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As mentioned earlier this week, a pastor in Florida planned to burn copies of the Qu’ran (Koran) on September 11, 2010.  His reasoning – “It’s the devil’s book.”  Well, so?  What does burning the Qu’ran do to change minds and win over people who are convinced that it is God’s book, not satan’s?  The answer is – nothing.  To many people the physical book itself is what is holy.  There are protocols about the proper treatment of the Qu’ran.  It is kept on the top shelf.  It is never placed under another book.  It is covered with a plastic or cloth dust cover when not in use.  It is never allowed to be on the floor. Etc, etc, etc. All these have to do with the physical book itself.

Are there parallels in the Christian world?  Of course.  In Roman Catholic countries it is not uncommon to find a copy of the Bible opened up to Psalm 91 on a book stand in a prominent part of the house.  It is common to find that copy of the Bible covered with plastic wrap to prevent dust and grime from soiling it.  In many congregations it is mandatory that all rise when the Bible is read as a sign of respect.

Over the centuries, many efforts have been made to stamp out the Bible.  Bibles have been burned, their printing and distribution have been forbidden and heavy penalties for their possession have been levied against those who chose to disobey.  A family friend from my childhood told me how when he was a small lad he stood beside his mother as the local priest tore their copy of the Bible into shreds and burned it in front of their house.  It was a “forbidden book” and thus to be destroyed.  That experience did not convert him and his mother to thinking like the priest, in fact it was probably responsible for driving them further away from the Roman church.

Some people try to use the example of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus as “authority” to destroy the Qu’ran.  But let’s take a quick look at what happened there.

¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:17-20 (NIV)

Paul didn’t go around forcing people to convert by burning copies of their “holy books”.  He preached the Gospel and God worked through him in mighty ways.  People confessed their sins and gave their lives to God through Jesus the Christ – and on their OWN initiative they gathered together a pile of their OWN magic books and burned them in public.  Why?  Well, they came to realize that those books were nothing compared to the great message of peace with God through Jesus the Christ.  And if they were of no use to them any more, then they were of no use to ANYONE.  They did not mourn the human value of the books – they burned them as of being of no use or true value any more.

Many people have tried to stamp out ideas by burning books.  This doesn’t work.  Ideas are in peoples’ hearts and minds and are lived out daily in the choices they make.  Many who stand in a church meeting for the reading of the word will bow to satan in their daily life choices during the week.

³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor,  or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,”  declares the LORD.  “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NIV)

The true Gospel of Jesus the Christ is written on the hearts and in the minds of His disciples.  It is demonstrated by a life transformed by the truths, not by an obsession with rituals concerning “the proper use” of a bundle of paper with ink on it.  A right relationship with Jesus the Christ results in a change of mind with leads to a change of actions.

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

If you would destroy the Qu’ran you must do so by leading the followers of that book to Jesus the Christ.  You must help them to find freedom through the Truth.  When they DO come to knowledge of the Truth then they themselves will leave their book aside to turn to the Gospel message that is written on the hearts and minds of those who follow Jesus the Christ.  Destroying a physical book does not do that.  Instead it builds barriers that are difficult to overcome.  Yes, many atrocities are committed in the name of Islam. But many who call themselves Christian are no better at living the Gospel message when it comes down to looking at things objectively.

Ideas?  You don’t over come them by brute force.  We are called to a holy war – but one that does not destroy a physical enemy.  We are called to wage a war against the ideas that hold the world captive to satan’s lies.

⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)

If you believe in Jesus the Christ, join the battle for the hearts and minds of the world.  Allow Christ to clean your thoughts so that He can be glorified through your changed life as the Holy Spirit produces His fruit in you.