Osler's Razor

Yesterday I was walking down Michigan Avenue near the Water Tower, and saw an older man sitting on a lawn chair handing out religious tracts. I reached out for one (I love reading religious tracts), and for some reason he snatched back the one he had been proffering to the crowd and instead handed me another. Titled, "The Pilgrimage," the pamphlet was produced by Battle-Axe Ministry of Gary, Indiana in 1999.

"The Pilgrimage" centers on one Dr. Abdul Ali, an older Muslim man who is shown returning from Mecca. He has completed his tenth Hajj, and has paid for several young men to make the journey with him. His wife waits for him at the airport, proud of his generous support of his faith and the less affluent men he has helped.

As his wife watches in horror from the terminal, the plane crashes nose-first into the runway (a disaster blamed on a failed landing gear, which seems a little odd). 247 people die, including Dr. Ali.

Next thing we know, Dr. Ali is shown meeting an angel, who takes him to visit with Jesus. Jesus informs Dr. Ali that not only is he not going to heaven, but Muhammed is not their, either. Jesus then closes the deal by informing Dr. Ali that "Allah is a satanic counterfeit." When Dr. Ali protests that he "was a very sincere Muslim," Jesus tells him that "you were sincerely wrong."

I can't believe that this is an effective way to reach out to Muslims, even if your goal is to convert them. It's not only offensive, it's just bad evangelism.

 It reflects a theology that is alien to me, too-- one that disclaims good works by people of faith, asserting that faith alone is enough to get to heaven. (Obviously, Dr. Ali's good works were the ones being diminished here, but the quotations-- i.e., to Ephesians 2:8-9-- make it clear that this tenet is important to  Battle-Axe Ministry. This claim is important to a large swath of Christians who argue against the importance of good works in the present day and attack the social gospel and the idea of social justice.

Jesus directed us to do good works, unambiguously: To feed the poor, to heal the sick, and to visit those in prison. More directly, we have him instructing a virtuous young man who comes to him and specifically asks what he must do to get to heaven. The answer, famously, is that the rich man must sell what he has and give it to the poor. He must do a good work, and be generous. Does it get clearer than that?

Jesus gave us two great commandments: To love God, and to love our neighbor. Neither commandment can be fulfilled without action. If you doubt that, consider what Christ taught when he was asked "who is my neighbor-- the one we must love?" Jesus answers that with the parable of the Good Samaritan, which reveals two things. First, that our neighbor may be those we revile or distrust. Second, that love requires action, as the Good Samaritan's love wasn't good thoughts-- it was saving the wounded traveler.

Maybe I need to stop trying to get tracts….