Every Sunday as you arrive at church, you are almost always guaranteed certain protocols.
You expect to show up, get some coffee, say hello to a few people you act like you know… and then proceed to burn a religious book because you don’t agree with it, right?
Apparently that is the latest trend of Dove Center, a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Fla., pastored by Pastor Terry Jones.

I have never met Pastor Terry –– nor do I really care to. This is the kind of ordeal that makes me hesitant to even associate myself with Christians.

I would like to know his ideologies about Jesus, who he probably claims is the same as mine and ours. However, based off of what I’ve read and heard (including direct quotes from “Pastor” Terry), his view of Jesus and mine are not the same.

“Instead of us being blamed for what other people will do or might do, why don’t we send a warning to them?” he said in one interview with the American Free Press. “Why don’t we send a warning to a radical Muslim and say, don’t do it. If you attack us, if you attack us, we will attack you.”

Good redundant speech there, “Minister” Terry. Way to turn the other cheek.

He said he has gotten so many death threats he is now holstering a pistol at his side.
In another article, he said he was still praying about the bonfires, but plans to go through with it because he is being called to do so. The Jesus I follow calls me to love those who persecute me and hate me.

I’m pretty sure that many times Jesus’ disciples refrained from “rising up” as Pastor Terry challenges Americans to do. In fact, didn’t Stephen ask God to forgive those who were stoning him? When Nero was literally using Christian bodies as torches, I don’t remember them burning Roman literature or government messages.

Is this “Clergyman” Terry’s idea of love? He also claimed that “Islam is the devil” on his church’s online reader board a few months ago.

Perhaps most entertaining part of all this is that the U.S. government is doing everything it can to stop this.

While “Preacher” Terry sits in his comfortable Gainesville pew, trying to send a fiery blow to Muslims by burning a few Qurans, he is actually causing what he is most angry about: violence. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S commander in Afghanistan, warns that this will cause more retaliation by extremist Muslims in the Middle East. While “Reverend” Terry returns to his golf swing on Monday, thinking of other offensive and abusive statements to claim as divine intervention, he is actually giving the enemy even more reason to hate us.

He is taking lives by “standing up” for them.

Beyond that, he is turning more people away from us “ignorant” Christian folks. At a time when the anti-Muslim propaganda is at its highest since Sept. 11, Christians should be preaching the Good News and love of Jesus Christ. When Christians decided to steal children from Haiti, the world didn’t turn around and burn Bibles. Sure, there was definite anger, but no harsh responses such as that.

If the Haitian people had decided to burn Bibles, could you imagine the Christian response? We’d be wailing,“Woe to us. Jesus said we would be persecuted! We must be doing something right!” If I’m not mistaken, Jesus didn’t say to incite our own persecution upon ourselves.

The best part of “Shepherd” Terry’s response is that he waited so long to do it. He didn’t have the manhood to do it before — probably out of fear of his own safety. Now he chooses to do so when he knows the nation is divided toward the growing influence of Islam.

Terry is no pastor, clergyman or divine leader of Christ’s people. He is a joke and a pathetic attempt by Satan to put a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The best thing we can do is pray — especially for Terry.