Go See the Book of Eli

Islam & the West: there is a cultural divide

Hat Tip: Booker Rising

Ayaan Hirsi Ali's op-ed piece in the New York Times highlights recent incidents in the Islamic world that underscore the deep divide between Islamic values, as applied in Islamic countries, and western values.

Her op-ed piece focuses on two recent high profile cases: the British teacher who allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad and the Saudi government's imprisonment and intended caning of a rape victim. These two cases highlight what I think is a tremendous cultural divide between muslims and westerners who are predominantly Christian. People often refute critiques of Islam by saying that what we observe in these instances is not really what Islam is about. I beg to differ. These responses are what we see in in the heart of Islamic countries where the faith is practiced by the majority of people. So I just don't buy the argument that this isn't how the faith is expected to be practiced by its adherents. Ayaan Hirsi Ali in her op-ed piece asks the question, "where are the moderates?". I wonder if they exist at all.

Because here is the thing. When we hear about incidents like the muslim woman gang raped and then thrown in jail, I keep waiting for outrage to break out across the muslim community in response. I never see it. Maybe I'm not tapped into the right news, blog or web sources, that could be. I never see an outcry or a sense of horror at these incidents from the muslim community. Seeing no response, I'm left with the impression that this is considered a reasonable outcome, an expected, even desired outcome. The Kingdom practices the active suppression of its female citizens. And the Islamic faith writ large seems to agree. How could we think otherwise, when Saudi Arabia is the site of the holiest places in the Islamic world? Every year, millions make pilgrimage to Mecca. This is the place where muslims go to renew their faith, yea to fulfill one of the very tenets of their faith. Why should I not draw the inference from that that the muslim world considers this response to be completely in line with their faith? By the way, its interesting to note that the woman and the man she was found with were both raped and were both imprisoned and sentenced to caning. There is a divide here. I don't think its one that can be crossed.

Christian Ministries in the Crosshairs

FOXNews.com - Just 2 Ministries Submit Financial Data - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Charles Grassley and the Senate Finance committee have put christian mega ministries in their gun sights, on a crusade to ensure there is no abuse of tax exempt status. Of the six ministries they have asked for information, only a few have submitted the information. Still others, notably Creflo Dollar, are resisting the request and say the committee should either refer it to the IRS or subpoena them.

I have mixed feelings about this probe. I think its curious that only large christian ministries are being approached in this manner. Why these six in particular? Just because they are large and successful ministries? The probe seems to be based on the subjective judgment by the committee that the leaders of these ministries are living too good for preachers. Is that the basis upon which a senate investigation gets to be initiated? Grassley isn't saying he has evidence or allegation of wrongdoing. In fact, in media reports he actually said the following:

On referring the whole matter
to the IRS, Grassley said Thursday,

"I can't tell (the IRS) what to do.
I can't refer anything to them unless I know something is wrong. And I
won't know if anything's wrong until we get the information."

So this is nothing but a fishing expedition. So I have a problem with it on those grounds. He has no allegations of wrongdoing, nor even irregularities pointed out by the IRS.

As someone who has been a member of a large "mega-church" (Word of Faith International Christian Center - pastored by Bishop Keith Butler), I think its important to have some perspective about the people who lead ministries of that size. At Word of Faith, Bishop Butler is responsible for a ministry which has over 10 satellite churches in the US and abroad, which contributes to missions work world wide, and which ministered to the needs of a congregation numbering 20,000 plus. Doing all of that well requires organization and leadership identical to that of any corporate CEO. Dollar ministries took in over $69 million dollars last year. The management of that level of resources and the ministry operation that money supports requires serious CEO level business management.

Just as with CEO's of large companies, the demands on these ministry leader's time is severe. When satellite ministries are being established in locales which are far apart for example, the practical, business necessity of private planes is just as apparent for them as any other type of CEO. Large ministries require excellent management, perhaps even more so than private for profit companies.

Now, in the stories, some attention is paid to Creflo Dollar's million dollar mansion, Manhattan apartment and the Rolls Royce he drives. I can say out of my own experience that Bishop Butler did not engage in that sort of ostentatiousness. I find myself a little uncomfortable with that lifestyle choice on his part. Nonetheless, if thats all the basis for Sen. Grassley to initiate a Senate investigation, then I think thats an overreach. If anyone or anything can be the target of a Senate investigation simply because committee members sense of propriety and appropriateness is offended, I got a problem with that.

God is my quarterback

Superbowl 41 is now in the record books both as a football game and as a history making event. Dubbed the "Soul Bowl" in some parts of black radio because it featured the first black coaches to reach the Superbowl, was played on the 1st Sunday in Black History Month and featured Prince for the halftime show. Tony Dungy, beloved Colts coach is now the first black coach to win a Superbowl and his success will undoubtedly open doors for other black coaches in the league as it has in the years leading up to this moment.

I noted with interest that Dungy made a point of downplaying the black history moment XLI was and instead took pains to emphasize his Christian identity and that of his opponent and friend Lovie Smith. He boldly declared upon winning both the AFC championship and then the Superbowl that God was the architect of these victories.

I noted with an equal amount of interest the relative lack of interest by the press in his Christian identity. Far more coverage was devoted to his black identity than to his faith. This aspect of Dungy's life did not get a lot of direct coverage, and was referred to mostly generically via references to him as a "man of faith" or to his "integrity".

Nonetheless, Coach Dungy took this opportunity to raise up the name of Christ and proclaim the primacy of Jesus to his life and no doubt in the process was reaching people who otherwise may not have thought about God or salvation or their eternal destiny. I'm proud of his accomplishment as both a black man and a Christian man. Go Colts!