Florida preacher's anti-Islam actions leave some Pentecostals cold

By Tim Funk

tfunk@charlotteobserver.com

Pentecostalism:vA Christian movement that started with a storefront revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906, it has spread rapidly around the globe. Once regarded by many Christians as a marginal and almost embarrassing style of faith in which converts are "slain in the spirit" and followers speak in tongues or perform miracle healings, Pentecostalism has become mainstream.

A 2006 survey estimated that one in four Christians in the world is Pentecostal.
The more than 60 Pentecostal denominations include Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church and the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. {Source: Religion Newswriters Association}

Like the tiny Florida church that shook the world last week with its pastor's threat to burn copies of the Quran, Central Church of God calls itself Pentecostal.

And like that 50-member Dove World Outreach Center, which put up signs equating Islam with the devil, this 6,000-member megachurch in south Charlotte is not bashful about cursing Satan or about praising Jesus with tears of emotion.

But, on Sunday, interviews with Pastor Loran Livingston and members of his flock turned up zero support for waging war against Islam by burning its holy book.

While insisting that belief in Jesus is the one true path to God, they said they are called as Christians to win converts by showing love, not make enemies by spreading hate.

"The church's business is to tell all people - Jews, Muslims everybody - that Christ loves them and God will save them," said Livingston, one of Charlotte's star preachers, who inherited a congregation of just 22 people when he became pastor in 1977. "I don't think Jesus meant for us to be divisive and militant."

Livingston said he was embarrassed that combative Pastor Terry Jones - the mustachioed man in the news who finally backed down from his plan to torch 200 Qurans - held himself up as a Pentecostal.

The fast-growing brand of Christianity takes its name from the feast of Pentecost, when Jesus' apostles received the Holy Spirit and were empowered to speak in foreign languages. In today's Pentecostal churches, many adherents speak in tongues or perform healings.

"We could get so much more done for the Lord if we would do it his way," Livingston said. "He told (apostle) Peter, 'Put your sword away. If you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword.' We're supposed to be peacemakers. We're supposed to love everybody... It doesn't matter what they've done to us or might do in the future. We're to love them."

During his Sunday sermon to a packed sanctuary and overflow satellite buildings, Livingston made it clear that he and members of his interracial congregation differ from other, non-Christian religions. That includes Islam, which honors Jesus as a great prophet but worships only Allah - the Arabic name for God - as divine.

"There is only one true God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - whose son is Jesus," he told his flock, many of whom lifted their hands heavenward and shouted their approval. "In these days, (many) pick a god and put a name on it. No, his name is Jesus."

But in the next breath, Livingston said that same Jesus "teaches us to be kind, teaches us to be peacemakers... The Bible says we are to make peace with all men."

After the service, worshipers on the way to their cars expressed the same themes - Jesus is the only true way, but showing disrespect to people of other faiths is the wrong way to express that.

"There are better ways to get your message out than going to extremes and burning a document that many base their lives on and consider sacred," said Bogdan Pomerlyan, 26, a software developer. "Although I believe strongly in what we (Christians) believe... what (Jones) was doing was pushing people farther away, not trying to get them closer."

Romanian-born Peter Oprea, an entrepreneur who lives in Marvin, said Jones was just looking for media attention when he should have considered how his threat would feel if it were reversed, and a Muslim imam were threatening to burn Christianity's sacred book.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable if I heard my Bible would be burned," said Oprea, 40. "I respect a holy document even though it's not my own."

Constantin Nasui, 56, of Harrisburg, agreed, saying the better way to counter Islam - "a false religion," he said - was to pray for Muslims.

Jesus, Nasui said, "is love, kindness, compassion."

And he's the truth and the only way to God, added Leah Ponds, 30, a nanny who lives in Charlotte.

"When you have the truth - Jesus Christ is the truth - then it's not necessary to do anything that would stir up something in other people," she said.

Putting up signs that say Islam is evil turns people off and builds walls, she added. Instead, said Ponds, who will leave soon for a mission trip in some predominantly Muslim countries, Christians should try to share their belief in Jesus - and let God take it from there.

"I want to talk to (Muslims) and just lift up Christ," she said. "Because Christ will draw people unto himself."

A little blunter in her views Sunday was Tricia Pope, 39, of Denver, who was making her first visit to Central Church of God in a decade.

She agreed with Florida pastor Jones that Islam is of the devil - "anything that is not of Jesus is of the devil" - and said a battle between Christianity and Islam was prophesied in the Bible.

