The pastor justifies the sign by saying that “he loves Muslims and would like to see many of them accept Christ, but the sign’s purpose is to warn people of ‘false teachers’ and ‘untruth from theologically unsound doctrine.'” If one believes Christianity is the truth, and thus Islam is false, surely one would want to expose the latter in a show of altruism. Again, a question of priorities — whether to assert the truth for the salvation of souls or ignore faith and doctrine in order to be “politically correct.” Muslims often take this route as well — insist in one’s face that theirs is the one and only true religion. Nothing wrong with that. The problem is when religious people try to spread their views by the edge of the sword — something this Baptist church is not doing but that permeates the whole of Islamic history and doctrine.
“Baptist church in Florida again offends Muslims with message,” by Bob Allen for the Associated Baptist Press, November 3:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — A Baptist church in Florida is once again creating tension with its Muslim neighbors over a marquee message.
A sign posted outside First Conservative Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., reads, “God loves you, Allah hates.”
A local television station interviewed a Muslim woman who said she took offense. “What have I done?” asked the woman, who is not identified. “What have I done to deserve that kind of hatred in my neighborhood?”[…]
It isn’t the first time the independent Baptist church has grabbed attention with its marquee, which is updated regularly to confront passersby with messages about doctrinal, social or world-religion issues.
“We find it an integral part of communicating the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Pastor Gene Youngblood says on a website, Truthsthatfree.com.
In 2005 the church made news by posting a sign that read “Islam is evil and believes in murder, Surah 9-29” contrasted with, “Jesus teaches peace, Matt. 5-9.”
In 2003 local Muslims were upset when the church sign read “Jesus forbade murder Matthew 26-52 Muhammad approved murder Surah 8-65.”
Youngblood says on his website that he loves Muslims and would like to see many of them accept Christ, but the sign’s purpose is to warn people of “false teachers” and “untruth from theologically unsound doctrine.”
Since displaying the sign, he said, the church has received threats and vandalism but added, “We stand firmly on our First Amendment right: The freedom of speech is fundamental to American liberty.”…