (6). Contemporary Pentecostal Bible commentator and Church of God scholar French L. Arrington agrees that in this account of “book burning” emphasis is on decisively breaking with the pagan past in the context of Christian conversion on the basis of the incomparable superiority of Jesus Christ and the gospel (7).
Therefore, clearly Acts 19:19 is not an example of proponents of one religion burning the books of another. It demonstrates converts to Christianity expressing renunciation of their own former practices. This event in no way justifies or serves as any kind of precedent for the repulsive practice of book burning as we know it today. This invalidation applies to adherents of one major world religion publically burning the sacred scriptures of another one.
As our conversation came to a close, my Church of the Brethren colleague had posed another pressing question. Explaining that he and some others were getting together for prayer for understanding among those of different faiths, he asked me if Pentecostals are interested in such things. I immediately assured him that Pentecostals are always interested in prayer. Prayer is what we are all about, I said. But he wouldn’t let me off so easily. He wanted to know if we Pentecostals are interested in prayer for understanding. I said something like, “Yes, of course!” and we finished our talk. I’m still thinking it over, however. Pentecostals pray for salvation and healing, for the Holy Spirit baptism, and for all sorts of daily needs, large and small. But do we pray for understanding? Of course, we pray for God to give us understanding in his Word and in spiritual insight. But do we pray for understanding with others?
Earlier we saw that the NAE “encourages increased understanding and reconciliation between those of different faiths and backgrounds”. That would incline me to think Pentecostals should pray for and pursue understanding with others. More importantly, the Bible speaks positively of those “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron 12:32 NIV). Understanding our times today necessarily includes at least some level of understanding religious others. Perhaps in the past God overlooked our ignorance on such matters, but no more (cp. Acts 17:30).
Certainly Daniel and his three friends lived in a pluralistic world setting in those ancient days. So “God gave” them “knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning” (Dan 1:17a). God gave! In some exceptional and extraordinary sense this involved a gift of God. In this context, “literature and learning” would include secular subjects as well as philosophy and theology and the portents of Babylonian religion (8). Of course, understanding doesn’t always equal agreement. At least understanding can keep disagreement honest; and, respectful disagreement can be an important component of peaceful coexistence. Rather than burning the Quran (or condoning those who do, which of course most of us don’t), Pentecostal/Charismatic and Evangelical Christians need to be willing to work at understanding it and those who read it. In the meanwhile, we can pray others will read us, and therefore find written upon the pages of our hearts and lives the words of Christ in the ink of the Holy Spirit (2 Co 3:1-3). Amen!
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References:
1. See http://www.doveworld.org.
2. See “Ten Reasons to Burn a Koran” at http://www.doveworld.org.
3. See http://www.nae.net/news-and-events/469-press-release-nae-urges-cancellation-of-planned-quran-burning.
4. See http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/julyweb-only/40.51.0.html.
5. “Ten Reasons”
6. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament V: Acts, ed. Francis Martin, gen ed., Thomas C. Oden (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 239-40.
7. “Acts of the Apostles,” Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament: An International Commentary for Spirit-Filled Christians, eds. French L. Arrington and Roger Stronstad (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 535-692 (639).
8. Charles John Ellicott, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary, ed. Donald N. Bowdle (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971, 1980), 607.
