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This Thing Called Christianity Is Really Special

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
10/31/2014 / Christian Living

We know exactly the day this thing called Christianity was born, and to this day, some two thousand years later, we celebrate its timely arrival with the same profound joy and thankfulness as they did on that first Pentecost.

Pentecost is a special birthday, the birthday of the church and of Christianity, and of the many splendid and memorable descriptions you will find none quite describes the occasion better than this:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

The Christian church was born, Christianity from that day was a fledgling force that was to conquer mighty nations and grow to become the greatest uplifting, liberating, spiritual force for good known to man.

We take Christianity for granted at our peril.

Was it possible that Christianity was to vanish from the face of the earth, then humanity would have entered a Satanic zone of Stygian darkness the likes of which few could endure, and none could overcome. Meaningful life on earth would cease, and the nightmare of unending terror and horrific living would descend like a wet blanket on all our hopes for the future. It is quite possible that here would be no meaningful future.

But Christianity as a spiritual force has competition, not by the secular world, for that would be to concede that secularism has something spiritual to offer, which is absurd, but by religious forces that portend to offer something similar and better.

Believers know that Christianity is special but at times we do not look deeply enough into what others are offering; and therefore do not relish the rich blessedness and fine distinctions between us and them.

This truth was brought home to me very recently when a Muslim scholar, of the extremist wing undoubtedly, articulated what Islam stood for and what they were fighting to establish in the Middle East, and expected to establish across the Muslim world.

In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, accessed by me on 29 Oct 2014, the scholar, who calls himself Abu Sattar, an Islamic State recruiter in Turkey, gave some telling remarks about Islam and his vision for the future.

Normally when I critique Islam, I do so based on the mainstream teaching of Islam, from respected Islamic scholars, who have standing in mainstream Islamic organisations. To do otherwise would be to run the risk of knocking straw man arguments (misrepresenting the other person's argument) and that is to the benefit of no one.

Nevertheless the things Abu Sattar said need commentary because he, and his fellow fighters, are engaged in mortal combat for their beliefs and as ISIS are doing immense damage in the Middle East then people need to examine the facts.

Here is what SPIEGEL ONLINE says: "Abu Sattar recruits fighters for the terrorist militia Islamic State in Turkey. Radical Islamists travel to Turkey from all over the world to join the "holy war" in Iraq or Syria and Abu Sattar examines their motives and the depth of their religious beliefs. Several Islamic State members independently recommended Abu Sattar as a potential interview partner -- as someone who could explain what Islamic State stands for. Many see him as something like an ideological mentor."

SPIEGEL ONLINE asked this question : "You are spreading fear and horror and are killing innocents, most of them Muslim. You call that successful resistance?"

Abu Sattar is reported to have replied: We are following Allah's word. We believe that humanity's only duty is to honor Allah and his prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. We are implementing what is written in the Koran. If we manage to do so, then of course it will be a success.

Every right-thinking person must surely find Abu Sattar's reply chilling. Not once did he deny the killing of innocents, not once did he decry the loss of human life; all he said was "We are following Allah's word...We are implementing what is written in the Koran".

Christians are not totally blameless in the matter of killing innocent people, but in every case those killings were CONTRARY to, and a rejection of, Christian teachings and values.

Friends that is the difference between us and them.

No Christian that I know wants to see the slaughter of those who views are contrary to theirs. When people think different from us, when they interpret some scriptures in a different way and form a different opinion we don't desire to kill them. We try to show them through scripture and discussion that they are wrong and we are right and if they still cling to their view then so be it.

God is the judge.

The moment we take upon ourselves to be judge, jury and executioner we are no longer spiritual people doing God's will, we become evil perpetrators of wickedness, doing the same thing the mafia, drug lords or gangsters do to further their own interest.

Call it whatever you like, wickedness is wickedness is wickedness.

The great problem with some Muslims is that they do not differentiate between the West and Christianity.

Thinking Muslims should be aware that Christians criticise the West as much, and at times, more than Muslims do.

Christians generally do not see the West in a favourable light, do not see it as 'Christian" and doing God's will.

The people in the West who fight wars, especially unnecessary wars of choice, do not do so under a Christian banner, they do not have the backing of Christians, and many Christian organizations publicly condemn them. Yet some Muslims seem to delude themselves that the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and the drone campaign that kill countless people are somehow connected to Christianity.

That is manifestly not the case, and is a monstrous slur and slander on Christianity.

Christianity stands now, and always stood for tolerance, compassion and moderation and to turn the other cheek is rooted in our values, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:39)

Jesus taught us that we should help people, whoever they are, even when we are not on good terms, for this is the will of God and he showed us how with the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37.

Jesus taught us that we must not mistreat or hate our enemies; "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Christians follow this command daily and constantly PRAY that our enemies might see the light and be converted.

The plain truth is that Christianity is the greatest force for good in this world, in spite of the abuses of some so-called Christians. You only have to look at the facts to see Christianity's stellar contribution to the development of humanity over the centuries, for history has fully recorded its contribution to education, the development of medicines, the establishment of charities, the defence of human rights and a lot more besides.

Whatever Muslims do, and I happen to have known some God-fearing, compassionate, decent ones, then we as Christians will always include them in our prayers; especially when they are victims of war, or tragedies and will always see them as believers, even though they may have different religious beliefs.

Jesus taught us:
1. To love each other; and turn away from hate
2. To show compassion and mercy: not savagery and vindictiveness
3. To forgive and move on; not hold grudges and hanker for revenge
4. To give a helping hand; wherever it's needed, even going the extra mile
5. That God is the judge; and a day of reckoning will surely come for everyone

It is because Christianity stands steadfastly for these things, and as Christians we will not budge from them. We adhere to the two glorious commandments that Christ gave us, namely " ...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

This is why this thing called CHRISTIANITY is so special; it teaches us to live right with Almighty God, and to have good and proper relations with our neighbours. Surely, if nothing else, this should commend it to all humanity.

Enough said.

Books by this author (non-fiction except indicated otherwise)

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THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book)
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ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (e-book)
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Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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