September 8-9, 2010: Christian Organizations Condemn Pastor’s Plans to Burn Koran

A number of Christian organizations speak out against the announced plans by Florida pastor Terry Jones to burn a Koran (see July 12, 2010 and After and September 9, 2010), including the 45,000-church National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The NAE, an umbrella group for conservative Christian churches, has issued a statement asking Jones to cancel the burning “in the name and love of Jesus Christ.” Reverend Rick Warren, an SBC member and pastor of a Southern California “megachurch,” says, “Book burning is a cowardly act by those afraid that their beliefs aren’t strong enough to attract people if they are allowed a choice.” Reverend Richard Land, head of the SBC’s public policy arm, calls the plan “abhorrent.” George Wood, a senior official of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, warns of damage to Christian-Muslim relations. But Jones remains unmoved by the exhortations of his colleagues, saying that Christian churches have “given up” in what he says is their moral and spiritual duty to condemn and oppose Islam. [Associated Press, 9/8/2010; Christian Science Monitor, 9/9/2010]