Still, she agreed that burning Qurans is a wrongheaded idea, and not the way to bring more people to Jesus.

In fact, Pope, a stay-at-home mom of two children, said she's worried that Jones and his tiny Pentecostal church in Gainesville, Fla., may have turned people off to the Christian message.

Said Pope: "I just pray that people will not judge Jesus based on what he is doing."



Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/13/1689059/fla-preachers-fiery-anti-islam.html#ixzz0zjQT1zGY

Solemn Assembly and This Weekend...

Good morning everyone! I think its Wednesday today. The week is dragging by but flying by...if you know what I mean. My "beautiful one" has been gone this week but is due back tonight. PTL! Hope you are having a great week! The upcoming solemn assembly is going to be great! Please make plans to join us. Bring another believer, even its from another church. A solemn assembly is for the whole body, not just KP.

This weekend is going to be a lot of fun. The Martial Arts ministry Sunday for Friend Day. Have you got your friend yet? Come on, go after someone! REMEMBER, GO AND BE! Sunday night, youth service, State Directors, Pat and Jan Wright will be joining us and ministering Sunday evening. You will love this couple! Come expecting a great service featuring our dynamic youth worship band!

Have a great day!

-Pastor

Sunday Wrap Up

Sorry this is so late. Our website was unexpectantly down for awhile but Corina resurrected it this morning. Thanks, Corina! Great Services yesterday! Gary Amburgy did a wonderful job sharing a powerful message Sunday morning. Wow, there are so many things the Lord said to us in the service through the message and the Holy Spirit through tongues and interpretation. The evening service was a great time as well. Sherman and Sadell Bradley ministed in song and in the Word. Again, a very powerful message by Sadell. I love what she said, "the church is called not to COME AND SEE, but to GO AND BE. Right on!


-Pastor

When Bibles are Burned...

As you may know, the Pastor in Florida who is threatening to burn the Koran or Korans has been in the news quite a bit recently. I have heard Christians say that when bibles are burned, or our flag is burned, or even Christian missionaries are martyred, we never hear much about those things in the media. Maybe the following Spurgeon devotional helps explain that.

"Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness because of mine enemies."
Psalms 5:8

Very bitter is the enmity of the world against the people of Christ. Men will forgive a thousand faults in others, but they will magnify the most trivial offence in the followers of Jesus. Instead of vainly regretting this, let us turn it to account, and since so many are watching for our halting, let this be a special motive for walking very carefully before God. If we live carelessly, the lynx-eyed world will soon see it, and with its hundred tongues, it will spread the story, exaggerated and emblazoned by the zeal of slander. They will shout triumphantly. "Aha! So would we have it! See how these Christians act! They are hypocrites to a man." Thus will much damage be done to the cause of Christ, and much insult offered to His name. The cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world; let us take heed that we add no offence of our own. It is "to the Jews a stumblingblock": let us mind that we put no stumblingblocks where there are enough already. "To the Greeks it is foolishness": let us not add our folly to give point to the scorn with which the worldly-wise deride the gospel. How jealous should we be of ourselves! How rigid with our consciences! In the presence of adversaries who will misrepresent our best deeds, and impugn our motives where they cannot censure our actions, how circumspect should we be! Pilgrims travel as suspected persons through Vanity Fair. Not only are we under surveillance, but there are more spies than we reck of. The espionage is everywhere, at home and abroad. If we fall into the enemies' hands we may sooner expect generosity from a wolf, or mercy from a fiend, than anything like patience with our infirmities from men who spice their infidelity towards God with scandals against His people. O Lord, lead us ever, lest our enemies trip us up!

Have a great day!

-Pastor

September's Awake America Emphasis

We will continue with our "Awake America" Sept. emphasis tonight. We begin at 7.00 pm. I hope you can join us. Saturday there will be a service at the courthouse at 12 noon. Different churches will be participating. Please try to come out and lets have a good showing from KP.

We have three big Sundays coming up. This Sunday (Sept 12th), Bro. Gary Amburgy will be continuing our "Awake America" theme as he will preach a message on the topic "America in Prophecy." September 19th is Friend Day featuring a martial arts ministry from Marion, Indiana. We will resume our monthly youth service that Sunday evening with special guests, Pat and Jan Wright, Ohio's new State Development and Ministry Director. September 26th is Homecoming/Old Fashion Day. Our senior choir and senior quartet will be ministering in the morning worship service. A dinner and fall picnic will follow out at Arley and Marsha Jett's home.

