Burning the Quran Will Never Win Souls

By Massoud Hossani, AFP/Getty Images

If you haven't heard from various new sources, a couple of soldiers burned some copies of Islam's holy book, the Quran, in Afghanistan and it has sparked an enormous outrage. Not only has this provoked slingshots and stones, but gunfire that has killed two of our own American soldiers. I haven't heard any public statement as to why the soldiers burned them in the first place, but if I could take a guess, it would be in lieu of hatred of the Islamic faith (if wrong, then I stand corrected). But even if my hypothesis is wrong about this incident, the burning of someone else's religious book because of spite isn't a foreign concept--and it happens across the board with all faiths. The Bible, The Quran, The Tanakh, The Bhagavad Gita, and many more have been torched. Allow me to share some thoughts about why I would never think to burn a holy book and how, as Christians, we can share the exclusivity of Jesus Christ and steer clear of this kind of activity.

As a Christian, I'm commanded to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded. I'm also commanded to take heed to the doctrine I preach and the life I live; these two must match. Furthermore, I'm to be well thought of by those outside the household of faith; this doesn't mean I back down from the truth of God's word, but it does mean I must strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. One should never expect to gain a foothold in someone's life, as a friend, and burn a book that they hold more dear to themselves than the air they breathe; it will bring separation, possibly incite violence, and you will suffer the loss of being a witness that God could use to advance the Kingdom.

Proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord to a Muslim is already offensive enough, but we must let the Gospel be what's offensive--not us or our actions. Many, upon reading this statement, would cry, "Intolerance! You're claiming exclusivity of religious truth is what spreads this kind of hatred and violence." The foundation of their mindset matches up with mine in that it's technically an absolute truth claim, yet they want to steer clear of telling any one religion that they are wrong (notice the hypocrisy, though). Absolute truth isn't the issue, but rather how we preach it and treat those who disagree. We don't find Paul in Acts 17 smashing idols in Rome. But interestingly, we do find in Acts 19 magicians burning their own books after believing the Gospel (even though they could've been sold for 50,000 pieces of silver). I will faithfully and never back down from preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, that he bore God's wrath and paid for the sins of his people on the cross, and that whoever looks to him in faith and trusts him alone for salvation will be regenerated, redeemed, and renewed. I promise to never burn a holy book, but if one burns their own text after receiving Jesus, I won't stop them.