dangerous times

Iranian President Amadinejad

Recent World Events

Two recent events in the news have caught my attention. First, a couple of days ago Bernard Lewis, a Middle East expert, wrote in the Wall Street Journal about the seriousness of Iranian President Amadinejad's threat to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Amadinejad stated that on August 22nd, one of Shiite Islam's most holy days, the world would hear Iran's response to the United Nation's demand that Iran dismantle its nuclear program.

If the August 22nd threat is credible, what will Israel do? Will they wait to find out whether Iran will detonate a nuke over Tel Aviv? Or will they attack Iran pre-emptively? This presents a real and present threat of nuclear war.

The second event was today's news about the foiled terror plot in England. I'll never look at a contact lense case the same.

All joking aside, both of these citations are further evidence of a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam. How vital it is for the West to understand its roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and how those roots are grounded in the truth of how the world actually is, in all its grandeur and fallenness.

A secular West will not likely survive the onslaught. Only those with faith in a greater hope will be able to respond to the darker side of Islam. As Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

In view of all of this, how important for all of us to sharpen ourselves that we might be used for God's purposes. What the world needs now is people with clear thinking, grace, peace, and resolve.