Please take this opportunity to invite your unsaved friends and family to KP. We are believing God for an awakening in our community and city NOW!

-Pastor

Balances

Good word for someone today. Please read it and receive. I highlighted some lines that ministered to me. Have a great week!

-Pastor

"Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have."
Leviticus 19:36

Weights, and scales, and measures were to be all according to the standard of justice. Surely no Christian man will need to be reminded of this in his business, for if righteousness were banished from all the world beside, it should find a shelter in believing hearts. There are, however, other balances which weigh moral and spiritual things, and these often need examining. We will call in the officer to-night.
The balances in which we weigh our own and other men's characters, are they quite accurate? Do we not turn our own ounces of goodness into pounds, and other persons' bushels of excellence into pecks? See to weights and measures here, Christian. The scales in which we measure our trials and troubles, are they according to standard? Paul, who had more to suffer than we have, called his afflictions light, and yet we often consider ours to be heavy--surely something must be amiss with the weights! We must see to this matter, lest we get reported to the court above for unjust dealing. Those weights with which we measure our doctrinal belief, are they quite fair? The doctrines of grace should have the same weight with us as the precepts of the word, no more and no less; but it is to be feared that with many one scale or the other is unfairly weighted. It is a grand matter to give just measure in truth. Christian, be careful here. Those measures in which we estimate our obligations and responsibilities look rather small. When a rich man gives no more to the cause of God than the poor contribute, is that a just ephah and a just hin? When ministers are half starved, is that honest dealing? When the poor are despised, while ungodly rich men are held in admiration, is that a just balance? Reader, we might lengthen the list, but we prefer to leave it as your evening's work to find out and destroy all unrighteous balances, weights, and measures.

Article: "More Teens Becoming Fake Christians"

Please read this. It may be painful, but it is so right one. God help us as the church to do a better job discipling our kids.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html?iref=obnetwork

Sunday Wrap Up

Wow, what a service today! The presence of God was so thick in the house today. We as a church truly cried out on behalf of our nation today. I believe that God heard our prayers and received our own personal repentance. I preached myself pretty hoarse this morning. But it was worth it! We had a lot of regular attenders gone but not bad crowd for Labor Day weekend. PLEASE TRY TO JOIN US WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR ANOTHER 'AWAKE AMERICA' SERVICE. COME EXPECTING FOR GOD TO MEET WITH US!

Have a great Labor Day tomorrow. Be careful if you are traveling.

Blessings,

Pastor

Who is Allah? Where did he come from?

If Allah is not merely Jehovah repackaged under a new name, then who is he? Who is this Allah to whom nearly a fifth of the world's population bows down and gives reverence? The answer is somewhat surprising to those unfamiliar with the pre-Islamic history of the Arabian peninsula and the Middle East.

Belief in Allah was widespread across the Arabian peninsula prior to the rise of Mohammed. However, the Allah worshipped in those days was not the monotheistic Allah who Muslims know today. Rather, Allah was just one of many gods, most often considered to be the highest or supreme god among many in a henotheistic system that developed in Arabia over the centuries prior to Islam.

“The name Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form, Allat, are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Arabia.” 24
“Allah was known to the pre-Islamic Arabs; he was one of the Meccan deities.” 25

Watt states concerning the pre-Islamic Arabian religious situation,

“In recent years I have become increasingly convinced that for an adequate understanding of the career of Muhammad and that of Islam great importance must be attached to the existence in Mecca of belief in Allah as a ‘high god’. In a sense this is a form of paganism, but it is so different from paganism as commonly understood that it deserves separate treatment.” 26
However, when remarking that Allah was viewed as a "high god" in Arabia, this must not be understood to mean that he was the only god worshipped by the pre-Islamic Arabs. Watt elsewhere states,


"The use of the phrase “the Lord of this House” makes it likely that those Meccans who believed in Allah as a high god – and they may have been numerous – regarded the Ka’ba as his shrine, even though there were images of other gods in it. There are stories in the Sira of pagan Meccans praying to Allah while standing beside the image of Hubal."

