Burning books, flags, and effigies is a rather juvenile form of protest, but given the reaction Rev Jones has received you’d think he threatened to burn Muslim babies.
Many of my fellow Christians have castigated Rev Jones because his actions are not consistent with Christian love. Fair enough. But is the sudden world-wide condemnation of the reverend out of love for our Muslim brothers or out of fear? Not fear that Rev Jones will follow up his book-burning with a Kristallnacht, but that the Muslim community might do so.
Burn an American flag? Ho hum. Burn a Bible, desecrate a crucifix? Yawn. Burn a Koran? OMG, quick, lets all condemn him before something blows up!
When Rev Phelps and his followers from the Westboro Baptist Church take to the streets with their “God Hates Fags” signs, it produces only lukewarm condemnation from the Christian community, nothing like the outrage-a-thon that greeted Rev Jones. Why? Because no one is worried that a drag queen is going to strap on a suicide vest, even if he could find one that matched his shoes.
Now he’s agreed to not burn the Korans tomorrow. Although his reasons are vague and ever-changing, they are certain to be interpreted in the radical Muslim community as a response to implied threats of violence.
Burning a Koran probably wouldn’t bring any converts to Christianity, but cowering before Islam will likely send a few to them.
