By Elizabeth Peltola

“You are just worried what we will do to you when Britain becomes Islamic!”

Snarled a Muslim missionary to the West. He had seen a Muslim woman ask about Muhammad’s treatment of women, when I had spoken about Islamic stories from Islamic texts. On this occasion we had been discussing the slaughter of non-Muslim men, whose wives Muhammad and his men then married, or took on as sex-slaves. (For reference the details are found in the sira, early biographies of Muhammad).

The depth of hate levelled at truth tellers is sadly embedded in modern society. Searchers for truth now expect a vengeful response from those who disagree, and good ideas get shot down for simply being ‘old-fashioned’, or worse, for not conforming to a powerful unyielding minority imposing new ‘categories’ or definitions on words and people. Woe to anyone who dares challenge someones new identity, or bravely describes people correctly –such as the contentious debate surrounding what a woman is, and even more alarmingly, who the Heavenly Father is, and if it is worth calling out to Him as our Father anymore.

Utter confusion has resulted, and Western leaders have become a laughing stock to most of the world looking on as they watch them struggle to define what a woman is, or what a man is, what a pronoun is, what a Muslim is, what a family is, who a terrorist is, what a criminal is, and at its heart, what evil is.

Skyving (English) or bunking off (American) from Biology and English grammar classes must have been their forte.

The meaning of life has been whittled down to self-professed definitions of self. They are ever evolving, and enforced, and woe be the person who does not remember which new word a person now goes by. The imperialism of this new Western-World order, often imposed on non-Western worlds, is destructive. And harmful. It does not just harm other people, it harms the people self-identifying with whatever tickles their fancy at that moment.

Modern Self-identity is robbing the world of the structure of language and the wealth of knowledge that comes from it. Science has become a laughing stock, where women are not women (the most undermined group of people in Western society) and men are apparently not men, and children, well even for them, there is a push to decriminalise abuse of a minor, in the name of the rights of a person attracted to them. One word comes to mind: evil.

What has gone wrong? There are all sorts of minor reasons that have added to the depravity, and that is the right word to use for some of the trends of Western society. But there is one gargantuan, mostly unstated, reason: The rejection of the risen, and ruling, Lord Jesus. The world’s Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one who wants to rescue us. Perhaps to some it is laughable to think of Christ ‘ruling’ when we look at today’s world, and yet where people, communities, and on the odd occasion, nations, look to Christ as their King, stable and transformed societies emerge. Neighbourliness, care, peace, joy, success, hope, work and rest become the norm. Confusion dissipates, and understanding grows in hearts and minds. Scare-mongering disappears and fluid identities find no home. Society rests and relaxes in the power and transformation gifted by the Christ. Check out Revelation 21:1-6 for a taste of a Christ-centred society.

The book of Samuel in the Old Testament, in chapter 8, provides profound insights into a people who had decided to walk away from the rule of Christ. To be accurate - the rule of Jesus is not recognised by all yet, but it will be. Revelation 19 provides some insight into what will happen when the ‘King of Kings’ returns –best be on the right debate team on that day! And Revelation 21 describes the garden city we will have access to, the tree of life, and the light emanating from Christ so that our days no longer end with darkness. Tolkien’s magical shire and tree havens in his trilogy concluding with the ‘Return of the King’ gives us a glimpse into the beauty and sense of belonging that will fall upon the peoples of the world.

Before the return of Revelation ninteen’s King of Kings, other world views try to dominate and ‘correct’ what they categorise as unforgivable. They all result in imperialism and cruelty. ‘Woke’ imperialism and ‘Islamic’ terrorism come to mind. On the news tonight anti-terror commentators were keen to inform their listeners of correct terminology. To them there is no ‘Islamic terorrism’ there is ‘Islamist terrorism’… I’ve written about this in the past, and will again, but if the Qur’an is to be taken seriously then terrorism - striking terror - is a key Qur’anic teaching (Qur’an 8:12 is but one example).

‘Woke’ a modern over-used term, which is supposed to mean ‘social awareness’, and even that might receive a visceral response from those who define it differently, has become an imposing enforced list of categorisations, new ever-confusing letters, pronouns and definitions. It can’t last long. It just confuses people.

Islamic terrorism has a deeper foundation, based on religious edicts, which much to the annoyance of a staunch Atheist (another very powerful and very small minority), will last longer. But it too will fall if it doesn’t align to the love and sacrifice of the King of Kings.

We can’t forget another Western Group - the highest Bishops of the land, given authority to reside over the Anglican Church, debating with each other about rejecting our Heavenly Father, and presumably his Son comes next. Bishops, meer humans, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13) by that same Father and His Son along with the nurturing Holy Spirit, believe they know more than the eternal God! To them the temporary ‘woke’ definitions make a lot more sense. The eternal God, our Saviour, who tells us to go to the world baptising people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 29:19) is no longer their source of knowledge and understanding. For them it seems a new minority opinion triumphs over Jesus.

The world must be laughing at us! And they should. I hope the non-Western church is on their knees praying for us. If you are reading this and belong to Christ outside of the West, pray for us. We need your orthodoxy, your stability, your love and care and your anguished prayers on our behalf. Our bishops, our leaders so often bent on being ‘modern’, are leaving their congregations, parishes, their people alone to muddle through the world of a secular onslaught. And even many who feel ‘secular’ agree things have gone too far. They too are laughing at bishops rejecting the Fatherhood of well, the Heavenly Father! Any ‘traditional’ thinker, though they be religiously ‘agnostic’, they too are being bombarded by extremist ideologies that harm their stability, their hard work and the young minds of their children. I don’t see a solution from them, other than their bravery to challenge these new strange ideas, which many christians commend.

So how on earth does the Christian respond to the trends and world events around them?

The Lord has made it simple for Christians! He calls us to do two things.

Simply remain faithful to him, and seek to respond Biblically. And there we begin to find the solution.

Part two on its way…..