Zwemer tells us,

“But history establishes beyond the shadow of a doubt that even the pagan Arabs, before Mohammed’s time, knew their chief god by the name of Allah and even, in a sense, proclaimed his unity. In pre-Islamic literature, Christian or pagan, ilah is used for any god and Al-ilah (contracted to Allah), i.e. the god, was the name of the Supreme. Among the pagan Arabs this term denoted the chief god of their pantheon, the Kaaba, with its three hundred and sixty idols.” 28
While it is typical to think of "Allah" as a name, it originally was not. In fact, the term "Allah" was a title, a contraction of Arabic words meaning "the god", indicating the general sense in which "Allah" was used prior to the rise of Islam. MacDonald states about al-ilah, which appeared frequently in pre-Islamic poetry,

"By frequency of usage, al-ilah was contracted to allah, frequently attested to in pre-Islamic poetry (where this name cannot in every case have been substituted for another), and then became a proper name (ism 'alam).”
This is corroborated by Peters,

"The cult of the deity termed simply ‘the god’ (al-ilah) was known throughout Syria and Northern Arabia in the days before Islam -- Muhammed’s father was named ‘Abd Allah’ (Servant of Allah) -- and was obviously of central importance in Mecca, where the building called the Ka’bah was indisputably his house. Indeed, the Muslims’ ‘shahada’ attests to precisely that point: the Quraysh, the paramount tribe of Mecca, were being called on by Muhammed to repudiate the existence of all the other gods save this one. It seems equally certain that Allah was not merely a god in Mecca but was widely regarded as the ‘high god’, the chief and head of the Meccan pantheon, whether this was the result, as has been argued, of a natural progression toward henotheism, or of the growing influence of Jews and Christians in the Arabian peninsula....Thus Allah was neither an unknown nor unimportant deity to the Quraysh when Mohammed began preaching his worship at Mecca.”

Indeed, the fact that Allah was at one time a single god among many in the pagan Arabian pantheon is accepted by orthodox Islam, which refers to the pre-Islamic period as the Jahiliya, the "times of ignorance". However, Islam's traditional teaching about the times of ignorance differs from the facts established by investigation into the history and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Islam recognizes that these other gods were at one time worshipped alongside Allah (termed shirk, or associationism). However, Islamic dogma also holds that Allah is the same God who appears in the Bible, in other words, the original monotheistic being with whom mankind later associated false gods out of ignorance and rebellion. Yet, as will be shown below, there does not seem to have ever been a time when Allah (al-ilah) was conceived of as purely monotheistic prior to the rise of Islam, and further, al-ilah, as a title, was at various times applied to false gods whose origins are found in the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia, and from whom the path to the current Arabian conception of Allah can be traced.

The Ka'bah, known as beit allah, the "house of Allah", is believed to have been a center of pagan worship in the Hijaz region of Arabia for centuries prior to the appearance of Islam. Scholars recognize that it has served as a house of idolatrous worship for its entire traceable history. Gilchrist writes,

“There is no corroborative evidence whatsoever for the Qu’ran’s claim that the Ka’aba was initially a house of monotheistic worship. Instead there certainly is evidence as far back as history can trace the origins and worship of the Ka’aba that it was thoroughly pagan and idolatrous in content and emphasis.”
Van Ess further states,

"In pre-Islamic days, called the Days of Ignorance, the religious background of the Arabs was pagan, and basically animistic. Through wells, trees, stones, caves, springs, and other natural objects man could make contact with the deity. The heavenly bodies, so familiar to pastoral people, were revered; the moon, the shepherd's friend, was worshiped, though the sun, the Bedouin's terror, was placated. At Mekka, Allah was the chief of the gods and the special deity of the Quraish, the prophet’s tribe. Allah had three daughters: Al Uzzah (Venus) most revered of all and pleased with human sacrifice; Manah, the goddess of destiny, and Al Lat, the goddess of vegetable life. Hubal and more than three hundred others made up the pantheon. The central shrine at Mekka was the Qaabah, a cube-like stone structure which still stands though many times rebuilt. Imbedded in one corner is the black stone, probably a meteorite, the kissing of which is now an essential part of the pilgrimage."

Indeed, there were many "al-ilahs" existing throughout the Semitic world, down to the time of Islam's development. When the Arab Empire extended its control, first over Syria and Palestine, and later over Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the whole of the Arabian peninsula, it became necessary to fold the various religious beliefs among its new subjects into the bosom of the developing religion of Islam. For the pagan Arabian tribes, this included the assimilation of their various high gods with the "al-ilah" which had been established as the monotheistic god of Islam. Speaking of the various Arabian tribes, Wellhausen originally noted,

“At first Allah was the title used within each individual tribe to address its tribal deity instead of its proper name. All said 'Allah', but each one had its own deity in mind. The expression 'the god' (al-ilah), which became the only usage, became the bridge to the concept of an identical god which all tribes had in common."

