What Concerns You?

I've had the opportunity to write an essay on what concerns me globally and then I had to write a piece on my local concerns.

Sometimes, I find this hard because I seldom read the paper and only watch the news to get the weather. However, when you look through news article, magazines ariticles, and internet news you will find certain subjects will leap out to you.

Write what concerns you and then you can submit these pieces to the op/ed of your local newspaper or donate them to a magazine. In this way, you can earn by-lines for yourself and thicken your portfolio.

Here is my latest offering:

The article entitled, First Catholic Church Opens in Qatar, Sparking Fear of Backlash Against Christians, By Sonia Verma, concerns me. I wonder what will happen as Americans continue to cover the Arabian nations with our missionary efforts. Will this provoke an already much touted tolerance message here at home? Will we be force-fed Muslim doctrine on our televisions, newspapers, and schools?

Reciprocity is the word used to describe this new movement. Among Muslim leaders, the idea of mosques accepted in the west should encourage their governments to accept Christian churches in the east. If this movement happened in any other country, and involved any other religion, I would applaud this great missionary success. However, I wonder will Americans be pulled into a religious war not unlike the wars of the past? Will Muslim militants seize Christian church buildings, murder priests, pastors, or teachers, igniting rage in the west?

During the crusades, English men of great courage fought the Muslim armies to regain control of Jerusalem. Twelve crusades and thousands of deaths later, the English retreated. How did this cause benefit them? It didn’t. Women lost not only their fathers and providers, but also 15,000 children died while they marched to Jerusalem. The fighters who returned infested their country with non-Christian beliefs much to the dismay of the papacy.

I understand that missions work must persist if we are to see our Lord’s glorious appearing, my caution is to be wary of the tolerance message. Our missionary efforts will be tainted in whole if we do not protect our gospel message at home. Great steps toward above ground churches are taken daily in such places as the Arabian nations and China. We need to not allow these advances to soften our domestic missions by allowing other religions to persuade us to accept their beliefs as truths. For we know the truth lies in knowing the one God, the one cross, and the one peace giver.