PROOF-TEXTING

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

Last May, the Rev. Anne Mallonee, vicar of Trinity-Wall Street, attended a meeting to speak in favor of the construction of the controversial Puppies, Kittens and Chocolate-Chip Cookies Mosque to go up two blocks from Ground Zero and was shocked, shocked by what she heard there:

That community board meeting was a frightening display of hatred and incivility. What I encountered there, with what I have read and heard in the months since, has only strengthened my resolve for this difficult work of reconciliation. As the issue has grown from a local concern to a national and even international tempest, particular details of content have gotten traction such as the location of the proposed community center, constitutional rights and even the faith of the president of the United States. But underneath all this lies fear and hatred: Fear that can only be addressed through the willingness of people to come together, to address the issues that fuel the fear and build the barriers; and to reject the ingredients that foster prejudice and hatred.

Three “hatreds” in one paragraph. I hate writers who repeat themselves. Forget Mallonee’s public libels or her bumper-sticker-level moralizing. What jumps out at me is her lame attempt to come up with a Biblical justification for her position.

Trinity has been criticized for supporting Park51, as the proposed community center is now called. I have been confronted in anger by those who ask how I can be so naïve, so stupid, so duped as to trust Imam Feisal; not because they know him personally (they usually do not) but solely because he is Muslim. The experience has led me back to the ninth chapter of Luke, when Jesus has sent the twelve to go out to preach the Kingdom and to heal. They come back later, both amazed by the work they have been able to do in his name, but alarmed because they saw an unknown stranger doing the same kind of good work. Rather than celebrate this witness to the power of God, they tried to stop this stranger. But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”

One of the many signals that suggested to me that maybe it was time to grow up spiritually and leave the Episcopal Organization behind was when I realized that I knew this stuff better than the clergy did.

More times than I can count, I’d sit there listening to the sermon, hear them make some off-the-wall spiritual claim, think, “No. No, that’s not right. That’s not right at all,” and know exactly why it wasn’t right.

Mallonee is, of course, referring to Luke 9:49-50. You already know this but I’m going to ask it anyway. Before clicking on the link, tell me the three words Mallonee left out.

Times up. The answer, of course is…

In Your name.

I don’t know whether this is Biblical ignorance Mallonee’s part, a deliberate attempt to deceive or a little bit of both. But this seems to be a true saying and worthy of all men to be received.

This Rauf may be doing marvelous things in New York City and he may well be a much more moderate Muslim than some you could name. But the fact is that adherents of just about all religions do wonderful and praiseworthy things every day.

But they don’t do them in Christ’s Name. In fact, most religions, including Rauf’s, deny the very facts about Jesus that it is most important for Christians to proclaim.

And Annie? The fact that the kids from that Islamic school beat the kids from that Christian school out in the city-wide food drive probably happens all the time. But I’ll tell you something that doesn’t happen all the time. The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the sins of the world and His Resurrection three days later. That’sthe power of God.

And I don’t know whether you know this or not, Annie, but Muslims don’t accept that and are pretty rough on those who do around the world(see Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sudan, etc). Which kind of makes you wonder why a center designed to promote “moderate Islam” needs to be built in the West rather than in Mecca or Damascus where it might do some good.