While it is unlikely that Mohammed actually existed, at least in the role to which Islam assigned him in later centuries, there is a strong case to be made for the assimilation of the many pagan "al-ilahs" into Islam that is ascribed to Mohammed by these above. This Allah was the key which the early Muslims used to bring the pagan Arabians firmly into the fold. They introduced to these tribes a monotheistic version of the god al-ilah that they had already been worshipping for centuries, as the title for various gods differing by locality. As Nöldeke notes,

“In the Nabataean inscriptions we repeatedly find the name of a deity accompanied by the title Alaha, 'the god'. Hence, Wellhausen argues that the Arabs of a later age may also have applied the epithet Allah, 'the god', to a number of different deities, and that in this manner Allah, from being a mere appendage to the name of a great god, may gradually have become the proper name of the Supreme God. In any case it is an extremely important fact that Mohammed did not find it necessary to introduce an altogether novel deity, but contented himself with ridding the heathen Allah of his companions, subjecting him to a kind of dogmatic purification and defining him in a somewhat clearer manner.”

Allah became the bridge for the Muslims to link all the Arabian tribes together under their new religion, Islam. Allah was a generic expression for the idols of Arabia, used by each tribe for its own particular high god, and these became amalgamated into the al-ilah of the state-sponsored religious system of the new Arab Empire.

Where did the "al-ilahs" of the tribes come from, and what were the deities to which these titles referred? What sort of gods were these deities? To begin to trace the development of the deity now known as Allah, we must look to Mesopotamia.

A God of Love Versus a God of Hate

This is the beginning of a series to help believers understand the differences between Christianity and Islam.

God, as revealed in the Bible, is a God of love who cares for and desires the best for His creations. He is merciful, full of grace and compassion, and seeks to restore a humanity alienated from him by sin. "For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We are told in the Bible that God does not desire the damnation of any soul, but wants all to come to Him through Christ for forgiveness of their sins and reception of eternal life. It is God "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:4). God, in his great mercy towards mankind, has provided to mankind an Advocate before His heavenly throne, Jesus Christ, who intercedes on behalf of the Christian before the Father, and who shed His blood to free lost and sinful men and women from the wrath of God against sin. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 2:1-2) These verses illustrate the position and activity of Christ as both Savior and Advocate. He is the propitiation for our sins, meaning that the shedding of His sinless blood in sacrifice for us satisfied the demands of God's wrath against sin, and that this act of grace was performed for the whole world, for every man, woman, and child who has lived and ever will live. Likewise, He is the Advocate, the one who stands before the throne of the Father and pleads His own righteousness on behalf of those who have trusted in Him as Savior, if we sin.

This contrasts with the quranic Allah, who hates sinners and has made no provision for their reconciliation to him. "..and Allah loveth not those that do wrong." (Surah 3:140) - "Contend not on behalf of such as betray their own souls; for Allah loveth not one given to perfidy and sin." (Surah 4:107) - "Those who reject Faith and do wrong,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way- Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein for ever. And this to Allah is easy." (Surah 4:168-169) - "....And if they turn away, be assured that for some of their crime it is Allah's purpose to punish them. And truly most men are rebellious." (Surah 5:49) - "The Unbelievers will be addressed: "Greater was the aversion of Allah to you than (is) your aversion to yourselves, seeing that ye were called to the Faith and ye used to refuse." (Surah 40:10) As presented in the Qur'an, Allah is a vindictive deity who desires to afflict sinners, not save them. This understanding of Allah seems to be the orthodox Islamic position. Note the passage below:


"This is the covenant which you make with Allah as soon as you recite La ilaha illallah, and in doing so you make the whole world your witness. If you violate this covenant, your hand and feet, the minutest hair on your body and every particle of the earth and of the heaven before which you made that false declaration, will render evidence against you in the court of Allah where you will be in the dock in such a helpless condition that not a single defence witness will be available to you. No Advocate or Barrister will be there to plead your case...." 9
As demonstrated here, breaking the covenant made with Allah, which is the covenant to live and abide by Islamic law and practice, will result in being hauled before the court of Allah completely defenseless, with no hope of ever being either redeemed from your sin or of being saved from the wrath of Allah. Of course, the way in which this covenant is broken is by apostatizing from Islam, not by committing some other gross or negligent personal sin. Indeed, the main thrust of the quranic verses mentioned above seems to be the condemnation of those who "betray their own soul" and who were "called to the faith" and refused, essentially choosing to reject Islam.

