LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE MASTER
corona del mar, california
Dear Partners in Mission,
In the summer of 2008, my father, Rev. Carroll Norlin Anderson, and I made a pligrimage of sorts. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of my great-grandfather's congregation, Spring Garden Lutheran Church, near Cannon Falls, Minnesota. My dad and I drove up from Madison, Wisconsin and joined in the celebrating along with many relatives who belong to that congregation. It was moving and inspiring to be in a place where the Good News of Jesus has been proclaimed from the time the first Swedish settlers met in a small log cabin - which now sits on the church grounds. My great-grandfather, John Norlin, served as pastor there from 1911 to 1928. As we sat in the service on Sunday morning, I imagined him at the pulpit those many years ago, proclaiming the grace that has set us free, keeping his watch in the time God gave him.
The trip also included stops in two of my former congregations in Northern Minnesota. It was a blessing to meet with former parishioners and share again our common faith in Jesus Christ. Driving through the rural Minnesota countryside I passed by familiar places in a lake-filled landscape I knew well. But there had also been changes.
Noticeable from the western shore of Lake Michigan, where I began my journey with a visit to my mother, all the way to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where I spent time with my son, Erik, was an increasingly visible Islamic presence; a store-front mosque in Madison, Wisconsin; neighborhood churches turned into mosques in Minneapolis; and a young woman in a head scarf working in the baggage screening area at the Grand Forks airport. The Islamic religion is growing in America. How can we, as Christians, respond? Here are some things to keep in mind.
Recognize that secular Western society is intellectually ill-equipped to understand and respond to Islam. The West has trouble understanding the mechanisms of revealed religion, especially when this religion regards politics and faith indistinguishable.
Resolve to overcome ignorance. We cannot afford to continue to ignore Islam's history. Come to terms with the fact that vast Christian and Jewish populations declined over the centuries under oppressive and humiliating Islamic regimes.
Recognize and avoid the phenomenon of appeasement. We should not make concessions to the overwhelming moral self-confidence of Islam. It is not wise to say that "Islam is a religion of peace", when our motive is fear and appeasement. This approach is self-defeating. It de-theologizes radical Islam, and makes it impossible for us to understand what we are dealing with. In fact, we are facing a religious war of profoundly conflicting beliefs, whether we like it or not.
Finally, I come back to my great-grandfathers church. One hundred and fifty years ago, those Swedish settlers set up their church in what was essentially a wilderness. They had no competition from alternative religious communities. Today, we have no such comfort zone. Like the first century church, we face an increasingly hostile culture and a variety of competing belief systems, including Islam. One thing has not changed in the preceding century, however. The message that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. We are called in this time and place to present unequivocally the person, the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the motivating factor of Christian life and missionary incentive in our homes and churches. This message remains at the center of our missionary endeavor.
Islam is aggressively promoting its false view of God and leading millions into bondage. May God grant His Church the courage to proclaim the Truth that is Jesus Christ, that His mercy, grace and love will lead millions into freedom!
