Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove Outreach Center in Florida is now against any group burning Korans, that is, any group other than his own.
After Jones retracted his plan to burn hundreds of Korans on the anniversary of 9/11 this Saturday, controversy ensued. Jones had met with Florida Imam Musri, whom Jones said promised him that the Ground Zero Mosque would be moved. Instead, Musri avows only to have guaranteed a trip with Jones to New York to visit the Imam leading the Ground Zero effort. The controversy heightened when the Ground Zero Mosque Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf released a statement saying he had not spoken with Musri and did not plan to barter. Subsequently, Pastor Jones is back peddling, saying Musri “clearly lied to us.”
“Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision,” Jones said. “So as of right now, we are not canceling the event, but we are suspending it.” Clearly, Jones has not had a change of mind to a biblical perspective. If he is merely “suspending” the activity, then he must still believe the activity is pleasing to God. A quick study of God's Word proves otherwise, as I discussed in a previous post.
But although Jones retains the prospect of holding such an event in the future, he added this apparent contradiction: “We are, of course, now against any other group burning Qurans,” Jones said. “We would right now ask no one to burn Qurans. We are absolutely strong on that. It is not the time to do it.” Taken out of context, one might believe Jones has changed his tune with regard to Koran-burning. But a closer look reveals this apparent truth: He doesn't want anyone else stealing the headline.
For Pastor Jones, it's still all about him, instead of all about Christ and His message of grace. If we reasonable-thinking Christians cannot get the pastor's attention, let us pray we can get the attention of his congregation. He has only a few of them. Perhaps in the midst of this madness they will change their tune and choose another leader to follow.
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