Further, the Qur'an contains a great deal about the types of people who Allah hates, usually understood to be those who have rejected Islam, or who will not convert to it:

Transgressors (2:190)

Ungrateful and wicked creatures (2:276)

Those who reject faith (3:32; 30:45)

Those who do wrong (3:57, 140; 42:40)

The arrogant, the vainglorious (4:36; 16:23; 31:18; 57:23)

One given to perfidy and crime (4:107)

Those who do mischief (5:64; 28:77)

Those given to excess (5:87)

Wasters (6:141; 7:31)

Those who trespass beyond bounds (7:55)

Treacherous (8:58)

Ungrateful (22:38)

Those who exult in riches (28:76)

This does not reconcile with the God of the Bible who, while hating sin and the performance of sin, also loves sinners and seeks to turn them from their wicked ways. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) This passage illustrates to us God's amazing love, His willingness to send His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place, to take the wrath against sin upon ourselves, even though we are all sinners. Further, God's attitude toward the damnation and punishment of sinners is shown in Ezekiel 18:23, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways and live?" While Allah may hate all who are not righteous and even seek their damnation, God loves them and has made abundant provision for them to receive forgiveness and eternal life. Truly, human beings go to hell in spite of the undeserved grace that God seeks to give to them.

The reason for this difference in the perception of God between Christians and Muslims has to do with the perception of love. The former believe in a God who loved them enough to send His Son to die for them even while they were still sinners, the latter believe Allah hates any who do not conform to his demands. As noted earlier, love is a necessary part of a reconciled relationship. Yet, Islam rejects love from being an attribute of Allah's character. Self-sacrificial love is considered to be weakness in the Islamic mindset, and to say that God loves is tantamount to saying that God is weak and vulnerable. Youssef, himself a former Muslim, describes the mindset this way,


"The concept of love as one of God's attributes is conspicuously missing from Islam because in Islamic thought love is a sign of weakness. Far be it from Allah, the all-powerful, to be weak. To love is to be vulnerable, and far be it from Allah to be vulnerable. But love also produces genuine confidence and hope and teaches the beloved to love freely and generously in return. Islam has no concept of the strength of love or of the characteristic qualities of love as desirable. The Koran gives no knowledge of the perfect love of God in Jesus Christ, which casts out fear and which is strong enough to overcome death and inaugurate eternal life. Muslims cannot rest in the promise of a faithful God who assures that nothing will separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
"In Islam, God and man are wary of each other, in contrast to Christianity, in which God and man are in love with each other. This difference is of great importance because it lies at the heart of the tensions Muslims feel toward Christians. The same relationship that exists between God and humans in each of the two religions exists by extension between the humans. Christians are taught to love their neighbors as they have first experienced Christ's love. Muslims are taught - many exhortations to charity notwithstanding - to judge, condemn, and even eliminate their neighbors if they fail to measure up to a certain standard of faith and practice, because that is how they expect Allah to deal with them."10

Contrast this view of the lack of love in God's character with that expressed by God in the Bible,

"And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations." (Ezekiel 6:9)
The sin of God's people may lead to chastisement, but He does not seek their destruction. Instead, their sin breaks His heart (talk about vulnerability!), and He desires for them to return to Him. He does not want to destroy them, He wants to restore them as they repent of their sins against Him.

The lack of assuring knowledge of God's love for them is much of the reason why the spirit of Islam is so harsh and hateful towards those who are not submitted to its system. Because Allah does not love self-sacrificially - and he certainly does not love those who are not Muslims - neither does the orthodox, fundamentalist Muslim trying to live by the letter of the Qur'an. The Muslim cannot claim that Allah loves him or her. He or she has no true hope or assurance of salvation from all the efforts made in this life. The Muslim is instead left hanging in limbo, never quite knowing if he or she has "done enough" to please Allah at the Last Day. As Youssef further tells us about this,

"The harshness of Islam is the direct result of its uncertainty about salvation and eternity. Not only are people what they worship, but they become what they fear. The Muslim's fear of Allah's judgment and condemnation turns outward into the same kind of action toward others. Grace and forgiveness are rare attributes of God or man in Islam, which proves a common saying that 'Islam is as arid as the deserts of its birth.'"11

As Youssef rightly perceives, we become what we worship.