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THE PATH TO ISLAMIC FASCISM
By David Outten
By David Outten
When Gods truth is ignored, or worse attacked, we must not surrender in a foolish pursuit of peace, tolerance or political correctness. Gods truth is the foundation on which a just and prosperous society is built.
America became an economic and military superpower because the vast majority of its citizens behaved in accordance with Gods laws. People who value honesty, diligence, fidelity, personal and parental responsibility, compassion, charity, and other positive traits that God expects of us continue to make this nation strong. When we ridicule and attack Christians as if they are ignorant prudes living in the past, we invite more and more destructive behavior like dishonesty, laziness, promiscuity, selfishness, and greed. Like a disease, the spread of such behavior results in the decline of a society.
A society that has lost its moral compass will have many people in it searching for truth in the wrong places. One of those places is Islamic fascism. The British were surprised to discover that some of their recent terrorist bombers were native-born converts to Islam. Americans should learn from this. If Christians will not defend their faith, and the moral values that their faith requires, more and more Americans will find new values in dangerous places, including militant strains of Islam.
As Christians we do have as a goal to win the world to Jesus Christ but not with guns, bombs or hate. Our goal is to win peoples hearts with truth and love. To win the world Christians tend to focus their resources on churches, preachers and missionaries. Sadly, most Christians are content to surrender movies and television to those who mock God. They complain about bad movies and television and then wind up watching a lot of it because even bad programs are often more entertaining than good preaching (Can you remember what your preacher said four Sundays ago? How many songs can you sing from THE SOUND OF MUSIC that came out in 1964?).
Hollywood produces programs that have the ability either to promote or to attack Gods truth. These programs go around the world spreading the truth or attacking it. Sadly, much of what Hollywood puts out makes it look like living in the United States is a nightmare. Islamic terrorists only need to point to American movies to convince their believers that Americans are immoral infidels worthy of mass annihilation.
The surest path to fascism is to surrender the moral high ground. If we as a society ridicule Christianity, ban biblical instruction, remove the Ten Commandments from public sight, legalize and legitimize what God calls immoral, then our society makes Islam look more and more attractive.
Christians are taught to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies and give thanks when they are persecuted for their beliefs. Militant Muslims are being taught to strap bombs to their children and send them off to kill infidels. Some of those children are native born Americans.
Christianity IS the moral high ground. It is the only source of the truth that sets all people free. It is time for Christians to defend the faith, not with terrorist tactics, but by standing up for Gods truth in a loving and compassionate way.
Ted Baehr, Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission and founder of MOVIEGUIDE®: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment, has been leading this fight for nearly 30 years. His tools are love and truth.
Ted regularly meets with Hollywood executives and encourages the production of more positive movies and television programs. He gives annual awards to good films, and he and his staff review movies in the MOVIEGUDE® magazine, radio program and on television through a comprehensive critiquing process based on a moral, biblical worldview. His annual report to the entertainment industry shows how movies with Christian and biblical content do better at the box office. Last year he began giving Kairos Prize awards for a morally uplifting, Christian scriptwriting contest.
Much more can be done. The entertainment industry is in a major transition and doors are opening almost daily. Requests for help with worthy projects pour in, but Ted needs people who share his vision for redeeming the media and feel led of God to participate with prayer, action and financial support. Please pray and ask God if He would have you join in the work of transforming the movie industry.